Homemade nut butter is a healthy snack, high in protein, energy and so easy to make with raw nuts and a high speed processor. I sandwiched my nut butter here between slabs of dark chocolate.
Homemade Nut Butter in Dark Chocolate Cups (vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free)
I give you two options for this delicious nut butter dark chocolate cup! Full of magnesium, protein and iron!
Either use store-bought quality nut butter (only nuts in the ingredients such as Once Again or Barneys), or make your own. Of course home-made won’t be as glossy, but who cares!
Cashews, almonds, walnuts, macadamias, any nut will do. Nuts are magic.
Spin them in a processor or blender and their natural oils are released and, magic, nut butter!
Of course you can add salt, sweeteners, even quality cacao powder if you wish (Hello nutella!).
Peanuts too but did you know they grow underground as opposed to cashews, almonds and walnuts which grow on trees? So technically, peanuts are considered part of the beans and peas family!
For the chocolate layers in this cup, you also have choices.
You can buy a high quality dark chocolate bar (70% cacao and up is great!), melt it with a bit of coconut oil or make homemade chocolate using cacao paste and cacao butter.
Either way, between the magnesium and iron in the chocolate and the protein in the nut butter, you really can’t go wrong. This could be dinner!
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Homemade Nut Butter in Dark Chocolate Cups
Homemade nut butter is a healthy snack, high in protein, energy and so easy to make with raw nuts and a high speed processor. I sandwiched my nut butter here between slabs of dark chocolate.
Ingredients
Homemade Nut Butter (if you don't use store bought)
- 2 cups nuts (cashews, almonds, macadamias, peanuts, pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts) soaked overnight, rinsed, and roasted 8 minutes)
- 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
Make Homemade Chocolate
- 1/2 cup cacao paste
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup cacao butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla paste
- pinch Himalayan salt
OR Use a Store-bought Chocolate Bar
- 2 (3.5oz) dark chocolate bar (I also love quality chocolate by HU, Valrhona, Pascha, and Eating Evolved) (I used this brand)
- 2-3 tbsp coconut oil melted
Useful Equipment
- 1 2-cup pyrex measuring cup
- 1 6-cup muffin pan
Instructions
To Make Homemade Nut Butter
-
Soak your nuts in water overnight. Rinse and spread on a cookie sheet lined with parchment and roast dry, about 5-8 minutes, at 350 F. If the nuts have skins (like hazelnuts), rub them in a soft towels after toasting to remove that skin.
Let the nuts cool, then add them to a blender or food processor and spin about 8-12 minutes until they dissolve into a fairly creamy consistency. Depending on the oils the nuts release, you might want to add a tbsp or two of coconut oil, melted, to achieve a smoother texture.
Add salt and any other addins (think chia seeds, flax seeds, a bit of maple syrup, even cacao powder).
Then keep blending or processing until as smooth as you can get it. Store refrigerated in air-tight container.
To Make Homemade Chocolate
-
Combine homemade chocolate ingredients in a sauce pan and melt on very low heat. Do not burn. To be safe, instead of melting directly in a sauce pan, melt them instead in a 2-cup pyrex measuring cup sitting in a boiling water bath but do not let water enter the measuring cup or the chocolate will seize.
To Make Cups
-
If you opt to use store-bought, melt the chocolate in a microwave at 30 second intervals, adding a tbsp of coconut oil per bar. Once you have melted chocolate ready (either homemade or store bought), pour a thin layer on to the bottom of six cupcake-sized paper cups and set each paper cup into a 6-cup muffin pan.
- Put the pan in the refrigerator for 30 min or freezer for 10 min.
-
Meanwhile prepare the nut butter. If it is stiff from the refrigerator or if your store bought nut butter is stiff in the jar, melt it gently in the microwave in 10 second intervals (or in a 2-cup pyrex measuring cup in a water bath on the stove).
- Spoon this glossy nut butter into each cup and return the pan to the refrigerator for 30 minutes (or freezer if you want that layer hard, we did not).
- Then pour on second chocolate layer and set in refrigerator or freezer until the cups are ready for you to eat!
Dee Dine is the recipe developer and writer behind Green Smoothie Gourmet. She shares her super healthy wholesome recipes on her blog and her Instagram that she feeds her family and friends. She gravitates toward recipes that are fast to create, plant-based, nutritious, easy, and use familiar ingredients. And chocolate is always a good idea! More about Dee.
Bianca Zapatka
They look so delicious, Dee! Love this recipe!
Lots of love,
Bianca ❤️
Dee Dine | Green Smoothie Gourmet
Thank you so much Bianca! So kind of you to stop by, Love Dee xx