This is a delicious Peanut Butter Cup recipe that is jam packed full of healing, healthy, filling fats. (What, healing fats ?) Why, yes. It has quite a bit of coconut oil in it which is one of the best fats you can eat for your body. Our country has made many of us “fat phobic” being afraid of touching foods that have a high fat content. Let me tell you that it’s a myth that fat makes you fat. Good fats can actually allow your body to release fat and decrease inflammation in your body. It can also have a positive effect in lowering cholesterol and triglycerides and raising HDL’s. But the key is to be consuming “good” fats.
Examples of good fats are:
Coconut
Olive
Butter
Grapeseed
Avocado
Flax and chia seeds
Nuts and nut butters and seeds
Full fat dairy: organic and from healthy cows and only if your body can handle it
Eggs and healthy grass-fed and free-range organic meats
Fish and Fish Oil
Bad fats are fats that cause inflammation and decrease the ability for your body to heal as effectively. It causes oxidation in your body and can actually raise your blood lipid levels (triglycerides and cholesterol).
Examples of bad fats are:
Vegetable oils: sunflower, soybean, corn
Canola oil (Yep, this really isn’t a health food)
Any food that has been fried
Margarine
Olive oil if heated on the stove at a high temp (above med-low turns it to a trans fat)
Low fat foods: they are full of nasty chemicals, sugars, and bad fats
This is not a totally exhaustive description or examples of good oils, but I wanted you to start knowing why these peanut butter cups are so great and why incorporating good fats will be a wise health decision for the long run.
Ingredients:
Chocolate:
1 1/2 cups extra virgin coconut oil melted
1/2 cup organic peanut butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
5 teaspoons Stevita Stevia
1 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup almond flour (if you need nut free, you could try 1/2 cup of coconut flour)
Filling:
1 cup organic peanut butter
1 teaspoon Stevita stevia
Directions:
- Use a mini muffin tin to make the cups, no needs to grease the pan.
- In a small sauce pan melt coconut oil over medium heat until completely melted and has turned to a liquid. Pour into a medium bowl
- Add the peanut butter and whisk until smooth
- Measure the vanilla and stevia and stir for 30 seconds so the stevia mixes thoroughly
- Slowly stir in cocoa powder in quarter cup increments and stir in almond meal. This mixture is going to be very runny because of the coconut oil
- In separate bowl, mix peanut butter and stevia until combined. Only use a natural peanut butter that doesn’t contain any hydrogenated oil or sugars.
- Transfer the chocolate mixture into a glass liquid measuring cup with a pour spout. You will be thankful you did this step because it can be messy without it. Pour the chocolate mixture into the muffin tin until about ¼ filled.
- Using a spoon add 1 teaspoon of the peanut butter mixture into the center of the chocolate.
- Pour chocolate over peanut butter until covered and leave some room at the top for freezing.
- Chill in freezer until hard and then use a butter knife to pop out the peanut butter cups.
- Store in the freezer (or else you will have a melted mess).
Enjoy!
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Suzy says
I can’t wait to try these!!! Thank you Meg!!
melissa says
Made them and loved them! The kids loved helping, they get to try them tomorrow, I hope they like them too. Avery used hazelnut flavored stevia to sweeten the peanut butter filling, it tastes good. :) I’d like to try raw honey in the peanut butter filling next time. :) Thanx Meg!!
Just Enjoy Food says
The Hazelnut Stevia sounds so yummy!! I may have to try that the next time I make them. I hope the kiddos love them tomorrow!! Thanks for making one of my recipes and commenting!
Lisa says
I swapped out the peanut butter for sunflower seed butter and the almond meal for coconut flour (1/2 cup like you suggested) to make these nut free and they turned out great.
Meghan Birt says
That’s awesome Lisa! I love that you made it nut free, enjoy!!
Kate says
What oil do you suggest using for medium-hot sauteeing? I had no idea about olive oil turning into a transfat. :(
Meghan Birt says
Olive oil is ok heated to medium and doing some light sautéing. It doesn’t turn into a trans fat as quickly as we once thought. But my two favorite oils/ fats for pan sautéing are coconut oil and grass fed butter. I choose coconut oil the vast majority of the time!