Super Healthy ‘Peanut Butter’ Cups

By Tamika Woods on May 24, 2016 in Food

Easter may be over, but that doesn’t mean that the chocolate cravings are gone. Tame those desires with these healthy, sweet treats that combine two classic flavours: creamy chocolate and salty peanut butter.

For me, the best healthy recipes are those that reappropriate an old (less than healthy) favourite. This is a healthy alternative for the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup lovers out there.

You may be surprised to find chickpeas as an ingredient in the peanut butter filling. This is certainly not something you would normally find in a sweet recipe, but don’t cast it aside just yet. The chickpeas are essential for creating the filling’s doughy consistency. Without them, it would be impossible to mould and shape the dough. Surprisingly, the chickpeas don’t change the flavour of the filling at all, but instead provide it with structural support (and a sneaky protein boost). If you’ve got chocolate cravings but still want to be healthy (and vegan!), give this recipe a try.

Ingredients
For the peanut butter dough:
1 can (400g) chickpeas (drained and rinsed well)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup maple syrup (use rice malt, honey or stevia if you prefer)
1 tsp vanilla powder
1 good pinch of Himalayan salt

For the raw chocolate shell:
1/2 cup cacao butter (grated if in large pieces)
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1/4 cup of maple syrup (or your own choice of sweetener, as above)

Method
Mix the dough – Combine all of the peanut butter dough ingredients in a food processor and process until well combined into a thick dough (you may need to scrape down the sides of the food processor).

Chill it out – Transfer dough to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. This will allow the dough to firm up and become more manageable for shaping.

Shape it – Take small spoonsful of the dough and roll into ball shapes. Place balls onto a tray lined with baking paper
Prepare chocolate – Fill a large bowl halfway with hot water and place a smaller bowl inside. Add the cacao butter and stir for a few minutes until all of the cacao butter is melted. Add the cacao powder and maple syrup and stir well to remove any lumps.

Drop it – One by one, drop the peanut butter balls into the liquid chocolate and very gently stir to ensure the entire surface has been covered. Use a fork to scoop the dough out of the liquid chocolate and let it drip for a few seconds to remove excess.

Set it – Place each ball back on the baking paper and continue until all of the balls have been covered in chocolate. Place chocolates in the fridge to set.

Eat it – Enjoy your healthy treats and store any leftovers in the fridge to ensure the chocolate does not melt.

Tamika Woods is a Nutritional Medicine student and founder of Sproutly Stories, a new health food blog designed to translate evidence-based information into digestible pieces of knowledge. Her wholesome recipe ideas inspire others to implement their health learnings in an easy and delicious way. For more guilt free recipes, check out sproutlystories.com.