These chocolate peanut butter cups taste like classic peanut butter cups but are made with healthier ingredients. They only need 4 ingredients and don’t require any wheat flour, eggs, refined sugar, dairy, butter or oil. They also don’t require any baking.
A stack of four chocolate peanut butter cups with the top one cut in half showing the center

These homemade chocolate peanut butter cups are so easy to make at home and you don’t need any special molds to make them. I love that the filling tastes just like the filling in classic peanut butter cups but is made with healthier ingredients.

Ingredients

  • Peanut butter
  • Maple syrup
  • Coconut flour
  • Dark chocolate

Peanut butter: This recipe uses natural peanut butter with no added oils. Make sure to use natural peanut butter with no added oils because the filling does not set well with regular peanut butter or peanut butter that contains added oils.

Maple syrup: Maple syrup is used to sweeten the peanut butter filling and thicken it.

Coconut flour: A little coconut flour adds texture to the peanut butter filling. Classic store-bought peanut butter cups have a peanut butter filling that is both solid and a little crumbly and also creamy and smooth. The coconut flour is highly absorbent and firms up the filling, while also giving the same creamy and crumbly texture.

Dark chocolate: The peanut butter cups are coated in melted dark chocolate chips. If you prefer a sweeter chocolate, you can use semi-sweet, milk or white chocolate chips. I used dark chocolate chips to keep the peanut butter cups healthier. If you need this dessert to be dairy-free, make sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips. If you need the dessert to be refined sugar-free, make sure to use chocolate that is sweetened with unrefined sugar like coconut sugar or date sugar.

How to Make Peanut Butter Cups

Add peanut butter, coconut flour and maple syrup are mixed together. The mixture should be thick and will continue to thicken as the coconut flour absorbs moisture from the mixture.

Melt the chocolate chips until smooth. Add cupcake liners to a standard muffin pan. Add about 3/4 tbsp of melted chocolate to the bottom of each cupcake liner. Place them into the fridge briefly to set the chocolate.
Peanut butter cup filling in a glass bowl and then in muffin liners in a muffin pan
Once the bottom layer of chocolate is set, add 1 tbsp of filling to each cup. Flatten the filling so it forms a thick round disk inside each cup. Then cover the top with about 1 heaping tbsp of melted chocolate to seal the cups.

Place the cups back into the fridge to allow the chocolate to set. If desired, you can also garnish the cups with coarse salt.

Once the chocolate is set, the peanut butter cups are ready to serve.
Chocolate peanut butter cups with coarse salt sprinkled on top
A bite taken out of a chocolate peanut butter cup

Expert Tips

  • If you need a substitute for coconut flour, you can use superfine almond flour. I found that coconut flour is best for thickening the filling and matching the texture of classic peanut butter cups, but almond flour does also firm up the filling a little and adds some texture.
  • You can also use honey instead of maple syrup, but I preferred the flavor and texture when using maple syrup.
  • You can also use candy molds if you have them. The amount needed for each cup will likely need to be adjusted because the molds tend to be a little bit smaller than a muffin pan.

Chocolate peanut butter cups with some cut in half and coarse salt on top

More Healthier Candy Recipes

5 from 4 votes

4 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cups

These homemade peanut butter cups taste just like the classic store-bought ones but are made with healthier ingredients. You only need 4 ingredients to make them and they don't require any wheat flour, eggs, refined sugar, dairy, butter or oil.
Servings: 16 pieces
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup (256g) unsweetened natural peanut butter with no added oils
  • 3 tbsp (21g) coconut flour
  • 2 1/2 tbsp (37ml) maple syrup
  • 2 1/2 cups (370g) dark chocolate chips , see note before starting

Instructions
 

  • Line 16 cavities of two standard muffin pans with muffin/cupcake liners. (I did 12 on one and 4 more on the second one).
  • Add peanut butter, coconut flour and maple syrup to a large mixing bowl. Mix until evenly combined. The mixture should be thick and will continue to thicken as it sits.
  • Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted and smooth. Alternatively, you can melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over simmering water.
  • Add about ¾ tbsp of melted chocolate to the bottom of each muffin liner. Use the back of a spoon or a small spatula to spread it evenly across the bottom and also spread a thin layer of chocolate up the sides, about ½ inch up the sides, creating the bottom cup layer of a peanut butter cup. Shake and tap the bottom of your muffin pan against your counter a few times to level and even the chocolate along the bottom of the muffin liners. Place the muffin pans into the fridge for about 15 minutes or until the chocolate is set.
  • Once chocolate is set, use a 1 tbsp cookie scoop to scoop the peanut butter mixture and release it into the center of each chocolate mold. The mixture should have the consistency of cookie dough. Use your hands or a spoon to flatten and level it into a disk that fills most of the shell, leaving a little room around the edges.
  • Make sure your chocolate is still very melty and runny at this point. If it is starting to thicken, heat it up again so it is very runny. Add a heaping 1 tbsp of melted chocolate on top for each mold. Shake and tap the bottom of the pan a few times so that the chocolate spreads evenly across. You should have enough chocolate to cover the surface of the peanut butter. You can also garnish the cups with coarse salt if desired.
  • Place the chocolates briefly back into the fridge until the chocolate is set. They are then ready to be served. Store any uneaten chocolates in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Notes

  • Chocolate note: You can use any type of chocolate chips. I like using dark bittersweet chocolate chips with around 60-65% cocoa. If you need the cookies to be dairy-free, make sure to choose dairy-free chocolate chips. If you need these to be refined sugar-free, make sure to use chocolate sweetened with unrefined sugar such as coconut sugar, maple sugar, date sugar, or a sugar substitute. I like using Hu dark chocolate chips.*
  • *These product links are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
  • Estimated nutrition assumes 2 tbsp of chocolate used per peanut butter cup because not all of the chocolate is used.
Serving: 1piece, Calories: 190kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Sodium: 33mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 9g, NET CARBS: 13
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. This is not a comprehensive list of all the nutrients in the recipe (i.e., does not include vitamins, cholesterol, etc). I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
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