Dark chocolate peanut butter bites

Dark chocolate and peanut butter. As far as I'm concerned, putting the two of them together is a win and should never be passed over! When I was 18 and backpacking, my room mate and I were in such a fix for Reece's peanut butter cups, with none to be found where we were, that we simply went to the store and bought a jar of peanut butter and a very large slab of chocolate. We spent a happy afternoon sitting on the grass in front of the room we shared happily scooping peanut butter out of the jar on chunks of chocolate and scarfing it down to the vast amusement of those poor individuals who were unfamiliar with the concept of combining the two. I believe we both got quite ill that evening, but we both felt that it had been worth it.

I love a good peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie (my husband and I have been known to make up a batch and have them for dinner, after all) but sometimes you don't want the cookie to get in the way. I've been toying with the idea of trying to make my own version of a Reece's for a while now, and as my mother-in-law got me the coolest toy for christmas, a chocolate making kit, I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to try both of them out!

Okay, so now that I have the toys, er, tools to do this, it's time for the recipe. I looked at a few, but really, this is supposed to be about the peanut butter and the chocolate, so in the end simple won. I found this recipe at Gluten Free Nosh and am very happy with it. She suggests using mini muffin/baking cup liners, and if I didn't actually have candy molds, that would be the way I would go, but note! These are very rich! Little is not a bad thing here! Because I use 80 to 85% dark chocolate for all my baking, I find that while it isn't as sweet, a little really does go a long way. You will also want to ensure that the chocolate stays runny, so you will probably want to put the chocolate back into the microwave before covering the peanut butter, or you could also melt the chocolate over a double boiler and simply keep it warm throughout. Whatever you do, be prepared to giggle and get chocolate all over! This is a simple recipe and there is something about making peanut butter cups that had me feeling like a kid. Probably had something to do with having chocolate all over myself, and really, it is all about the simple pleasures!

Dark chocolate and peanut butter bites
Quantity depends on your molds

• 3/4 cups Peanut Butter (regular works best)
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons Icing Sugar
• Pinch salt
• 2 cups chocolate, 72% or higher, in small pieces
• Mini baking cups, candy cup liners or candy molds

 Combine the peanut butter, icing sugar and salt and mix till well blended; roll into small balls, working quickly so that it doesn't stick to your fingers. (Hint: rinse your hands in cold water first). Set aside on a little plate.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave, in 30 second incremements on a low power setting, stirring between each until melted; alternatively, melt the chocolate in a double boiler, stirring till completely smooth.

Cover the bottom of your liners/cups/molds with some of the melted chocolate, then put in a peanut butter ball. Top/cover with more melted chocolate and refridgerate for about 30 minutes till set.

We made our peanut butter balls a bit too big for our molds, so after dividing them we ended up with more than we had intended. Oh, dear, such a hardship. We also found that giving the molds a good shake allowed the chocolate to settle a bit more smoothly as well, though we did end up with a few air bubbles. Tasty though!