Chocolate Peanut Butter Hearts are an easy Valentine’s Day dessert you can make at home! They make a fun activity with kids, and taste better than Reese’s.
Ingredients You’ll Need
With just 4 simple ingredients, you can stir together the filling in just minutes. Then all you need is a small cookie cutter to make cute heart shapes!
Use dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips, depending on how sweet you want them to be.
Note: These heart shapes are perfect for a holiday like Valentine’s Day or an anniversary, but I’ve also got you covered with Peanut Butter Eggs if you want a version for Easter. You could make tree shapes or pumpkin shapes, too!
Prefer a date-sweetened option? Check out my date-sweetened peanut butter pumpkins, as well.
How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Hearts
1. Prepare the peanut butter mixture.
In a medium bowl, add the peanut butter, coconut flour, maple syrup, and salt. Stir well, until the dough looks thick and uniform.
If the peanut butter filling feels soft to the touch, place it in the fridge for about 20 minutes to firm up, or you can place the bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
If the dough gets too firm, don’t worry, it will soften as it comes to room temperature again.
2. Make the hearts.
Place the peanut butter filling on a piece of parchment paper, and cover it with another piece of parchment. Use a rolling pin to roll the peanut butter mixture into a flat layer, about a 1/4-inch thick.
Then use a cookie cutter to cut out the dough into heart shapes. The peanut butter filling may soften over time, but you should be able to carefully transfer it to a baking sheet or plate lined with parchment paper. (You can also use wax paper, for stick prevention.)
Once you’ve cut-out all of the hearts and arranged them on the lined pan, place that pan in the freezer to let the hearts firm up.
Note: Another way to make the heart shapes is to break-off a piece of the peanut butter filling and press it into the heart-shaped cookie cutter, arranged on a piece of parchment paper. Feel free to use whichever method sounds easiest to you.
3. Add the melted chocolate.
While the peanut butter hearts are freezing, melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler, or use the microwave in 30-second increments. Stir with a spatula, until the chocolate is smooth.
When the hearts feel firm to the touch, and are easy to lift off the pan, use a spoon to spread the melted chocolate on top of each heart. The chocolate should firm up quickly when it touches the chilled hearts.
Then, flip them over when the chocolate is solid and coat the other side of the hearts in chocolate, too.
Alternatively, you can use a fork to dip the chocolate hearts into the bowl of melted chocolate, and let the excess chocolate drip off. This method is a little messier, and might be easier if you add a teaspoon of coconut oil to the mix, to help thin-out the chocolate.
Sprinkle a little sea salt on top of the melted chocolate, if you like sweet & salty candies, then place them in the freezer again, just until the chocolate is solid. Then they are ready to serve!
These homemade chocolate peanut butter hearts are best served chilled, from either the fridge or freezer. They will be a little crunchier when served frozen, and are softer to bite into from the fridge.
Substitutions & Frequently Asked Questions
You can store these treats in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
I’ve successfully made these using 1/4 cup of almond flour instead. I imagine 1-2 tablespoons of oat flour might work, too.
You can make these with almond butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter instead.
Try the 3-ingredient topping on my Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars instead. You can stir it together fast!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Hearts
Ingredients
- ½ cup all-natural creamy peanut butter (or other nut butter)
- 1 tablespoon coconut flour
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- ¾ cup dark chocolate chips*
- coarse sea salt, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter, coconut flour, maple syrup, and salt. Stir until a thick, smooth batter is created. It should have a texture similar to a soft play-doh. Place it in the fridge for 20 minutes, if needed, to help it firm up. (Or in the freezer for 10 minutes.)
- You can make the peanut butter hearts 2 ways. The first way is to line a baking sheet or plate with parchment paper and place your cookie cutter of choice on top of it. Use your hands to pinch off about a tablespoon of the peanut butter dough and press it into the cookie cutter, using your fingers to press the dough evenly into the shape. Feel free to use more or less batter to create the thickness you want. (This will vary depending on the size of your cookie cutter.) Use your fingers to gently press the dough into the lined baking sheet as you pull the cookie cutter upwards, releasing the dough from the cookie cutter. Repeat with the remaining batter, filling the pan, then place them in the freezer to set.
