Who doesn’t love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter?
Well, I guess some people don’t, but I don’t understand them. Unfortunately, it’s not exactly a healthy combination, with a high fat and sugar content that basically tells your body to store fat. So when the desire for a rich, sweet dessert strikes, what are you supposed to do?!
I recently competed in an NPC bikini competition, and processed sugar was off the table completely. Which meant I had to find ways to get my chocolatey, sweet fixes in while keeping calories and sugar low.
This recipe was one of the only things that saved me, especially when my carbs were low, since these are almost all healthy fats and protein. I would still only eat half of one most of the time, just to keep fat and calories now, but that was enough to satisfy my sweet tooth and make me feel like I was indulging.
Whether you’re dieting for something as strict as a competition, or just trying to cut back on processed foods and sugar, this is a great, easy recipe to try – and no cooking required! (Bonus!) 🙂
Ingredients
Chocolate Shell:
- 3.5 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
- 3 tbsp baking cocoa
- 3 tbsp Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa (optional, I just prefer the flavor of dark chocolate. Otherwise you can use regular cocoa for all 6 tbsp)
- Chocolate or plain Stevia drops to taste
Filling: (adjust these as needed for your desired consistency. It should be thick enough to firm up, but thin enough to be able to fill each cup)
- 2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
- 2 tbsp Iso 100 Whey Protein Powder (vanilla or peanut butter work best, I used a birthday cake flavor this time around. You can use another brand as well with the same results. Add a bit of natural sweetener if needed)
- 2.5 tbsp almond, coconut, or cashew milk
These amounts yield about 6 thin peanut butter cups. For thicker cups, increase all ingredients equal amounts, or use a mini muffin tin. Just beware that the coconut oil and peanut butter still make these higher fat and calorie, so the small versions are what I prefer, at less than 100 calories per cup.
Directions
- Use non-stick spray to coat any muffin or mini muffin tin.
- Mix the oil and cocoa powder in a bowl until smooth, then add Stevia drops until you get the sweetness you like. You’ll probably have to use a good amount as the cocoa can be overpowering.
- Pour about half of this mixture into your muffin tin, then put in the freezer for about 5 minutes to set (the rest you’ll use for the topping). I use just enough to cover the bottom, but don’t usually coat the sides to keep the fat and calorie content down. If you want a true peanut butter cup, increase all chocolate ingredients and drizzle along the sides of each cup.
4. While it’s in the freezer, mix your peanut butter filling ingredients in a separate bowl until smooth like creamy peanut butter.
5. Remove tray from the freezer, and fill with the peanut butter filling, smoothing it out to the edges.
6. Put the tray back into the freezer for 10-15 minutes until peanut butter has firmed up a bit, but not rock hard.
7. Take the tray out, and top each cup with the remaining chocolate mixture, smoothing it out with a spoon or spatula as you pour.
8. Place back into the freezer once more and let set for about 20-30 minutes. Due to the coconut oil, these should stay in the freezer so they don’t melt, though they will maintain in the refrigerator for about an hour or so. Luckily, this also keeps them fresh and prevents overeating 🙂
To me, they taste best giving them about 5 minutes to sit out and soften just a tad.
This post contains some affiliate links as part of the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. These bars are chosen my personal preference, not due to paid advertising.
