Peanut Butter Cups- No Bake No Sugar Added

Okay! Fall is still here! It’s kind of rainy and grey in Vancouver, and I can’t help but feel like the whole tone of life has changed. What a transition period Fall is. Fall always felt to me like the beginning of the year, as opposed to New Years. We are always doing something new in the Fall, whether it be going back to school, coming down from the busy Summer, or searching for a new job (like me). I’m doing my best to relax into the cooler, more calming weather, and I hope you are too!

What is your favourite Halloween candy? Mine is definitely peanut butter cups. I’ve found, though, that over the years, they’ve gotten smaller! Sad. In continuation with my series of Fall recipes is my super easy recipe for peanut butter cups. I like to think of these as a healthier treat. They’re full of healthy fats and I do not add any sugar to this recipe. Anyone who knows me knows i’m obsessed with salt, and I just adore the combination of sweet and salty flavours. These peanut butter cups like being stored in the fridge or the freezer, but I think they could be a great hiking snack, or a great substitute for a gel pack on a long run.

This recipe is so easy, all you have to do is melt chocolate, add peanut butter, and put them in the freezer. I made these with 2 year old Jake, and he had a great time helping me. When we took them out of the freezer, his job was to place all of the peanut butter cups into a tupperware. He “sampled” each of the peanut butter cups, but they were so frozen that he couldn’t eat them. When my friend Keirra and I tried to eat them the other night, we noticed there were the teeth marks of a 2 year old all over each peanut butter cup!

You really can’t mess this recipe up, and most people have these ingredients on hand. Check it out!

Ingredients: Makes 12 PB cups

1.5 cup chocolate chips, or any type of chocolate you want to use!

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 cup peanut butter (if you use natural peanut butter, that isn’t solid, these peanut butter cups will need to be kept in the fridge/freezer because the peanut butter will be less solid. I really like making these peanut butter cups with Fatso peanut butter. You can also use any other type of nut butter)

Salt for sprinkling on top

Steps:

1.) Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners, or silicon moulds. I like to use silicon moulds because I am trying to reduce waste, and the moulds are resuable!

2.) Add chocolate and coconut oil to a microwave save bowl and microwave for 20 seconds to start, stir, microwave for 20 more seconds, stir again, and microwave for a final 20 seconds until the chocolate is smooth.

3.) Place a large spoonfull of chocolate in the moulds or paper cups in your muffin tin. Gently spoon some chocolate up the sides of your moulds. Place in the freezer for 2-5 mins.

4.) Add about a tablespoon of peanut butter overtop of your chocolate layer, then drizzle/dump chocolate on top of the peanut butter!

5.) I like to sprinkle mine with salt, and then place in the freezer to set! I keep mine in the freezer, and take them out to thaw for a few minutes before I eat them.