- The other way to make the heart shapes is to roll the entire batch of peanut butter filling between two sheets of parchment paper. Use a cookie cutter to cut-out as many shapes as you can, then remove the excess, leaving the cut-out hearts on the parchment paper. Repeat with the remaining dough, and transfer the parchment paper to a large baking sheet. Place the pan full of hearts in the freezer to set until firm, about 10-20 minutes.
- To prepare the chocolate coating, melt the dark chocolate chips. Remove the peanut butter hearts from the freezer, and then spoon the chocolate over the tops of the hearts. Smooth the tops quickly, as the chocolate may start to harden as it touches the cold peanut butter cups. Flip the hearts over and coat the other side. I don't worry about coating the sides of the hearts (it can be a messy undertaking) but you can if you want to.
- Sprinkle the hearts with coarse sea salt, if you'd like to, while the chocolate is still melted. Then place the pan in the freezer to set, about 10 minutes. Enjoy these hearts cold from the fridge or freezer. (We prefer the fridge for a softer experience.) They can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this Chocolate Peanut Butter Hearts recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it.
U know what’s funny… I was going to try to make Reece’s pieces I’ve cream tart for Valentine’s Day. And was thinking of experimenting with ur trick of coconut flour and peanut butter (mixed in with banana ice cream) as the filling. I hope it works. Because you’re right. Those reeces pieces eggs u made were epically amazing.
Oh man these sound delish! I love all your easy and amazing recipes that you make. My hubby loves those little cups and this will be a perfect way to fill his sweet tooth without all the junk 😉 Thanks for a tasty recipe!
You know, I’ve never ever ever met a man who didn’t swear by peanut butter! In college, I used to run these tests where I’d lay out 4 or 5 samples on peanut butter on spoons and see which what peanut butter was the guys favorite. The winner (as my hypothesis stated) was Peter Pan Peter Butter. Then I got married. He’s a Reese’s addict! He pounds a few a day, yikes. This is such a better alternative now that he’s trying to eat healthier and keep his bad cholesterol down. Thanks!!!!!!
I’ve been meaning to pick up some cookie cutters for my needle felting, this is another excuse to buy them!
I love this! I’m a huge peanut butter and chocolate fan! I have the cutest bunny silicone molds, and I think I’m going to try this recipe out in them. They would be so cute and perfect for Easter this year! And I’m sure my son(who’s 2 1/2) won’t complain about testing these out either! haha
I, too, have a Reese’s addict as a husband. Thankfully, he only buys them occasionally and has learned that we will buy them for holiday treats. NOW, I have some that I can eat, too! Yuuuuum! Can you figure out how to make a healthier version of the Butterfinger ones? =)
My homemade Butterfinger recipe is here: https://detoxinista.com/2012/10/healthier-homemade-butterfingers/
So then to make “Butterfinger cups”, I would make your Butterfinger-like recipe, and crunch up some to mix back into the pb filling for this recipe and then coat in chocolate?
That sounds delicious! I haven’t tried it myself, but do let us know how it goes if you try it!
Do you think it would work to make these into bites with the chunks rolled in? Or is the peanut butter part too mushy to hold together?
All I can say is WOW! These can be very dangerous to have around. Glad I decided to make a double batch. I just shaped mine freehand into a heart shape. Will be making more to give away ( if I can handle parting with them).
Ohh i love any sort of truffles and some whiskey too 😉 These look super cute – I need a heart shaped cutter now !!!
I’m drooling! Lol Question for you, speaking of treats…I just tried a Hail Merry tart from my local Whole Foods and am in heaven! I really love the taste/texture/finished crust that the tarts have and have been struggling to find a Paleo pie crust recipe. Any suggestions? I love a more solid traditional-like crust rather than one that is simply pressed in a pan & soluble at room temp. Btw, their Persian lime tart is hands down my Key Lime pie!
