Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups (with creamy banana)
A no-bake chocolate peanut butter cup with a secret ingredient—ripe banana—for a naturally sweet, melt-in-your-mouth center.
Ingredients
- 1 small ripe banana
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter*
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided
- Coarse or flaky sea salt, optional garnish
Instructions
- Make the filling: In a bowl, mash the banana, peanut butter, vanilla, and kosher salt together until mostly smooth and creamy. A few tiny banana specks are totally fine, but you want the mixture as lump-free as possible so it spoons in easily. Set aside.
- Form the chocolate cups: Line 8 compartments of a standard muffin tin with paper liners. For the bottom layer, place 1 cup of the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, then in 20-second intervals, stirring between each, until melted and smooth. Spoon the melted chocolate evenly among the 8 liners (about 2 tablespoons each). Using the back of a spoon, smooth it across the bottom and drag it slightly up and around the sides…this will help seal in the filling once it’s added. Pop the tin into the freezer to quickly firm the chocolate, 15 to 30 minutes.
- Add the filling: Remove the tin from the freezer and divide the filling evenly among the 8 chocolate cups, mounding it in the center, gently spreading it out, but keeping it light on the edges so the top layer can seal around it. (For an even neater fill, spoon the filling into a small plastic baggie, snip a tiny corner hole, and pipe it in.)
- Seal and set: Melt the remaining ½ cup chocolate chips in 20-second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth. Spoon it over the peanut butter-banana filling, spreading it with the back of the spoon, making sure it reaches the edges to seal each cup. Sprinkle with coarse or flaky sea salt, if using, then place in the freezer until set, about 15 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy: Peel back the paper liners and enjoy cold. The filling softens quickly at room temperature, so these are best served straight from the fridge or freezer.
Notes
• Storage: Store the cups in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months; place parchment paper between layers if stacking. They’ll also keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 to 5 days—the centers will just be a touch softer than when frozen.
• Serving tip: Let them sit at room temperature for 1 to 3 minutes before biting in if you want the center slightly softer. Don’t leave them out too long—the banana-peanut butter filling gets creamy fast.
• Banana tip: Use a ripe banana with some brown spots for the best natural sweetness and smoothest texture. If your banana is very large, you may have a little extra filling, or the filling may be slightly softer.
• Banana-free option: The banana adds both bulk and natural sweetness to the filling, so it can't simply be left out. To make these without it, increase the peanut butter to ½ cup and stir in about ⅓ cup of powdered sugar with the vanilla and salt.
• Nut-free option: Use sunflower seed butter or soy nut butter instead of peanut butter.
• Dairy-free option: Use dairy-free chocolate chips.
• Gluten-free: This recipe is naturally gluten-free as long as your chocolate chips are certified gluten-free.
• Vegan option: Use dairy-friendly chocolate chips—the rest of the recipe is naturally vegan.
• Flavor variations: Add a pinch of cinnamon to the filling, use almond butter instead of peanut butter, or sprinkle crushed peanuts or shredded coconut on top before freezing.
• Mini cup version: You can make these in a mini muffin tin for bite-size treats. You’ll get about 24 cups
• Frozen Bananas: If you have frozen bananas in your freezer, you can use these in place of fresh. Just thaw it completely first and drain off any excess liquid before mashing it with the peanut butter. The filling may be slightly softer than if you use a fresh ripe banana, but once the cups are chilled or frozen, they should set up beautifully. You can even speed up the thawing process by microwaving your frozen banana until it’s soft. Just be sure to drain off any liquid before mashing it up!
Nutrition Information per serving
Serving Size: 1 pieceCalories: 210Carbohydrates: 25gProtein: 3gTotal Fat: 14g— Unsaturated Fat: 8g— Saturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 75mgFiber: 3gTotal Sugar: 17g— Natural Sugar: 3g— Added Sugar: 14g
Nutrition information is calculated using a leading industry software. That being said, brands can vary, and there may be slight fluctuations in the numbers.