Peanut Butter Cups - just like Reese's!

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On this 7th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we are all home... off from school and work because of Hurricane Isaac.  This seems to be the magical time of the year for these terrible storms.  I am indeed my mother's daughter, however, and find it impossible to just sit still and do nothing.  We have spent the last two days playing card games, Scrabble, Monopoly, building Legos, making projects, watching movies, and just manning the fort.  
That brings me to this post - because keeping little one's entertained is a fairly ambitious job sometimes.  I was looking for something to make with Lily while the boys all played "boy stuff," and it needed to be something that was "no bake" and simple, in the event that our electricity went out.  I have a gas stove, so that's not a problem.  The wind is very gusty outside and we are having significant rain, so our cooking project needed to come from pantry staples that did not require a trip to the grocery store.  We decided to make peanut butter cups.  These are SO SUPER SIMPLE that you'll wonder why you've just been buying them forever. 
The lowdown:  Extreme simplicity... Awesome taste....  Kid/teen comments "These DO taste JUST like Reese's!"  That's good enough of a testimony for me!  It appears as though Lily and I had another successful day.  :)
Click for Printable Recipe Ingredients:
Filling

• 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter (I like Peter Pan Honey Roasted Creamy Peanut Butter)
• 1/3 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp graham cracker crumbs

Chocolate Shell

• 1 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tsp shortening
• 1 Tbsp peanut butter

Now admit it.  You have all that stuff already, right?!

Method:
Line 12 regular sized muffin tins with cupcake papers.  Set aside.

Mix all the filling ingredients together.  Set aside.

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup confectioners sugar

1/4 cup melted butter

2 Tbsp graham cracker crumbs

Mix!

Melt the chocolate shell ingredients together, stirring frequently over a double boiler (or a pan set over a simmering pan of water).  

My "double boiler" - no fancy equipment required

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tsp shortening

1 Tbsp peanut butter

Stir frequently over simmering water

...until smooth and silky

Spoon some chocolate in each of the paper shells.  Use the back of a spoon to gently slope the chocolate about 1/3-1/2 way up the sides of the shells.  

Spoon chocolate into each paper baking cup

Spread to about halfway up the sides of the cup with the back of a spoon

Place in the freezer 6-7 minutes to set.  Spoon some of the filling into each chocolate shell.  

Allow the chocolate shell to set in the freezer for several minutes

Spoon in some filling

I dipped my finger into a little vegetable oil to pat and smooth down the peanut butter (so it wouldn't stick to my finger).

Smooth down the peanut butter.  Don't let it go past the top of the chocolate.

Spoon more of the chocolate (re-heat if necessary) on top of the peanut butter and spread around so that you can no longer see any of the peanut  butter.  Put them back into the freezer to set. 

Add a "cap" of chocolate over the peanut butter filling.

Make sure you cover every bit of the peanut butter.

That's it!

Let it all set in the freezer a few minutes.  Then peel off the paper.  Look how beautiful they are.  Just like a little crown!

Smooth, creamy, silky.... YUM!!!

Best chilled right out of the freezer.  They do tend to get a little "melty" so it's best to leave them in the freezer of fridge until ready to serve.  Maybe next time, I'll try adding some paraffin to the chocolate so that they will be more room temperature friendly.
But seriously, these are super simple and delicious!  It made our rainy hurricane day a little brighter, that's for sure. :)