If I had to name my longest-lasting love affair, hands down it would be the one that I have with chocolate peanut butter cups.

Even after becoming a certifiable health nut, peanut butter cups are the one things I could never quit.

For years, I thought there was only one type of peanut butter cup and that was the commercially prepared ones by Reese’s that come in that oh-so-familiar orange packaging. It never even occurred to me to make my own.

Well, recently I have started to make my own and not only are they easy to make but dare I say, even better than the commercial brands.

Plus, since many of friends and/or their kids are allergic to peanuts, I have found that using various nut butters like cashew and almond have resulted in rich, dark nut butter cups that are better beyond my wildest dreams. In addition, they are easy to make and cost less to make at home than store-bought ones. (Another bonus is that they don’t come packaged in plastic and paper.)

Therefore, I am happy to share my basic recipe in the hopes that others will encouraged to make their own.

Ingredients for approximately six large-size nut butter cups:

1/2 cup of nut butter (peanut, cashew, almond, etc.)

1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips. (Milk chocolate may be used if not vegan.)

1 teaspoon coconut oil

Directions:

1. Melt nut butter and coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Be careful not to burn or scald the mixture.

2. Pour the nut butter mixture into a mini muffin tin pan. (If you wish, you can use muffin liners, but I have found that these aren’t necessary.)

3. Place the pan with the nut butter mixture in the fridge for five to 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a separate sauce pan under low heat.

5. Remove the muffin pan from the fridge and carefully pour the melted chocolate on top.

6. Place pan back in fridge and let set for at least 30 mins.

7. Remove the nut butter cups from the pan and enjoy!

8. Note: for some very creamy nut butters, the coconut oil may not be necessary. I actually like them a bit on the drier side but experiment to see what works best for you.

Relephant: 

Rainy Day Peanut Butter Cookies. {Vegan & Gluten-Free Recipe}

Author: Kimberly Lo

Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photo: jamieanne/Flickr