Homemade Peanut Butter Eggs

Are you ready for Easter recipes yet? How about springtime recipes? After a cold, wet, winter, I’m ready for warm weather, sunshine, and all things Spring! Starting with these homemade peanut butter eggs that would be perfect for your Easter basket but also maybe totally perfect for munching on all season (all year?) long. The filling for these Peanut Butter Eggs is based off of my Buckeye recipe. It’s essentially the same easy-to-make, easy-to-manage, creamy, peanut-buttery filling shaped into an egg shape and hidden beneath a slick chocolate coating. This recipe makes me think of a Reese’s Egg, only better. Easy to make, maybe a little messy (I’m unfortunately not so great at keeping my powdered sugar from flying everywhere and not getting chocolate all over my countertops, but if you are your mileage will vary), but simple and so good.

What Ingredients Do I Need to Make Homemade Peanut Butter Eggs?

Peanut Butter. You’ll want to use a creamy peanut butter. I don’t recommend using a natural variety (the kind that separates and needs to be stirred before using). Your eggs will most likely end up too sticky and oily that way. Butter. This is one of my rare recipes where I actually use salted butter instead of unsalted. However, if you only have unsalted on hand you can add ¼ teaspoon of salt to your batter to make your peanut butter eggs. Brown Sugar. This is optional, but I recommend it for a subtle depth of flavor. Some people have complained that they can detect the grittiness of the brown sugar in the end product. I’ve never had this happen and think it might have to do with the brand of sugar. I use Domino Sugar and make sure I stir the sugar in really well with the butter. Vanilla Extract. Enough said. Powdered Sugar. Keep the mixer on low speed as you add the sugar to keep it from flying everywhere. I usually end up wearing a good bit of mine because I’m impatient.

How to Shape Peanut Butter Eggs

Start by scooping about two tablespoons of your peanut butter “dough” into a ball. Give the dough a little squeeze to make sure it clings together without crumbling. If it does, roll it between your palms to form an egg shape (if it doesn’t, see my tips below). You could be done here and have a round egg shape, much like my Easter Egg Candy recipe, but I was going for more of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Egg look. To achieve that, place your egg on a clean surface and use your palm to gently flatten it. If needed, use your fingers to smooth over any cracks or properly round the edges. Voila. Perfect Peanut Butter Eggs.

Tips for Making Peanut Butter Eggs

The peanut butter filling here is pretty much foolproof. If it’s too sticky to manage, you can fix that by stirring in more powdered sugar, a Tablespoon at a time. If it’s too dry (test it first, the dough will look dry but if it clings together when you work it in your hands and is moldable it’s perfect) you can remedy that by stirring in just a splash of milk. Don’t freeze your eggs for too long before coating with chocolate. It makes the chocolate likely to crack as the peanut butter interiors warm back up to room temperature (learned this one when making my Oreo Balls). If adding sprinkles, add them immediately after dipping your peanut butter eggs. The chocolate hardens fast and you only have a small window to add the sprinkles. Peanut Butter Eggs will keep for several days at room temperature or for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. No matter where you keep them, I recommend storing in an airtight container.

Any other Spring-specific recipes you’d like to see this season?