Reese’s Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Eggs Recipe

I’ve felt like a kid in a candy store since Enjoy Life launched dairy-free “milk” and white chocolate chips. I prepared classic recipes like white chocolate macadamia cookies, triple chocolate cookies (recipe soon!), and now Easter treats. This week, I pulled out my dairy-free Peanut Butter Egg Copycat recipe and tested it with dark, semi-sweet, rice milk, and white baking chips. Below is the recipe (jump to recipe), preceded by advice and notes on the ingredients!

Dairy-Free Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs with Dark, White, or “Milk” Chocolate

Do you have any questions about the ingredients or methods used to make dairy-free Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs? I’ve tried to address the most frequently asked things here, but feel free to leave a comment if you have another question.

Which Chocolate is Best for Reese’s Dairy-Free 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 is what I found with their different types of chips:

• dark chocolate chips: This provides the best contrast to the sweet peanut butter medium and spreads over thinner as it is more runny when melted. Shortening helps if you want it to be softer and cling a bit more.
• Semi-sweet chocolate chips: The contrast of flavors is excellent, and a little more dessert than the black. These are quite firm, so shortening helps, but isn’t necessary.
• Rice milk chocolate chips: These taste just like Reese’s! The flavor is amazing, but it’s a much sweeter chip, so skip the shortening.
• White chocolate chips: I love these for decorating and because they look A LOT like eggs, don’t they?! It’s really cool. But it’s sweet on sweet in terms of taste. If you’re craving a real sugar hit, this combination is awesome. When these chips melt, they have a thicker consistency, so they spread and coat well. But the chocolate settles firmly, so you can use the touch of shortening. I do not know.
• Tourbillon: Because the chips melt at a different rate, I pre-melt them separately, then swirl one variety into the other.

How long should I heat chocolate in the microwave?

This foolproof method because melting chocolate is the best, and a must if you’re dipping the eggs. But if you’re using a mold, go ahead and microwave the chocolate. Just be careful not to overheat it! Once the chocolate has set, it is almost impossible to recover.

• For dark, semi-sweet and “milk” chocolates I mention above, heat the fries in a microwave safe bowl for 1 minute. Whisk vigorously until smooth. If any unmelted chocolate remains, heat for another 15 seconds and whisk again.
• For the dairy-free white chocolate mentioned above, heat the fries in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds. Whisk vigorously until smooth. If any unmelted chocolate remains, heat for another 10 seconds and whisk again.

Is shortening necessary?

No, this is not the case. The shortening helps soften the outer shell slightly, so you get a smooth bite through the chocolate rather than a crunchy bite. It is not 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 he has a soft bite, I pop him. Or if I don’t Spectrum under the hand, I do without. No loss! See my chocolate notes above for additional comments on shortening.

Should I choose a particular butter alternative?

I use Country Crock Vegetable Butter Sticks, which tend to be salty. If you are using an unsalted or very lightly salted version, such as Miyoko’s, you may want to add a small pinch of salt. That said, most brands of dairy-free spreads or butter sticks will work just fine.

Which Peanut Butter Works for the Filling?

I use Natural Smuckers creamy peanut butter made with nothing but peanuts and salt – the kind that separates in the jar. Before using it, we take a hand blender and mix it in the jar until smooth. We store it in the fridge and it stays smooth and fluffy! If you choose to use a peanut butter spread (with added oils or sugar) or sunflower seed butter (SunButter is awesome), then you may need to tweak the other ingredients a bit. Don’t be afraid to taste as you go! And aim for a dough that is thick, flexible, smooth and easy to shape.

Where can I get egg molds or cookie cutters?

I bought those egg molds on Amazon. They arrived quite quickly. You can also get decorative like these. Some stores may have them in stock seasonally, but I couldn’t find any locally. If you want to do the classic roll and cut version of Reese, I also recommend buying egg cookie cutters on Amazon. I haven’t seen any locally and most plastic eggs open horizontally. It can be difficult to find the verticals. Cookie cutters and molds are relatively cheap online and highly reusable!

What is the pink frosting on the decorated eggs made of?

It’s actually Enjoy Life white chocolate chips melted and tinted with a single drop of red food coloring. These baking chips aren’t made with cocoa butter, so they work well as fondant candies and didn’t seize up when I added water-based food coloring. I have no artistic ability, so I opted for abstract. But you can definitely get more creative with your chocolate Easter egg art!

Special Dietary Notes: Reese’s Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Eggs

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free/dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, optionally peanut-free, optionally soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian.

Reese’s Dairy Free Peanut Butter Egg Copycat

Author: Alisa Fleming

Type of recipe: Dessert

Food: American

• ¾ cup creamy peanut butter (may contain sunflower seed butter)
• 2 tablespoons dairy-free butter stick or spread
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt (omit if using salted peanut butter)
• 1⅜ to 1½ cups powdered sugar
• ½ to 1 tablespoon of water
• 1 bag (10 ounces) dairy-free chocolate chips (see post above for tips)
• 1 teaspoon dairy-free shortening (if needed, see note below)

1. In a mixing bowl, beat peanut butter, butter alternative, vanilla and salt (if using) until smooth. Beat or stir in powdered sugar, to taste.
2. At this point, my dough is still crumbly and a bit dry, so I mix in about ½ tbsp of water. Using your hands, the dough should then come together into a firm but cohesive, smooth and pliable texture, much like play doh.
3. If using the Roll & Cut option below, melt the chocolate with the shortening using this method. If you are using the Mold option, you can use the same method or heat the chocolate with the shortening in the microwave until it melts. See the post above for chocolate options and baking times.
4. Mold options (Fancy version): Drop a few teaspoons of chocolate into each egg mold and brush or use the back of a spoon to spread the chocolate over the sides. Refrigerate molds for about 15 minutes, or until chocolate is set. Roll large chunks of the peanut butter mixture and press into the chocolate egg molds, filling them to just below the chocolate top. Reheat the remaining chocolate or a few seconds if it has set at all. Spread the chocolate over 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 away the molds to release your dairy-free peanut butter eggs!
5. Roll and cut option (Reese’s classic version): Roll peanut butter dough to about ½ to ¾ inch thick. Use a plastic half-egg (which opens vertically) or an egg-shaped cookie cutter to cut out egg shapes. (Or show of hands if you’re crafty!). Roll up the leftovers and cut again to use the peanut butter. Dip the peanut butter eggs into your melted chocolate to coat them, letting the excess chocolate drip off, and place them on a parchment-lined sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until eggs are set.
6. Store dairy-free Reese’s Copy Eggs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for longer storage.

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