October 18, 2023
Review RecipeChocolate Covered Peanut Butter Hearts
Table of Contents
These chocolate covered peanut butter hearts are a delicious treat for Valentine’s Day. Your family is going to love the simple, chocolatey sweets and their fun heart shape.
If you’re looking to spread the love with baked goods this Valentine’s Day, try our heart-shaped Valentine sugar cookies! Or, if you’ve got peanut butter lovers at home, you can make our homemade peanut butter cups.
Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Hearts Ingredients
You’ll need:
For The Hearts
- ½ cup salted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 cups creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, or a combination of semi and milk chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons shortening
- Sprinkles, optional
For The Drizzle
- ½ cup white chocolate chips or pieces
- 1 teaspoon shortening
SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS
PEANUT BUTTER: Need a peanut-free recipe? Almond or cookie butter is a good substitute. They both have a similar taste to normal peanut butter.
SHORTENING: You can use butter or margarine if you don’t have any shortening. For every 1 cup of shortening, use 1 cup and 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine.
TOPPINGS: If you’re looking for some fun decorating ideas, you can put a thin layer of peanut butter on top of the finished heart and put some candy or even toffee bits on top!
How To Make This Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Hearts Recipe
STEP ONE: Line a jelly roll or half sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper and set it aside.
STEP TWO: Use a hand mixer and beat the melted butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract together. Blend until smooth and creamy.
STEP THREE: Beat in the powdered sugar.
STEP FOUR: Press the peanut butter mixture into the pan, spreading it about ½-inch thick.
STEP FIVE: Place your pan into the freezer for 15 minutes.
STEP SIX: Lift the parchment paper to remove the chilled peanut butter layer from the pan and put down a new sheet of parchment paper.
STEP SEVEN: Use a cookie cutter to cut out ½-inch thick heart shapes from the chilled peanut butter layer.
PRO TIP:
The number of finished hearts that you end up with will vary depending on the size of your cookie cutter. Here we made 12 hearts because our cutters were quite large.
STEP EIGHT: Place hearts on a parchment-lined sheet pan and then freeze for 30 minutes.
STEP NINE: Scoop up any remaining peanut butter mixture, re-press to ½-inch thickness, and then cut out additional shapes.
STEP TEN: After your cutouts have chilled for 25 minutes, prepare your chocolate coating.
STEP ELEVEN: Place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Dollop 2 tablespoons of shortening over the top. Then, heat chocolate and stir in 30-second intervals. The chocolate should be smooth and completely melted.
PRO TIP:
The shortening added to the melted chocolate makes it easier for coating and prevents any discoloration of the chocolate surface. It also makes it soft and will melt or imprint easily if it’s touched. You can reheat the chocolate in short bursts to keep it smooth and easy to use for coating the hearts.
STEP TWELVE: Using a fork, lift one peanut butter cutout at a time and coat it completely with the melted chocolate.
STEP THIRTEEN: Work in batches if the peanut butter cutouts become soft quickly.
PRO TIP:
To keep the peanut butter hearts from softening too quickly, keep the pan in the freezer and only take out a few at a time for coating.
STEP FOURTEEN: Allow the chocolate to harden.
STEP FIFTEEN: For an optional drizzle, microwave the white chocolate chips or chopped pieces and the shortening (½ teaspoon per ½ cup) in 30-second increments until it is melted and smooth.
PRO TIP:
The white chocolate drizzle cools and hardens quickly. If you want the heart sprinkles to stick, add the drizzle to just one heart at a time and immediately add the sprinkles.
STEP SIXTEEN: Scoop the melted chocolate into a plastic bag or piping bag. Snip a tiny corner off of the bag and drizzle it in a zig-zag motion over the chocolate covered hearts. Immediately sprinkle with heart sprinkles.
STEP SEVENTEEN: Allow the chocolate to set for about 1 minute.
How To Serve
For Valentine’s day, make a batch of this perfect treat, wrap in cellophane bags and share them with your loved ones. Everyone will delight over how cute and irresistible they are.
MORE PEANUT BUTTER RECIPES
Storage
ON THE COUNTER: Cover your chocolate peanut butter hearts in an airtight container and store them on the counter at room temperature for up to 7 days.
