Christmas Cups

My boyfriends family invited me to spend Christmas with them so I wanted to make a dessert that would really hit the spot.  Last year I made the most phenomenal (if I may say so myself) chocolate covered peanut butter cookies filled with marshmallow fluff (are you drooling yet??).  So this year, I really wanted to step it up.

As I was reading through my Food & Wine magazine, I stumbled upon this recipe for Peanut Butter and Jelly Cups.  Not knowing my audiences preferences for jelly in their peanut butter cups, I decided to leave that part out.  But, they came out creamy, and delicious!  The perfect treat to end a yummy Christmas meal.

Ingredients
Peanut Butter Filling:
7 1/2 oz white chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 Tbs light corn syrup
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tsp kosher salt


Chocolate Cups:
1 1/2 lbs bittersweet chocolate, chopped and tempered 
50 1 1/4-inch-wide, sturdy foil cups
Sea Salt for garnish


Directions
Temper the Chocolate:
Tempering chocolate gives it a beautiful sheen and a firm structure: Put chopped chocolate in a stainless steel bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. 

Stir occasionally until melted and 115°. Off the heat, stir the chocolate until it has cooled to 88°, about 15 minutes. If the chocolate hardens, melt and temper it again.

Make the Filling:
In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the white chocolate in 20-second bursts until softened.  In a small saucepan, bring the cream and corn syrup to a simmer; stir the cream mixture into the white chocolate.  Stir in the peanut butter and salt.  Transfer the filling to a piping bag fitted with a medium tip.


Make the Chocolate Cups:
Spoon the tempered chocolate into piping bag fitted with a small tip.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Set half of the foil cups on the sheet and fill them with chocolate.

(A little blurry, sorry)

Tilt the cups to coat them completely, then pour the excess chocolate into a bowl.  Let cups stand (or put in fridge) until firm, about 10 minutes.  Repeat to make the remaining chocolate cups.

Half-fill the cups with peanut butter.  Pipe chocolate on top of the jam; tap gently to level the chocolate.  Top with a few flakes of Sea salt.  Let stand until set (or put in fridge), about 15 minutes.