Today is National Peanut Butter Day! Since this gives me an excuse to make something tasty, I thought I’d recreate a candy that seems to be a favorite among everyone…peanut butter cups! Personally, I have found peanut butter cups to be pretty addicting once you start eating them. If I have a bag of these in the house, my boyfriend will get into them in no time! There will usually only be a few left for me, so I made giant ones! When you think of a peanut butter cup, there are two simple ingredients; peanut butter and chocolate. I thought to myself, why not make my own?! When you buy store bought peanut butter cups, there are usually a lot of ingredients added to them to keep the shelf life. I had to give this idea a try, especially if I could make them as healthy and fresh as possible. For this recipe, I was torn with using melted chocolate or cocoa powder and agave. I chose to use melted down mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, however using a cocoa powder, coconut oil, and agave mixture will work as well.
I found that making these peanut butter cups were really simple and actually quite fun! I used an all-natural peanut butter; however I found that this took more time to harden. I ended up leaving the peanut butter portion in the freezer for about 2 hours until completely hardened. If you’re looking for a quicker solution, I would try using a store bought peanut butter. The chocolate portion hardened in about 15 minutes, so the final step was done in no time. Let’s take a look at what you’ll need:
Finished Peanut Butter Cups
Ingredients
1 ½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
¾ cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon coconut oil (for chocolate)
1 teaspoon coconut oil (for peanut butter)
1 tablespoon agave
Cupcake liners
Directions
In a small bowl, melt down 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. Add peanut butter and agave to the coconut oil; mix thoroughly. You should end up with a really smooth consistency.
Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and pour the peanut butter mixture into the liners. You will want to fill them up just about half way.
Next, place the tray into the freezer. If you’re using an all-natural peanut butter, the hardening process will take about 2 hours. For all other types of peanut butter, freeze for about 30 minutes.
When each liner of peanut butter is completely hardened, it will be time to make your chocolate mixture. Put the mini semi-sweet chocolates into a bowl and add in coconut oil. Place in the microwave for about 45 seconds, stir, and back in for another 45 seconds.
Once completely melted, add the layer of chocolate over the peanut butter. Place back into the freezer for about 15 minutes.
Unwrap your peanut butter cup once ready to be eaten and enjoy!
Since I’m dieting, I had Lani give these a taste! Feedback that came from these was that the peanut butter was a little on the drippy side once being eaten. A tip for fixing this problem would be to add a small amount of the chocolate mixture first, let harden, and then add the peanut butter on top of this. Looking for a treat for your pup to go along with National Peanut Butter Day? Try our recipe for homemade peanut butter dog treats!
Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
Being Made
Today is National Peanut Butter Day! Since this gives me an excuse to make something tasty, I thought I’d recreate a candy that seems to be a favorite among everyone…peanut butter cups! Personally, I have found peanut butter cups to be pretty addicting once you start eating them. If I have a bag of these in the house, my boyfriend will get into them in no time! There will usually only be a few left for me, so I made giant ones! When you think of a peanut butter cup, there are two simple ingredients; peanut butter and chocolate. I thought to myself, why not make my own?! When you buy store bought peanut butter cups, there are usually a lot of ingredients added to them to keep the shelf life. I had to give this idea a try, especially if I could make them as healthy and fresh as possible. For this recipe, I was torn with using melted chocolate or cocoa powder and agave. I chose to use melted down mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, however using a cocoa powder, coconut oil, and agave mixture will work as well.
I found that making these peanut butter cups were really simple and actually quite fun! I used an all-natural peanut butter; however I found that this took more time to harden. I ended up leaving the peanut butter portion in the freezer for about 2 hours until completely hardened. If you’re looking for a quicker solution, I would try using a store bought peanut butter. The chocolate portion hardened in about 15 minutes, so the final step was done in no time. Let’s take a look at what you’ll need:
Finished Peanut Butter Cups
Ingredients
1 ½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
¾ cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon coconut oil (for chocolate)
1 teaspoon coconut oil (for peanut butter)
1 tablespoon agave
Cupcake liners
Directions
Since I’m dieting, I had Lani give these a taste! Feedback that came from these was that the peanut butter was a little on the drippy side once being eaten. A tip for fixing this problem would be to add a small amount of the chocolate mixture first, let harden, and then add the peanut butter on top of this. Looking for a treat for your pup to go along with National Peanut Butter Day? Try our recipe for homemade peanut butter dog treats!
-Kayla
Tags: coconut oil, coconut oil desserts, coconut oil recipes, dessert, easy dessert, healthier alternative, homemade peanut butter cups, kelapo, reese's peanut butter cup, sweet