IN THE FRIDGE: You can keep your chocolate hearts in the fridge for up to 7 days. Keep them in an airtight container.
IN THE FREEZER: Freeze your hearts for up to 3 months. Note that discoloration of the chocolate may occur, though. Defrost in the fridge before serving.
Forget about that ordinary bag of Hershey’s chocolate this Valentine’s Day. With this chocolate-covered peanut butter hearts recipe, you’ll satisfy your sweet craving and also make some tasty gifts. Thick, sweet peanut butter filling dipped in decadent chocolate – it’s everything Valentine’s treats are meant to be!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
While we haven’t tried it, if you have experience using silicone molds, you could certainly try making them that way instead.
A jelly roll pan is a rimmed baking sheet that measures about 15-inches by 10-inches.
Freeze candy hearts for up to 3 months for longer storage, but note that discoloration of the chocolate may occur. Defrost in the refrigerator before serving.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Lasagna
- Peanut Butter Brownies
- Peanut Butter Dream Bars
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Easter Eggs
- Peanut Butter Ball
- Buckeye Brownie Cookies
- Chocolate Covered Strawberry Brownies
- Buckeye Bars
- Buckeye Brownies
- Salted Nut Roll Bars
- Apricot Delight
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Pie
- Chocolate Peanut Toffee
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Crazy Cake
- Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
- Martha Washington Candy
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Disneyland Peanut Butter Squares
- Blueberry Delight
- Peanut Butter Lava Cookies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- Peanut Butter Stuffed Cookies
Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Hearts
Ingredients
For The Hearts
- ½ cup salted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 cups creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, or a combination of semi and milk chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons shortening
- sprinkles, optional
For The Drizzle
- ½ cup white chocolate chips, or pieces
- 1 teaspoon shortening
Instructions
- Line a jelly roll or half sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Using a hand mixer, beat together melted butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
- Beat in powdered sugar.
- Press peanut butter mixture into sheet pan spreading to about ½-inch thickness.
- Place sheet pan in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Lift the parchment paper to remove the chilled peanut butter layer from the pan. Place a new sheet of parchment paper on the pan.
- Use a cookie cutter to cut out ½-inch thick heart shapes from the chilled peanut butter layer.
- Place cutouts on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Freeze for 30 minutes.
- Scoop up the remaining peanut butter mixture, repress to ½-inch thickness, and cut out additional shapes.
- After cutouts have chilled for 25 minutes, prepare the chocolate coating.
- Place milk chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. Dollop 2 tablespoons of shortening over the top. Heat and stir in 30-second increments in the microwave until the chocolate is smooth and melted completely.
- Using a fork, lift one peanut butter cutout at a time and coat it completely with the melted chocolate. Tap excess chocolate off of the cutout and place it back onto the parchment paper.
- Work in batches if the peanut butter cutouts become soft quickly.
- Allow the chocolate to harden.
- For optional drizzle, microwave white chocolate chips or chopped pieces and shortening (½ teaspoon per ½ cup) in 30-second increments until melted and smooth.
- Scoop the melted chocolate into a plastic bag or piping bag. Snip a tiny corner off of the bag and drizzle in a zig-zag motion over the chocolate covered hearts. Immediately sprinkle with heart sprinkles.
- Allow the chocolate to set for about 1 minute.
Notes
- The number of finished hearts that you end up with will vary depending on the size of your cookie cutter. Here we made 12 hearts because our cutters were quite large.
- The shortening added to the melted chocolate makes it easier for coating and prevents any discoloration of the chocolate surface. It also makes it soft and will melt or imprint easily if it’s touched. You can reheat the chocolate in short bursts to keep it smooth and easy to use for coating the hearts.
- To keep the peanut butter hearts from softening too quickly, keep the pan in the freezer and only take out a few at a time for coating.
- The white chocolate drizzle cools and hardens quickly. If you want the heart sprinkles to stick, add the drizzle to just one heart at a time and immediately add the sprinkles.
Comments
Belinda says
We love these – super tasty and you could make all sorts of shapes.