Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups

Grain Free. Gluten Free. Vegan.  Paleo. Awesome.

Halloween marks the beginning of that time of the year where there always seems to be endless amounts of candy everywhere you go. It's like you cannot get away, right?! It's at work, the kids bring it home from school, it's at social events, and staring you in the face at every check out stand - its plain difficult to avoid.  One of my favorite candies growing up was Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Reese's is a product I refuse to put in my body these days, so instead, when I want to treat myself to a piece of candy I choose Justin's Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups and sometimes Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups - both are amazing and made from much higher quality ingredients than Hershey's Brand. 

So I started to think I could just make these myself, get the calories and the sugar down and control my ingredients...and so I did...and found that it is very simple and this recipe and blog are the result. These are 11.7 grams of sugar per serving compared to Justin's and Reese's which are 17 grams and 21 grams respectively. Check it out...

Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups (PRINT RECIPE)
Makes 15-16 mini cups or 8-9 larger cups

Ingredients:
¾ cup dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate (60% or higher - I like using 70%)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
¼ cup smooth, all natural, raw almond butter
Pinch of sea salt
½ tablespoon maple syrup

Kitchen Utensils Needed:**
Mini silicone candy molds or silicone mini muffin tray
OR regular mini muffin tray with small baking cups to fit inside

Directions:

1. Melt chocolate and coconut oil together until very smooth on the stovetop over low heat. You can either use a double broiler to do this, or melt inside a stove top save glass bowl on top of a small amount of slowly boiling water in a pot, or in the microwave .
2. Use a spoon, small spatula or even unused paint brush and fill each candy mold (about 15 total) or baking cups (about 8 total) 1/4 full of the melted chocolate mixture.  You will only use some of the chocolate melted chocolate in this step; place the rest over low heat to keep it thin and melted.
3. Carefully use the tip of a metal teaspoon or knife to even out chocolate inside the mold (if needed), then place the entire tray on a flat surface inside the freezer for about 10 minutes or until chocolate is hard and set. 
4. Combine almond butter, salt, and maple syrup in a small bowl and stir until well incorporated. The maple syrup will make the nut butter thicken up a bit and adds a touch of sweetness. 
5. Use two small teaspoons and/or spatulas to gently scoop nut butter into each of the chocolate molds, filling the mold up to slightly more than half full total. Use a spatula or back of the teaspoon to keep more of the almond butter distributed towards the center of the candy and leave a little room around the edges for chocolate. 
6. Slowly drizzle remaining chocolate evenly over the nut butter layer for each piece of candy and spread out using a spatula to get an even finish. 
7. Place in freezer to set for an additional 20 minutes. Remove from freezer, pop out of molds or peel back baking cups and enjoy cold or wait 5-10 minutes and then eat them.
   
   

**If you don't have either a mini muffin tin or a silicone candy tray, you could try using the small baking cups and placing them inside a large muffin tin to set. The small baking cups should be enough to hold the shape - you could even stack 2-3 of them together to give it a little more support. I have not personally tried this, but I don't see why it wouldn't work just fine and I don't want you to buy a new kitchen tool for just one recipe. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. Comment, like and share as it pleases you!

Happy Halloween!
~Billie