Think of these chocolate covered peanut butter hearts as bite-sized candies with a crisp chocolate coat and a smooth peanut butter middle. They make a sweet Valentine’s Day treat or a simple way to let someone know you’re thinking of them!

Rows of just dipped chocolate covered peanut butter hearts on a wax paper lined baking sheets.

Chocolate and peanut butter are my favorite pairing, especially in a no-bake dessert. This recipe grew out of my childhood favorite, Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Eggs, and it’s a definite keeper. It’s simple to put together and calls for only a handful of ingredients, and anyone who receives them will feel cared for!

Looking for a holiday twist? Try my Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Trees instead!

What You Will Need

Gather the following ingredients to make these easy chocolate covered peanut butter hearts.

Ingredients needed for chocolate covered peanut butter eggs with three heart-shaped cookie cutters on a white marbled background.

Vegetable Shortening. This is melted with the semi-sweet chocolate chips to thin the chocolate and add a bit of gloss. Coconut oil or paraffin wax can stand in for it too. Paraffin wax has the added benefit of letting the chocolate-covered peanut butter hearts sit out at room temperature without melting.
Marshmallow Fluff. Marshmallow creme is a close cousin and can be used in its place. It’s nearly identical, though it contains cream of tartar and xanthan gum.
Chocolate Chips. A quality semi-sweet brand works best, such as Ghirardelli. Milk chocolate chips will work if that’s what you have, but I find semi-sweet or dark chocolate has the richer flavor.

Exact amounts and full steps are in the recipe card below.

How to Make Them

Here is a quick look at how to make these easy chocolate covered peanut butter hearts. The printable recipe card below lists measurements in both US customary and metric units.

Mixing butter, marshmallow fluff, and peanut butter together, then adding in powdered sugar in a stainless steel mixing bowl.

Step 1. Make the peanut butter filling. Beat the unsalted butter, peanut butter and marshmallow fluff together on medium-high speed until smooth (Images 1-2). Mix in the powdered sugar one cup at a time until everything is combined. With room temperature butter and proper mixing, the filling should feel soft, creamy and slightly sticky (Images 3-4).

Rolled out peanut butter hearts mixture and cut out peanut butter hearts on wax paper lined baking sheets.

Step 2. Shape the peanut butter hearts. Roll the filling out on a clean, dry counter dusted with powdered sugar. I like it around 1/4 inch thick (Image 5). Stamp out the hearts and set them on a wax paper-lined baking sheet (Image 6). Freeze until firm, roughly 45 minutes to 1 hour. Colder is better, since firmer hearts are much easier to dip in the melted chocolate.

Quick Tip: Dust your rolling pin with powdered sugar so the filling doesn’t grab onto it. Do the same to the heart cookie cutter so the hearts pop out cleanly.

Melting semi-sweet chocolate chips and vegetable shortening in a glass bowl on white background.

Step 3. Melt the chocolate chips. Put the vegetable shortening or coconut oil and the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for 1 minute. Stir, heat another 45 seconds to 1 minute, and stir again until smooth. As an alternative, use a double boiler: fill the bottom pan with 1-1.5 inches of water and keep it at a gentle simmer over low heat.

Quick Tip: When using paraffin wax, melt it first in a double boiler, then add the chocolate chips. Skip the microwave for this method.

Dipping the chilled peanut butter hearts into melted chocolate in a glass bowl.

Step 4. Dip the peanut butter hearts in chocolate. Use candy dipping tools or a pair of forks to coat each heart. Lift it out and tap off the extra chocolate against the rim of the bowl or double boiler. Refrigerate the dipped hearts until the coating sets. Trim any rough edges, then dig in!

Storing Them

Keep the chocolate covered peanut butter hearts in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or freeze them for up to a month. Put a sheet of wax paper between each layer so they don’t stick together.

Useful Equipment

Here are a few tools that come in handy when you make these chocolate-dipped peanut butter hearts!

Small Heart Cookie Cutter. Most of my cutters come from Wilton or Ann Clark. Keep in mind that the size you choose will determine how many hearts you get.
Double Boiler. Useful for melting chocolate, though a microwave-safe glass bowl works just as well. Keeping the heat very low stops the chocolate from firming up while you dip the hearts.
Candy Dipping Tools. Mine are from Ateco and make the job easier, but they aren’t necessary. Two forks will do the trick!

For more candy making gear and my favorite baking finds, browse my Favorite Finds Shop on Amazon (affiliate links).

Chocolate covered peanut butter hearts on a white ceramic dessert plate on white background with bite taken out of center peanut butter heart.

Common Questions

What should the consistency of my peanut butter filling look like?

The filling should feel soft, creamy and a bit sticky.

My peanut butter filling is sticking to the surface and rolling pin when trying to roll it out.

Dust a little more powdered sugar over the surface and the rolling pin.

Do I have to use paraffin wax?

Not at all. My Grammy made them this way, and I still do sometimes. You can swap in two tablespoons of shortening or coconut oil instead. Either one thins the chocolate and gives it a nice shine.

What can I do with the leftover melted chocolate?

You’ll likely have leftover melted chocolate once the hearts are coated. Use it to dip pretzels or any other snacks you have on hand, like chocolate sandwich cookies, almonds or chips!

Do these chocolate-covered peanut butter hearts taste like buckeyes?

Traditional buckeyes are delicious, but their texture and flavor differ a bit from these chocolate peanut butter hearts.