Fulfill Your Sweet Tooth Craving With These Unsweetened Chocolate and Almond Butter Cups
Sometimes the most wonderful recipes are the simplest to create. Start with a few good ingredients, combine them in a straightforward manner, and – boom – fantastic deliciousness.
That’s the case with these little nuggets of flavor.
Creamy nut butter combined with delicious chocolate and decadent coconut oil come together to create an irresistible treat. Keep them in the freezer for a little afternoon snack, or for when company stops by for coffee or cocktails.
I used almond butter, but peanut butter would be off-the-charts delectable too.
Bonus: The freezer does all the work for you.
Even though these bites are a joy for your taste buds, some of the ingredients come with their own impressive nutritional profiles as well.
Almond butter packs a slightly bigger health punch than its peanut counterpart. It’s loaded with vitamin E, which is an antioxidant that can help neutralize free radicals. Almonds also contain a decent amount of magnesium, which helps boost both metabolism and bone tissue.
Lastly, let’s not forget about the iron in everyone’s favorite tasty snack. One tablespoon of almond butter provides 0.6 milligrams of iron, which constitutes 3% or the daily intake for women and 8% for men.
Who doesn’t love that?
Speaking of things that we all love, the unsweetened cocoa powder in these almond cups also brings its own healthy properties to the gathering of ingredients. It’s ground from cacao beans, which contain iron, manganese, magnesium along with zinc.
Zinc promotes the development of new cells, which then increases the immune system cells. Manganese is a powerful antioxidant that helps to keep cells healthy throughout the body. Magnesium helps to keep our hearts pumping along in health.
Also, cocoa powder is delicious. So, whip up a batch of these tonight and prepare to fall in love with their elegant simplicity.
Chocolate and Almond Butter Cup Recipe
Yield: 10 cups
Bottom Layer Ingredients:
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup smooth almond butter
- 2 tablespoons of room temperature coconut oil
- 2 packets stevia
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Top Layer Ingredients:
- ¼ cup smooth or chunky almond butter
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon stevia
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon roughly chopped peanuts or almonds
Instructions:
- In a medium bowl, combine the bottom layer ingredients.
- Place 10 mini-muffin liners on a medium sheet pan. Divide chocolate mixture between the cups.
- Freeze for 30 minutes.
- Combine almond butter, coconut oil, coconut flakes, vanilla, stevia, and salt together in a medium bowl.
- Divide mixture between the muffin cups, and top with chopped nuts. Place the pan back in the freezer.
- Freeze for 1 hour.
- Store in a resealable plastic bag in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Photos by Launie Kettler