Cooking with Chef Ben White — Homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

This is week two of Chef Ben White’s recipes.

Some of you know him as Blair and Teri White’s son. A few of you recognize him as the nephew of Bill and Bob White. I know him because he is my neighbour, Joyce White’s grandson. It doesn’t matter how you met him, you should be aware that the fourteen year old High-Schooler is an up and coming triple threat to the Food Network chefs. Ben and his brother Emmett share my Celiac disease, so all Ben’s recipes are gluten-free. His Mother has also set up a Facebook page called Go Gluten Free so everyone can share their gluten free recipes. As he told his father, local plumber, Blair White,

“Dad, you fix peoples pipes, I fix up people’s taste buds!!

Homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

YIELD: Makes 12 peanut butter cups

INGREDIENTS:

2 (12 oz.) bags semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

DIRECTIONS:

Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

Melt one (12 oz.) bag of chocolate either in a double boiler or by microwaving in short increments, stirring after 30 seconds, for about 2 minutes.

With a small spoon or cookie scoop, evenly distribute melted chocolate into each muffin cup. Drop pan repeatedly on the counter to help chocolate flatten and smooth out. Freeze whole pan for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine peanut butter, powdered sugar and butter. Whip with an electric hand mixer until smooth*. Remove pan from freezer and place small spoonfuls of peanut butter mixture on top of each chocolate layer. Drop pan repeatedly on the counter again, to help flatten peanut butter layer. Freeze whole pan for 15 minutes.

Melt remaining 12 oz. bag of chocolate. Working quickly, portion small spoonfuls of chocolate into each cups, three cups at a time, immediately dropping the pan repeatedly on the counter to flatten cups*. Freeze whole pan for 15 minutes to set the top layer of chocolate.

For a peanut butter cup with a firmer texture, serve chilled. For a softer, creamier texture, serve at room temperature. Store refrigerated in an airtight container up to 5 days.

Enjoy!

TIPS

If your peanut butter mixture is not completely smooth, stir in an additional teaspoon of melted butter or vegetable/canola oil.

When portioning out the top chocolate layer, the chill from the frozen peanut will harden the top layer of chocolate very quickly, so you must flatten out the tops quickly after spooning on the chocolate.

You can also make ‘em mini! Use a 24-cup mini muffin tin with paper liners to make double the amount of peanut butter cups in a smaller, kid-friendly size.

Adapted from Fifteen Spatulas and Comfort of Cooking.

This is what was left within a short frame of time after he made these delicious things.

Cooking With Ben White — Gluten Free Deep Fried Pickles

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