Five Ingredient Chocolate Nut Butter Cups (Sugar-free!)
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The chocolate options for a person who's lactose intolerant and doesn't eat sugar have exploded in the last few years. At one of our local health food stores, we can buy peppermint patties and dark chocolate bars sweetened with honey, agave nectar, or coconut palm sugar. We even recently found hot chocolate mix sweetened with coconut sugar. And our favorite grain-sweetened chocolate chips are back in stock in the bulk section.
It's a far cry from the days when I used to sweeten my own chocolate and break it up into chunks so I could make chocolate chip cookies for my sweetie.
But a girl who loves a cooking challenge can't stop when there are so many exciting ideas out there. When Angela from Oh She Glows posted this recipe for making your own vegan chocolate candies, I knew I had to try it. Chocolate and maple syrup sounds just about as good as it gets.
Well, until I decided to add in almond butter.
And jam.
Then...well, then I was in heaven.
Five Ingredient Chocolate Nut Butter Cups
Adapted from Easy Homemade Vegan Chocolate
1 cup cacao butter chunks
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup maple syrup, at room temperature
1/4 cup almond butter (or nut butter of your choice)
2 tablespoons jam (we used fig preserves sweetened with white grape juice)
(optional: a pinch of sea salt)
1. Melt the cacao butter over low heat, stirring continuously.
2. Once it is melted, stir in the cocoa powder and maple syrup. Add in the sea salt if you're using it.
3. Pour the melted chocolate into a blender and blend for a few seconds. Be careful to allow the steam to release before blending so that your blender doesn't explode!
4. Using 12 silicone mini muffin cups, pour a little layer of chocolate into the bottom of each cup.
5. Let the muffin cups sit for a few minutes in the refrigerator while you quickly mix together the nut butter and jam.
6. Take the muffin cups back out, put a dollop of nut butter/jam mixture into each cup, and then pour the rest of the chocolate into each cup to cover the nut butter/jam mixture.
7. Freeze for about 30 minutes and then enjoy.
Store in the refrigerator, and try not to eat them all in one sitting. :)
