Thursday, October 13, 2011

Peanut butter cups - Metric recipe!

There are many things Americans do that I do not understand. Like how they use decimal currency but refuse to adopt the metric system. And how they insist on giving new names to things that have perfectly good names already, like "baking soda". What's wrong with calling it bicarb? And combining maple syrup with bacon, that one is just too weird for me.
Another one I never really got was why they try to put peanut butter in so many of their desserts. I like peanut butter on a sandwich, but in a cheesecake? It just seems wrong! But recently a customer at work gave me a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, and I have to admit it was rather yummy! And I remembered seeing on Pinterest that some people make home made ones, so I gave it a go.
I have to say, these were damn yummy! A little bit salty, and not too sweet, I'm quite pleased with my home made peanut butter cups. Though I only ever had that one little morsel of Reese's so it's hard to compare, but mine were pretty good. My friends loved them too.
But of course being such an American thing all the recipes I found online are in imperial measurements. So I had to make it up a little bit as I went along. Below is my recipe, but be warned, this made far too much peanut butter filling. I had to throw out a fair bit. The amount of peanut butter fillingg coule easily make another dozen cups, so you'd have to increase the amount of chocolate used. But I think next time I'll just reduce the amount of peanut butter filling.
Metric peanut butter cups
Makes 25
600g chocolate (I used a half/haf mixture of dark and milk)
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 icing sugar, sifted
1/2 teapsoon vanilla essence
Melt 300g off the chocolate. Let it cool down so that it is still liquidy but won't burn your hand, and spoon it into 25 mini paper muffin cases. As you spoon chocolate into each case push it against the sides to form a cup. Put in the fridge until set.
In a bowl combine the peanut butter with the icing sugar and stir until well combined. Add the vanilla essence and stir until mixed in thoroughly. Spoon into each chocolate cup, leaving enough room for the chocolate topping. Using your finger push the peanut butter filling down until it's fairly flat in the cup. Refrigerate until set.
Melt the other 300g of chocolate, and spoon on to the top of each cup trying to make the tops fairly level. Refrigerate until set.