If you’re looking for quick and easy recipes for holiday sweets, this is one you’ll want to try out! There are just 4 simple ingredients: white chocolate (or vanilla) baking chips, dark chocolate (or semi-sweet chocolate) chips, creamy peanut butter, and coconut oil (or shortening). I like using coconut oil instead of shortening myself. Now I’m not much of a candy-maker, but these are so easy, anyone can make them!
You don’t even have to decorate them–you can just pour the melted candy mixture into the mini baking cups and be done with it.
But I decided to decorate mine and bought these Wilton supplies in the baking department of my local craft store. You can probably find these items or similar items in a store near you. Or, you can make your own icing and decorate with that–I bought my icing to save a little time. The important thing to remember with these is to keep them refrigerated until you’re ready to serve them…if they sit at room temperature for a length of time, they soften and are hard to eat!
I’ll give you the Peanut Butter Chocolate Meltaway recipe first and then tell you a little more about how I decorated them…
Holiday Peanut Butter Chocolate Meltaways
HOLIDAY PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE MELTAWAYS by NancyC, adapted from Taste of Home
Makes about 4 dozen 
- 1 (12-ounce) package white chocolate (or vanilla) baking chips
- 1 cup (6 ounces) dark chocolate chips (or you can substitute semi-sweet)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 Tablespoons coconut oil (or you can use shortening)
- 4 to 5 dozen miniature baking liners or candy cups (it doesn’t hurt to have a little extra!)
- assorted decorations, frosting, icing, etc. (optional)
Combine first four ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on HIGH for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from microwave and stir. Then return to microwave and cook an additional 30 seconds on high; remove and stir until mixture is smooth.
Separate and arrange empty mini baking liners or candy cups on a clean 10×15″ jelly roll pan. Pour melted chocolate mixture into the mini liners, filling until almost full (if you have a microwaveable mixing bowl with a narrow lip or spout, you can pour the mixture right from that. I didn’t have a lip on my bowl, so I poured the melted chocolate mixture into my liquid glass measuring cup and then poured the mixture into the mini baking liners with that, refilling my measuring cup several times).
Place the sheet of filled mini liners into your refrigerator and chill until set. After they’re set (I let mine chill for about an hour), you can decorate them if you want. If you’re not eating these right away, keep stored in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Recipe from NancyC | nancy-c.com
TO DECORATE: You can make little star shapes with a tube of Wilton Decorating Icing, which is very quick and easy to do (make sure you get those plastic tips–sometimes they’re sold separately). Or do the same thing with your own frosting and decorating tools. You can also use small pre-made cookie decorations (I chose some candy canes)–just put some purchased or homemade icing on the back of the decorations (using purchased cookie icing makes this easy because the container has a small tip), then turn the little shape over and place on top of your Peanut Butter Meltaway (the icing works as a “glue” to stick the little shapes onto your candies).
So easy, cute, and festive! Do you have a favorite candy recipe you like to make at the holidays?
Sharing at Hearth & Soul, Meal Plan Monday, Happiness is Homemade, Inspire Me Monday.
NancyC 
These are just adorable and I’m definitely going to make some. Thanks for all the great recipes. I love your blog!
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Thank you, Donna! 🙂
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Found this recipe 12yrs ago & I make them every year for different holidays especially Christmas. It’s the most popular recipe I’ve ever found. People go nuts over these meltaways. I can’t keep up with the demand from my family & friends! Thank you for sharing! 😊
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You’re welcome! 🙂
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Nancy, these are absolutely adorable! And it looks simple enough too. I’m looking to check out your shortbread squares recipe. Will have to blog about it when I have that up. Thanks for sharing –I love easy sweet treat recipes.
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Thanks, Anne, and hope you get a chance to make them!
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I figured you hand painted those candy canes. Now I feel a bit better. Those look fantastic. I’ve pinned some of your Christmas stuff. We don’t bake too much, but you have such fantastic stuff! We just have to share.
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Thanks so much! Yes, using those pre-made cute little baking decorations sure makes it easier! 🙂
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Nancy, these are so cute! I might need to makes these ASAP!!
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Thanks, Cathy! 🙂
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awwww, these are so cute. Thanks for the recipe.
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Thanks and you’re welcome, Deb! 🙂
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I made these this year on my cookie tray – they were the first ones gone!!!
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I’m glad to hear everyone liked them, Teresa! 🙂
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Just made these as a treat for my hubby’s employees. My daughter kicked the bowl and tried to climb in….lol. She is very picky and loved them! Thanks for a teen-ager approved treat!
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Glad to hear you liked these, Anna, and it’s good to know they are teen-approved! 🙂
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Nancy, thank you for sharing these! They are so easy and cute. They make A very yummy gift. I definitely will add this recipe to my Christmas recipes!
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Thanks Sherl! Glad you like the recipe! 🙂
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I read in the narrative if the candy is left at room temperature, it will get too soft. I thought chocolate candy was to be stored at room temperature so it doesn’t turn gray / bloom ?
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Hi Linda–the “bloom” is caused by frequent exposure to HIGH temperatures. You can read more about that here: http://candy.about.com/od/workingwithchocolate/a/storechocolate.htm
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Thanks! I appreciate the link to the additional information .
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You’re welcome, Linda! 🙂
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How far in advance can you make these if they are kept in the fridge?
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You could probably make these several days ahead if you needed to. Make sure you don’t refrigerate them near foods with strong odors (like onions, for example).
