Just in time for Super Bowl Sunday — Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups with Stout!! This is one of those three-ingredient wonders — you know, those curious little recipes that crop up on Facebook from time to time and sound way too easy to work.

I made this test batch because I wanted try them out before I bring them to Hamilton  for Sunday’s Wine and Unwind.   If I do say so myself, they are pretty freaking good.  (My 13 year year old thinks they need more textural refuge, though, and suggests I use crunchy peanut butter next time.  It’s a fair critique.  I’ll try that and let you what the cast thinks.)

Oh, and one other little backstage-related detail — the peanut butter I used was “The Bees Knees” from Peanut Butter & Co.  The partner of one of the producers of Kinky Boots owns the company, and sometimes he sends a case or two to the theater for everyone to enjoy.  So I did.

Chocolate Stout Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients:

3 cups of dark chocolate chips (60% cocoa content)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup stout or porter (espresso or smoked flavor would be divine!)

Method:

1.  Line mini-muffin tins with mini-muffin paper cups.  (should need about 24)

2.  Place chocolate chips in a glass bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds at a time, stirring each time until melted.

3.  Spoon melted chocolate into muffin cups (about 2/3rds full).  Don’t use all the chocolate, as you will need a little bit to smooth off the tops after you’ve piped in your peanut butter.

4.  In a small bowl, beat peanut butter and stout until well combined.  Scrape peanut butter into a Ziploc bag, and cut off one corner to use as a make-shift pastry bag.  Insert cut-off corner into chocolate and squeeze out a good sized dollop.

5.  Top each cup with a small amount of the remaining chocolate to cover the peanut butter and create a smooth top.

6.  Chill until set, about 10 minutes.

I will confess that I used a couple of specialized tools to make this easier and the candies sleeker — a mini-cookie dough scoop really helps get the melted chocolate into the cups cleanly, and a pastry bag makes the peanut butter look very professional.  But really, a spoon and a Ziploc work just fine.  And how can you go wrong with these three ingredients?

Tagged: Hamilton, Kinky Boots, Peanut Butter Cups, Super Bowl