Once upon a time, Parker and I were talking about what I was going to make for my next crazy article (what could we do to top making a cookie on the stove)? And then, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups came up: we decided to make a giant one, and while we’re at it, top the creation with normal Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
The Process
We adapted from this recipe from TasteMade.
If you are experiencing an urgent need for Reese’s, this recipe is not for you. It took over an hour, from start to finish (with cooling time) to make one giant Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. However, it was totally worth it.
It was difficult to tell how thick our top and bottom layers were, so we erred on the side of chocolate and added a bit more than the recipe called for. We ended up with a lot of chocolate, but I do not see that as a shortcoming of the project.
The recipe was also quite dorm friendly. The chocolate and vegetable shortening melted in the microwave in about one minute. The recipe said to make the filling in a food processor or electric mixer, but we used a large bowl and a combination of a wooden spoon and our hands. It was easiest to spread the filling by hand, too. Given that it was mostly peanut butter, it became pretty thick.
We added the extravagance of topping it with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. We put them on top of the peanut butter layer and then added the top layer of chocolate so that they would set and stay on top when we cut into it. They worked well and did not interfere with the second chocolate layer.
The Results
The end product was amazing; it had enough chocolate and peanut butter. The ratio was a bit off of a traditional Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, but a little more chocolate was not a problem. It also tasted a bit more peanut buttery than the store-bought versions, but again, not a real problem.
Mostly out of impatience, we tried to eat it after about 10 minutes in the freezer, after the final step. The chocolate had not yet set and we had to put it back. However, after the recommended 30 minutes, we took the sides of the pan away and the final product was on full display.
Our friends were in awe and we cut into it immediately. It was throughly frozen, but no one had any objections. It tasted fantastic frozen, and also tasted good at room temperature. It is so large that we did not finish it all in one sitting. It keeps well in the freezer, so just take it out, cut off the piece you want (making sure to get at least one Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup on top) and put it back in the freezer for later.