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Do these freeze well?
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I really don’t know–haven’t ever tried that. I found some info on freezing chocolate, so I guess it would be similar to doing that-here’s the link: http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2011/08/best-way-to-store-chocolate-how-to-store-bonbons.html
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Hi, these taste absolutely amazing! However, despite following the ‘cooking’ directions to a tea, I cannot get the chocolate texture right and mine look like globs instead of pretty like yours (because you can tell that your chocolate was truly a pourable liquid). Any tips/suggestions. I have to finish making all of mine tomorrow. Thank you
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Hi Tami–sorry to hear that! The only reason I can think of why the chocolate mixture would be clumpy is that it might just need to be heated a little more–maybe another 30 seconds to a minute. Other than that, I’m not sure why it would clump up. Hope that helps!
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I realize this post is a couple years old, but here’s another answer: if you used chocolate chips, they have stabilizers in them to PREVENT them from melting fully. If you use candy melts instead of chips, that problem should go away. I used white chocolate chips in my Peanut butter meltaways this year and had the same problem (was too lazy to go to Michaels to get the candy melts😀). My family makes this every year. It’s delicious!
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Thanks for your tip, Carolyn! I also have discovered that if you overheat the chocolate, that can cause clumsiness, too. But the candy melts sound like a good way to go! 🙂
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I would like to ship these. Would they hold up?
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As long as they are kept as cool as they would be if they were refrigerated, otherwise they will get soft!
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I made these and they came out hard as rocks. I did half the recipe, I don’t know if that was the problem or what.
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That probably was–if you halved the ingredients, you wouldn’t have had to heat them in the microwave as long. Sounds like you overcooked the chocolate mixture. Half the time probably would have been enough.
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Do you need to have the mini cupcake tins for this? I have the liners, and only one (12 cake) pan.. I don’t want to have to keep reheating the mixture to reuse my pan, but I’m worried that if I just fill the liners without them being in something, they’ll collapse.
Thanks!
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Hi Lauren–you don’t need the mini cupcake tins–just place your mini liners on a large baking sheet as mentioned in the recipe and pour the melted mixture right into the liners–I didn’t have any problems with the liners collapsing, so you should be fine!
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Would it effect the outcome if I were to use a double boiler to melt the chocolates??
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I don’t think it would, Heather, although I haven’t done it that way myself. Let me know how it works out for you!
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Love your photography!
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Thank you, Colleen! 🙂
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These are delicious…making again this year..they were a hit last year…
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Glad you liked them! Thanks for letting me know!
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Made these today and they are wonderful, can’t wait to make them for my son’s birthday party decorated Packer green and gold!
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So glad you liked these, Jill! Sounds like your son will have a great birthday party! 🙂
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Is there an option for making these without the peanut butter? My son is allergic and I try not to make treats that he can’t enjoy.
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Sorry Robin, I’m not familiar with what would be a good substitute for peanut butter in this recipe…
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How about cookie butter from TJ?
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It’s worth a try! 🙂
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Can you coat these to make meltaway Easter eggs?? I can not figure out Any other recipie
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I don’t know if these would work with a coating, Pam–if you try it and it works for you, let me know!
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Thank you for your free recipes. I’m wondering if by shortening you mean Crisco ? Or could you use vegetable oil ?
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Yes, I meant something like Crisco. Vegetable oil would probably be too runny to use. Hope you like the meltaways! 🙂
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I got almond bark white chocolate instead of whites chocolate chips will that work for this recipie
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Yes, you should be able to substitute the white chocolate bark in this recipe!
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Great thanks can wait to try them😊
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What can I use instead of white candy,in order to make them vegan? Thank you.
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Wish I could help you out here, but I’m not sure what you could use as a sub for the white chips. Let me know if you find a good substitute!
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These look so beautiful–and delicious! I’ll have to try it.
#inspirememondaylinkup
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Thanks, Jennifer-hope you enjoy them! 🙂
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Hi can I use chocolate mold for this recipe? What is the texture like? Would it be difficult to unmold?
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A chocolate mold would probably work if you kept the chocolate refrigerated until shortly before you’re ready to serve these, since these candies tend to soften at warmer temperatures.
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Thanks so much! 🙂
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These were easy to make in my fondue pot and I used a cat ice cube mold, perfect and so cute! I added peanuts to mine and that made them even better.
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That’s a great idea, adding peanuts, Christine! So glad to hear you liked these! 🙂
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Thank you for the recipe. Since my husband cannot eat chocolate I’m wondering if I can use all white chips/bark. Will that work, or does using milk chocolate affect the texture?
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White chocolate chips don’t melt as well as milk chocolate, but you could try white candy melts, bark, or a white chocolate baking bar. I’m not sure if they would work or not, since I haven’t tried that myself—but I’m guessing the white chocolate baking bar would give the best results. Let me know how it works out if you try it!
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I tried these three years ago and my family has asked for them every since. So easy to make and so delicious! Thank you for the recipe. Can you switch the dark chocolate and white chocolate amounts? Dark chocolate is do much better for you, can you possibly just use all dark chocolate?
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Hi Elaine—so glad to hear you like the recipe! I’ve never tried switching the white and dark chocolate amounts, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work. And using all dark chocolate is certainly worth a try. If the mixture isn’t creamy enough, you could add a little more coconut oil. Let me know how it works if you try that! 🙂
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