Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Chocolate and peanut butter go together like Batman & Robin, Bert & Ernie or Chandler Bing & Joey Tribbiani, so these healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are the most perfect and delicious treat!
When I was a kid, I used to loooooove Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Oh, the joy they would bring me. Not only is chocolate and PB a delicious combination, but poking your little finger through the middle of the cup made them oh so fun to eat! I created this recipe a couple of weeks ago when I put myself on a little “sugar detox”. By no means am I addicted to sugar, but I had found myself cravings sweet treats a little more than usual. Things have been a little hectic for me lately, in the best way possible, but when the body goes through periods of stress it often leads the cravings of more carbohydrate-rich foods and sweet treats, so I thought I would give myself and my palette a little reset.
What is so cool about the body, is that although carbohydrates are a primary source of fuel, meaning they give us energy, but the body also operates incredibly well on fat as fuel. In fact, the body loves to burn fat as fuel, but when we overload the body by carbohydrate-rich foods, it never really gets the chance to burn fat. Not only does fat burn well as energy, but it does not cause dips and spikes in our blood sugar the same way carbohydrates do, so it helps keep us fuller longer and provides better mental clarity. So when I created these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, I wanted to create an all-natural cup that was rich in healthy fats with limited sugar – voila!
In these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, I’ve used a mixture of coconut oil and coconut cream (also known as coconut butter), both of which can easily be found in any grocery store or health food store. The type of cocoa powder you use in this recipe will have a big impact on the flavour, the darker or more raw the powder the deeper and richer the chocolate flavour will be. I’ve only used a small amount of maple syrup to sweeten these cups to keep the sugar content down, but if you wanted to add a little extra splash of syrup you certainly could.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
I’ve made these cups with peanut butter, but you could also use almond butter or sunflower seed butter for a school-safe treat. If you can’t find all the ingredients, you could also make the chocolate shell by using dark chocolate chips and melting them on the stove top with a tablespoon of coconut oil.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Snacks, Desserts
- Cuisine: Paleo, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup coconut butter
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp. maple syrup
- 1/8 tsp. sea salt + more for topping
- 1/8 cup all-natural peanut butter
Instructions
- In small saucepan on the stovetop, heat coconut oil, coconut butter, cocoa powder, maple syrup and sea salt.
- Whisking frequently, allow to heat on low for 5-7 minutes until mixture begins to thicken in texture.
- While the chocolate sauce is heating, line muffin tins with baking cups. It will be easier to remove the peanut butter cups from the muffin tin by using these.
- Once the sauce has thickened, add 1/2 tbsp. of chocolate to the bottom of each muffin cup.
- Transfer the muffin tray to the fridge (or freezer) and allow to solidify, about 5 minutes.
- Once the bottom has solidified, remove the tray from the fridge and top eat cup with 1 tsp. of peanut butter. Use the back of the spoon or a small knife to spread it out evenly, leaving a small space around the edge of the cup.
- Once you have spread the nut butter, cover each cup with the remainder of the chocolate mixture; about 1.5 tbsp. per cup. You want to ensure you have added enough to cover the peanut butter.
- If the chocolate sauce has hardened while the cups were in the fridge, just heat it lightly on the stove for a minute.
- Once the cups are covered, sprinkle the tops with a little extra sea salt. This will bring out the chocolate flavour.
- Transfer the muffin tins back to the fridge for another 10 minutes until all of the chocolate has solidified.
- The cups can be eaten immediately, or stored in the fridge or freezer for later.
- Enjoy!
What is coconut butter / cream?
Can you make this and if so would it be dairy free?
Hey Kim!
Coconut butter/cream is made from the ground flesh of coconut. As opposed to oil, it is thicker in consistency and sometimes called coconut butter or cream, but mean the same thing. It’s commonly found in the international aisle of a grocery or health food store, and this happens to be the brand I like: http://www.artisanaorganics.com/coconut/coconut-butter/
And yes, it’s completely dairy-free! I know people have made the recipe with all coconut oil and it still works, its just a little softer in consistency.