Healthy Peanut Butter Cups – Homemade Treats that are Low Carb, Primal, and Nearly Sugar-Free!
This healthy version of everyone’s favorite peanut buttery candy is quick and easy to make. Check ’em out!
Yes, we can eat peanut butter cups following a healthy, whole foods eating plan. These delicious candies melt in your mouth, and give you a dose of antioxidant rich chocolate and immune system boosting coconut oil. This recipe is pretty nifty since you can shape and flavor your chocolates any way you’d like! The possibilities are endless…
This is going to be the first in a series of quick and easy desserts that can be made with primal (or paleolithic diet-friendly) ingredients. I’ll include a low carb (sometimes sugar-free) version for each of these recipes as well, of course.
These peanut butter cups are a snap to make! My hope is that people who are new to lower sugar and sugar-free desserts will find these chocolaty confections to be an easy transitional treat. The ingredients are easily accessible and affordable, too. Two versions of the peanut butter cups are posted. The first one is the quick and easy primal version, and the second one is the low carbohydrate version. The low carb version came about through my experiments with making chocolates using erythritol and xylitol. I didn’t think the peanut butter cups would ever taste right using those sugar alcohols, but the bit of added honey and the xanthan gum worked magic! The honey and xanthan gum eliminate the “gritty” texture of the erythritol and xylitol.
A note for my primal readers: I used peanut butter in the candies you see above since I do eat legumes (peanut butter, chickpeas in hummus, and black beans for this delicious chocolate cake). You can substitute almond butter, sunflower seed butter, or even macadamia nut butter for the peanut butter. Just be sure to get a nut butter with a very smooth consistency. I’ll admit to using commercial peanut butter when I make these, just because it makes the texture incredibly luscious! You can probably tell that I don’t sweat the small stuff when it comes to living a low carb whole foods lifestyle. It’s great to strive for perfection, but I know my limits when it comes to this stuff! If you’re too strict, it can be difficult to stick to healthy eating long term.
This recipe is inspired by the Carob Fudge posted by the clever and creative Ricki over at Diet, Dessert, and Dogs. Check out her lovely gluten-free and vegan recipes.
Healthier Peanut Butter Cups
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
Tiny pinch fine sea salt
A pinch (~1/16 of a teaspoon) pure NuNaturals powdered stevia extract
*Can substitute smoothly ground almond butter or sunflower seed butter)
**Can substitute with organic palm shortening or cocoa butter, both of which are dairy-free. The cocoa butter will yield more firm candies.
Heat cocoa powder, coconut oil, and nut butter in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally until mixture is completely smooth and liquefied. Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla and honey with a spatula. Add a bit of stevia, stir until incorporated. and taste. Add a pinch more stevia if necessary. Pour into silicone molds, silicone muffins cups, or paper mini muffin liners in a mini muffin pan. If you’re using silicone mini muffin cups, you can just place them on a cookie sheet. Freeze candies. After candies have set (takes 10-20 minutes), pop them out of silicone molds and store them in zip top bags in freezer. You can leave the candies in the paper liners if you’re serving them to company, or want to handle them without getting any chocolate on your fingers. Store the treats in the fridge for a more fudge-like texture.
Healthier Peanut Butter Cups (Low Carb version)
Makes 15 mini peanut butter cups
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon xylitol
1/2 Tablespoon erythritol
Pinch (1/4 of 1/8 teaspoon) xanthan gum
2 teaspoons honey
Tiny pinch finely ground sea salt
A pinch (~1/16 of a teaspoon) pure NuNaturals powdered stevia extract
*Can substitute smoothly ground almond butter or sunflower seed butter)
**Can substitute with organic palm shortening or cocoa butter, both of which are dairy-free. The cocoa butter will yield more firm candies.
Preparation:
Mix together cocoa powder, coconut oil and nut butter over low heat in a medium sized saucepan. Stir occasionally with a spatula until smooth. Turn off heat and leave pan on the warm burner while you perform the next step.
Grind xylitol and erythritol into a fine powder in a Magic Bullet blender or coffee grinder. Mix in xanthan gum. Dump powder mixture into a small saucepan, add honey, and turn up heat to medium. Stir around mixture for a couple of minutes until mixture is translucent and liquified. Scrape down the sides and heat for 5 more minutes. Wash and dry your spatula thoroughly.
Remove both pans from stove. Add vanilla extract to the chocolate mixture, and stir it in until smooth. Take clean spatula and scrape hot liquified sweeteners into the chocolate mixture, stirring until smooth. Add a little stevia, stir it in, and taste. Add more stevia if desired, stir it in, and pour the final mixture into silicone molds, mini muffin paper liners, or larger paper muffin liners. Freeze candies until hard. Pop candies out of silicone molds, and store in zip top baggies or tupperware, separated by wax paper. Remove candies from freezer just before serving.
~32g net carbs and 772 calories for the whole batch (using 2 teaspoons honey)
~2.1g net carbs and 51.5 calories per 1/15th of a recipe (using 2 teaspoons honey)
Peanut Clusters (or Almond Clusters)
Unsalted peanuts (no skins) or whole almonds
1 batch of the recipe for Peanut Butter Cups
Roast a cup or two of nuts in the oven for 18-20 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring around once. In a convection oven, set the temperature to 300 degrees, and roast for 15 fifteen minutes. Let nuts cool, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper cut to fit. Freeze cookie sheet while peanuts cool for about 10-15 minutes. Pour nuts into saucepan and stir them around with a spatula to coat. Get spoonfuls of the peanut chocolate mixture and drop in small dollops on to cookie sheet. Freeze until set. Remove from freezer just before serving.
Chocolate Dipped Stawberries
1 batch of Peanut Butter Cups made with almond butter (or peanut butter, if you like)
Fresh strawberries
Dip cleaned, dried stawberries into warm chocolate mix, holding the stems firmly. Twist your hand to coat the strawberry evenly up to the stems. Place on a cookie sheet lined with wax or parchment paper. Let berries set until hard in freezer. Dip strawberries once more in coating if desired, and store in freezer. Serve in paper muffin liners.