If there’s one candy that can rival my love of chocolate and peanut butter, it’s peppermint patties. As soon as I made my egg-shaped Reese’s cups, I wondered why no one ever does the same with peppermint patties?

The ratio of filling to chocolate coating is a little ridiculous here; if you’re not a fan of super sweet desserts, this probably isn’t for you. I am, however, so I thought these were great. The chocolate coating certainly could have been prettier but it’s mostly my fault for hastening the process; this works best if you let the patties freeze well before being coated.

Easter Egg Peppermint Patties

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes a dozen):

• 2 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons agave nectar(or any liquid sweetener)
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons water
• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil, softened or melted
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 8oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips

Method:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, sweetener, water, coconut oil and extract completely until it forms a dough-like consistency.
2. Break off pieces of the filling and roll it into a log in your hands. Gently press down until the shape resembles an egg. Lay this on a non-stick surface and repeat with the rest of the filling.
3. Refrigerate the filling until it’s cold and hard—about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a microwave or over a double-boiler.
5. Cover the filling eggs on both sides and all around in the chocolate. Try to work quickly since the filling will soften the longer it’s out and near the chocolate. Lay the eggs on a non-stick surface one by one.
6. Once you’ve used all the chocolate and filling, refrigerate the eggs until the coating hardens. These will last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

These are like after dinner mints on steroids. I could never choose between these and Reese’s cups. Thankfully, we live in a world where no one ever has to.

I’m a huge fan of Reese’s. I don’t think there’s anything they make which I don’t like. Well, besides the inside out peanut butter cups. And the white chocolate peanut butter cups. Seriously, what were they thinking? Well, we all make bad decisions.

Anyway, any true Reese’s fan can tell you that the holiday edition items are the crème de la crème. Whether it’s the trees, eggs, or hearts, the peanut butter-to-chocolate ratio is so much more perfect.

Why make regular peanut butter cups when you can make delicious(and festive!) eggs? You wouldn’t. These were just as easy to make as regular cups, and I think I liked them more. I used peanut butter that was just peanuts and salt, but no-stir peanut butter should work as well. You could even use white chocolate instead of the semi-sweet chocolate, but I will judge you slightly(Just kidding… sort of).

Homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes about 7 eggs):

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 4oz semi-sweet chocolate

Method:

1. Melt the butter and mix in the peanut butter and powdered sugar until there are no clumps(If you’re using no-stir peanut butter, you might want to melt that, too, so it’s easier to mix together).
2. Refrigerate the peanut butter mixture until it’s mostly solid.
3. While the peanut butter is chilling, melt the chocolate until smooth and silky. Let the chocolate sit at room temperature for 10 minutes once melted to cool slightly, but keep it hot enough so that it doesn’t reharden.
4. To shape the eggs, take about an ounce of chilled peanut butter dough and roll it in your palm into a log. Then press down slightly on both sides to flatten. If the dough gets too soft during this process, stick it back in the refrigerator or freezer for 10 minutes to make sure that it’s solid before touching the melted chocolate.
5. Drop the egg into the melted chocolate. Flip it using a spoon or a fork and spread the chocolate around the sides. Move the chocolate-covered egg onto a piece of parchment paper.
6. Repeat with all of the peanut butter and chocolate.
7. Refrigerate the eggs until the chocolate coating has hardened. Keep chilled for up to 2 weeks.

Just take my advice and double the recipe. 7 will hardly last a day.

Something hit me when I was browsing TasteSpotting a couple weeks ago: I haven’t had a cookie cake in ages. I decided right then I wanted a cookie cake at my birthday party this year, because clearly I’m 20 going on 12. But then I figured why wait? I could bake a cookie cake for any occasion.

Of course I made mine gluten-free using one of my favorite flours: Almond flour. It also just happens to be dairy-free because I was low on butter that day. The peanut butter helps to act as a binder, makes the cake richer and adds a nutty flavor. You could substitute in almond butter to work around a peanut allergy.

I liked mine slightly under-baked because it kept the inside moist and gooey almost like eating cookie dough. If you like your cookies a little crustier, I would recommend adding a few minutes onto the baking time and watching it carefully.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond flour
• 6 Tablespoons cane sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup water
• 6 Tablespoons chocolate chips

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix together the almond flour, sugar, and baking powder.
3. Beat in the eggs, peanut butter, oil, vanilla extract, and water.
4. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Grease an 8-inch cake pan. Pour the batter in and spread it around the bottom into an even layer.
6. Bake for 20 minutes until the outside is firm and bounces back to the touch.
7. Let cool slightly before cutting in.

I thought this could have used a little more sugar, but that’s probably because I love things sweet. If you’re making this for adults, it’ll be fine the way the recipe is. If you’re making this for little children or me, I would add a 1/4 cup of sugar to the recipe.