Homemade Peanut Butter Cups are easy to make, high in protein, and healthier than store-bought, especially if you make your own peanut butter and chocolate or use high quality versions you buy.
Add the peanuts to a food processor and process for about 10 minutes, stopping the food processor about every 2 minutes to scrap down the sides. This recipe makes about 1 cup of homemade peanut butter.
3 cups peanuts, ½ teaspoon salt
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.
½ cup cocoa powder, ⅔ cup cacao butter, 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, ½ teaspoon vanilla, pinch salt
To Make Cups
If you opt to use store-bought, melt the chocolate in a microwave at 30 second intervals, adding a tablespoon 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!