Homemade Peanut Butter Eggs – just scratch them

Homemade Peanut Butter Eggs are so easy and dare I say better than Reese’s? Simple ingredients like peanut butter, oatmeal, maple syrup and vanilla are combined, shaped and dipped in milk chocolate. Perfect for Easter (or any occasion really)! Makes 13 peanut butter eggs.

Do you have favorite Easter sweets?

My girls and I would all say the Chocolate Cadbury Mini Eggs. But I also love a Reese’s peanut butter egg, which Pat would also say is his favorite (not that he’s a big candy person anyway). Nothing beats the soft, creamy peanut butter center encased in a milk chocolate shell. I’m right?

Well, I’m here to tell you that you can easily make a better version of Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs at home. All you need is just a handful of ingredients, minimal effort and maybe a bit of patience 😉. (aka my kind of recipe!)

To make these Homemade Peanut Butter Eggs you will need:

• peanut butter (creamy/smooth) – Or try a nut butter or seed butter of your choice.
• oatmeal – I usually make my own but I never get them as good as store bought (I use Bob’s Red Mill).
• maple syrup – Adds a touch of sweetness.
• Real vanilla extract – Enhances the peanut butter flavor.
• Milk Chocolate Chips – Or use your favorite chocolate.
• coconut oil – Helps set the chocolate when chilled.

Make the peanut butter filling:

In a mixing bowl, measure and add 1 cup each creamy peanut butter and oatmeal, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, and 3/4 teaspoon vanilla.

Stir well until everything is mixed.

Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Once cool, measure each serving with a 1-1/2 tablespoon measuring spoon.

You should get 13 scoops. However, you could use a smaller scoop and get smaller eggs if you like!

With your immaculately clean hands, shape each portion into an egg shape. Freeze for 2 hours. They can freeze for 1 hour but I found the warm chocolate softened the eggs very quickly.

Melt chocolate:

Before removing the frozen peanut butter eggs from the freezer, in a mixing bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, combine 1-1/2 cups (about 11.5-ounce bag) milk chocolate chips plus 1 tablespoon coconut oil.

Watch out for the steam and stir gently. Once about 3/4 of the way melted (using oven mitts or a kitchen towel, carefully place on a heatproof surface or trivet and stir until smooth. Allow this to cool for about a minute so it doesn’t get extremely hot while coating the peanut butter eggs.

Until it’s smooth. Let this cool for about a minute so it doesn’t get too hot when coating the peanut butter eggs.

Grab the peanut butter eggs and set up your workspace.

Quickly dip the bottom of an egg into the melted chocolate.

Drizzle with chocolate to cover.

Lift the egg out of the chocolate with a fork and tap gently to remove excess chocolate.

Place back on the parchment, the cold pan sets the bottom quickly. I also sprinkled half with some fleur de sel for that sweet and salty combo.

When ready, place in the fridge or freezer for 30 minutes to set the chocolate.

And there you have it! When I first made these I was a little nervous about people trying them out because “what could beat a Reese’s?”. Mal had one before walking out the door to class, she loved them (win!). When Pat tasted it, he gave it to me insight and said they were really good and super close to a Reese’s. I agree!

Prepare to fall in love!

HOW TO STORE HOMEMADE PEANUT BUTTER EGGS:

You can store these in a container, separated by wax paper if desired, and refrigerate for a few weeks or freeze for up to 2 months. Not that they’ll last that long.

Enjoy! And if you try this Homemade Peanut Butter Eggs recipe, let me know! Take a picture and tag me chirp or instagram!