I’ve felt like a kid in a candy store since Enjoy Life released dairy-free “milk” and white chocolate chips. I’ve been whipping up classic recipes like white chocolate macadamia cookies, triple chocolate cookies (recipe soon!), and now Easter treats. This week, I pulled out my trusted dairy-free Reese’s peanut butter eggs copycat recipe, and tested it with dark, semi-sweet, ricemilk, and white baking chips. Below is the recipe (jump to recipe), preceded by ingredient tips and notes!
Dairy-Free Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs with Dark, White, or “Milk” Chocolate
Do you have questions about the ingredients or the methods used to make copycat dairy-free Reese’s peanut butter eggs? I’ve tried to address the most frequently asked things here, but don’t hesitate to leave a comment if you have another question.
What Chocolate is Best for Dairy-Free Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs?
I use Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips to make dairy-free Reese’s peanut butter eggs because I always have them on hand, and they’re reliable. Here’s what I found with their different types of chips:
- Dark Chocolate Chips: This offers the best contrast with the sweet peanut butter middle, and spreads on thinner since it’s runnier when melted. Shortening helps if you want it to be softer and cling a little more.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: The flavor contrast is great, and a touch more dessert-like than the dark. These do set up quite firm, so the shortening helps, but isn’t required.
- Ricemilk Chocolate Chips: These taste jut like Reese’s! The flavor is amazing, but this is a much softer chip, so skip the shortening.
- White Chocolate Chips: I love these for decorating and because they look SO MUCH like eggs, don’t they?! It’s very cool. But this is sweet-on-sweet in terms of taste. If you’re craving a true sugar hit, this combination is awesome. When these chips melt, they have a thicker consistency, so they spread and coat well. But the chocolate does set up firm, so you might want to use the touch of shortening. I skip it.
- Swirl: Because the chips melt at a different rate, I pre-melt them separately, and then swirl one variety into the other.
How Long Should I Microwave the Chocolate?
This foolproof method for melting chocolate is the best, and a must if you will be dipping the eggs. But if you are using a mold, go ahead and microwave the chocolate. Just be careful not to overheat it! Once chocolate seizes, it’s near impossible to recover.
- For the dark, semi-sweet, and “milk” chocolates I mention above, heat the chips in a microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute. Vigorously whisk until smooth. If there is still unmelted chocolate, heat another 15 seconds and whisk again.
- For the dairy-free white chocolate mentioned above, heat the chips in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds. Vigorously whisk until smooth. If there is still unmelted chocolate, heat another 10 seconds and whisk again.
Is Shortening Required?
No, it isn’t. Shortening helps to slightly soften the outer shell, so that you get a smooth bite through the chocolate rather than a crackly one. It isn’t essential. To decide if I’m going to use it, I refrigerate some of the chocolate I’m using and take a bite. If it’s very solid, I add the shortening. If it has a gentle bite, I skip it. Or if I don’t have any Spectrum on hand, I skip it. No loss! See my chocolate notes above for additional commentary on the shortening.
Should I Choose a Particular Butter Alternative?
I use Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks, which tend to be salty. If you use an unsalted or very lightly salted version, like Miyoko’s, you might want to add a small pinch of salt. That said, most brands of dairy-free buttery spreads or sticks will work seamlessly.
Which Peanut Butter Works for the Filling?
I use Smuckers Natural creamy peanut butter made with just peanuts and salt – the kind that separates in the jar. Before we use it, we grab a hand mixer and blend it in the jar until smooth. We store it in the refrigerator and it stays smooth and fluffy! If you opt to use a peanut butter spread (with added oils or sugar) or sunflower seed butter (SunButter is great), then you might need to tweak the other ingredients a little. Don’t be afraid to taste test as you go! And aim for a thick, pliable, smooth dough that is easy to shape.
Where Can I Get Egg Molds or Cutters?
I bought these Egg Molds on Amazon. They arrived fairly quickly. You can also get decorative ones like these. Some stores might have them in stock seasonally, but I couldn’t find any locally. If you want to make the classic Reese’s roll and cut version, I also recommend buying egg cookie cutters on Amazon. I didn’t see any locally, and most plastic eggs open horizontally. It can be hard to find the vertical ones. The cookie cutters and molds are relatively cheap online and highly reusable!
What is the Pink Icing on the Decorated Eggs Made From?
That is actually Enjoy Life White Chocolate Chips melted and tinted with just a drop of red food coloring. Those baking chips aren’t made with cocoa butter, so they work well as candy melts and didn’t seize when I added water-based food coloring. I have zero artistic ability, so I went for abstract. But you can certainly get more creative with your chocolate Easter egg art!
Special Diet Notes: Dairy-Free Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, optionally peanut-free, optionally soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter (can sub sunflower seed butter)
- 2 tablespoons dairy-free buttery stick or spread
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch salt (omit if using salted peanut butter)
- 1⅜ to 1½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ to 1 tablespoon water
- 1 (10-ounce) bag dairy-free chocolate chips (see post above for tips)
- 1 teaspoon dairy-free shortening (as needed; see note below)
- In a mixing bowl, beat the peanut butter, butter alternative, vanilla, and salt (if using) until smooth. Beat or stir in the powdered sugar, to taste.
- At this stage, my dough is always crumbly and a little dry, so I mix in about ½ tablespoon water. Using your hands, the dough should then come together into a firm but cohesive, smooth, and pliable texture, much like play doh.
- If using the Roll & Cut Option below, melt the chocolate with the shortening using this method. If using the Mold Option, you can use that same method, or microwave the chocolate with the shortening until just melted. See the post above for chocolate options and cook times.
- Mold Option (Fancy version): Drop a couple teaspoons of chocolate into each egg mold and brush or use the back of a spoon to spread the chocolate up the sides. Refrigerate the molds for about 15 minutes, or until the chocolate is set. Roll large chunks of the peanut butter mixture and press into the chocolate egg molds, filling each to below the top of the chocolate. Reheat the remaining chocolate or a few seconds if it has set up at all. Spread the chocolate over top of the peanut butter to fill the molds. Tap the mold on the counter to even out the chocolate. Refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. Carefully peel back the molds to release your dairy-free peanut butter eggs!
- Roll & Cut Option (Classic Reese's Version): Roll the peanut butter dough out to about ½- to ¾inch thickness. Use half a plastic egg (that opens vertically) or an egg-shaped cookie cutter to cut egg shapes. (Or free hand it if you're crafty!). Reroll the scraps and cut again to use up the peanut butter. Dunk the peanut butter eggs in your melted chocolate to coat, letting the excess chocolate drip off, and place them on a parchment-lined sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or until the eggs are set.
- Store the dairy-free Reese's copycat eggs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for longer storage.
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