This recipe is beyond amazing.
I’m addicted!!! Thank you for the recipe, I just made this and they are almost all gone…
Does this require unsweetened peanut butter?
Yes, I always use all-natural peanut butter with no added sweeteners.
What would be a substitute for coconut flour if I don’t have that on hand? Thanks
I made these about 10 minutes after finding the recipe. I ended up using half creamy PB and half crunchy PB because that’s what I had on hand, but I like a little crunch. They are so delicious! I’m still not convinced that I managed to wash all the chocolate off my hand from coating them, but it was totally worth it. Thanks for sharing!
I didn’t have a cookie cutter, so I used a spritz cookie press instead! They turned out perfect!!! Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
Making these asap! My mouth is watering just looking at those pics!
Hi! These look soooo good!!!
Question for you: on your for combining chart I can’t find rice or pumpkin. Where would those fit it in the chart?? Thanks!!
I meant your *food combing chart!
This is delicious! I substituted coconut sugar for maple syrup and added salt as I used unsalted natural organic PB. The dough had the perfect texture and was full of luscious peanut butter-ness. I ended up eating half of the dough prior to melting the chocolate and had to make more dough. Next time, I will be making one batch to make hearts and another batch to have peanut butter dough on hand. Thank you for having amazing nut butter +chocolate recipes 🙂
Making these for a friend who can’t have coconut, I’m going to sub butter for the coco oil. I’m wondering about the coconut flour, it’s such a unique product I cannot think of a substitute! Do you think I could just omit it? Has anyone tried this or does Megan have any thoughts? Thanks!!
Maybe try arrowroot or tapioca starch?
Hi Megan,
I loved this recipe so much that I featured it on my best of post, 37 Healthy Valentine’s Day Recipes: Indulge Without The Bulge.
I have used one image and a small quote from this page, and have given full credit to you and linked back to this page.
I would love it if you came and checked it out.
Have a fantastic day!
Katherine from GreenThickies.com
These are the best – way better than the store-bought, chemical-filled Reeses!
As soon as I saw this on Instagram I added the ingredients to my shopping list and just made them now. So good and so cute! I now understand why you coated each side instead of dunking them in the chocolate. I froze them a bit longer and dunked them – the first few worked great but after about 8-10 the pb dough started to soften making it difficult to hold its shape. So I had to refreeze and it took a little longer but it was worth it! What a fun v-day treat!
Delicious! I used a 1 tablespoon scoop and pressed the dough into the cookie cutter which worked great.
I made one big heart on parchment paper instead of using a cookie cutter and it turned out to have a great wow factor when I brought it out for dessert. It’s so much better than the store bought stuff 🙂 Megan, you are amazing. It’s another hit and best of all,I had all the ingredients. Let’s just say I almost forgot it was Valentine’s Day.
These are wonderful! I didn’t have cookie cutters, so I just used a knife to cut out hearts – they turned out very handmade looking and cute. I even made my and my sweethearts initials to share with him tonight!
I didn’t make it 5 stars because with the sea salt they were almost TOO salty for me. Next time I would trim that back or leave some without – at least not both sides. 😉
Omg so good
I make this recipe into peanut butter cups. I would like to try to have the chocolate set up at room temperature, instead of putting them in the freezer. How long do you think they would last, considering that maple syrup needs to be refrigerated? Thanks!
Delicious! First batch disappeared quickly. I have to make more.
Can I replace chocolate chips with combination of (cocoa powder + sugar + oil/water)?
Try the 3-ingredient chocolate topping in this recipe instead: https://detoxinista.com/no-bake-peanut-butter-cup-bars-vegan/
Would almond flour work? No coconut flavor lovers in this house.
Thank you.
Yes, you can use a 1/4 cup of almond flour.
Thank you!
Hello, I really want to make these! Can I leave out the maple syrup? Would I have to add more of anything else to make it come together? Husband’s a diabetic, and Lily’s unsweetened chocolate would work well for this with homemade peanut butter and almond flour. Thanks!