Reese's® Peanut Butter Cups

The first Top Secret Recipes book features a version of this
clone recipe for America's most beloved candy creation.
That recipe now sits in just about every collection of
"copycat" recipes passed around the Web. But since 1993,
I've learned a few things about the delicate science of
Reese's Peanut Butter Cup cloning. You know, stuff like:
"Never clone peanut butter cups while crossing a busy
intersection," and "Don't clone peanut butter cups while
under a tall tree in the rain." These are the sort of
handy tips that you don't find anywhere else on the Internet.
These are the things that come with experience, perseverance
and a long, complicated thought process. Over seven years have
 passed, and I figured perhaps it was time to share some of the
 more useful of these discoveries with all you great folks here
 on the site. Now when you make your Reese's clones, you'll know
 to use reduced-fat peanut butter for a better texture. Now when
 you're craving that delicate combination of flavors, you'll know
 to get out the scissors to trim muffin cups for the chocolate.
 This is the improved recipe right here, authorized, and in its
 entirety! Now you can forget all about that other Reese's clone
 formula.

Although, you might want to keep in mind the thing about
the busy intersection.  

12 paper muffin cups
One 12-ounce pkg. milk chocolate chips
1 cup reduced-fat peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Paper muffin cups and chocolate -- what a glorious day!


1. Cut the top half off of the muffin cups so that they are
 shallower.
2. Pour the chocolate chips into a glass bowl and melt them
in the microwave: Microwave at 50% power for 2 minutes. Stir
 the chips gently, and let them sit for a minute or so. If the
chocolate needs more melting, microwave those chippies again at
 half power for 30 seconds. Stir gently. Continue the process,
stirring gently as you go. But be very careful not to overcook
the chocolate or it'll seize up on you like day old Carolina roof
 tar.
3. Using a teaspoon, spoon a portion of the chocolate into the
 middle of a muffin cup. Draw the chocolate up the edges of the
cup with the back of the spoon. Coat the entire inside of the
muffin cup with chocolate and place it into a muffin tin. Repeat
 with the remaining muffin cups and then put the whole muffin tin
 in the fridge so that the chocolate hardens.
4. Combine the reduced-fat peanut butter, powdered sugar and salt
in a medium bowl.
5. When the chocolate in the muffin cups has hardened, pop the
 sweetened peanut butter into the microwave oven on full power
 for 1 minute. This will soften up the peanut butter so that it
easily flows into the cups.
6. Spoon a small portion of peanut butter into each of the
chocolate-coated cups. Leave room at the top for an additional
layer of chocolate, which we'll add later. Pop the candy back
in the refrigerator to harden the peanut butter. This should
take an hour or so.
7. When the peanut butter filling has hardened, re-melt the
chocolate chips in the microwave on half power for 30 to 60
seconds. Use a teaspoon to spread a layer of chocolate over
the top of each candy. Chill the candy once again to set up
the chocolate.
8. Finally, remember to take the paper off the outside of the
peanut butter cups before eating them.

Makes 12 candies.