Raise your hand if you like peanut butter cups?!?  I do, I do! Then again… who doesn’t?! I love them, but as I move toward as natural and organic a lifestyle as possible, it has become apparent that the ones we buy in the store just aren’t the best for us. Enter this better-for-you peanut butter cups recipe. It’s absolutely perfect! And best of all, they take all of about 40 minutes to make! Oh! And not only can they be made organic, but you they also qualify as eat clean and keto friendly!

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Better-for-You Peanut Butter Cups Recipe

Makes 12 large peanut butter cups with regular muffin tin or 24-36 miniature peanut butter cups with a mini-muffin tin.
Approximate Prep Time: 10 minutes
Freezer/Curing Time: 30 minutes

Chocolate Base:
2/3 c  creamy organic peanut butter
4 TBSP organic coconut oil, melted
2 tsp organic vanilla extract
6 TBSP unsweetened cacao powder (also known as unsweetened cocoa powder)
5 TBSP organic, grade B maple syrup

Peanut Butter Top Layer:
2/3 c creamy organic peanut butter
4 TBSP organic coconut oil, melted
2 tsp organic vanilla extract
4 TBSP organic, grade B maple syrup

Tips before you begin:
1. Melt your coconut oil ahead of time. If simply setting the oil out at room temperature isn’t melting your coconut oil, it’s OK to heat the coconut oil via the microwave or the stove top. Be mindful of the time – it only takes a few seconds to melt in the microwave and very low heat to melt on the stove.
2. Natural peanut butter is best for this recipe – the kind you need to stir. You could definitely try the non-stir variety, but the one that you need to stir will be a bit more creamy and will assimilate better with the cocoa powder, especially in the base layer.
3. It’s your choice as to if you use cupcake liners or not. Obviously, I didn’t for these peanut butter cups and didn’t have a problem with any of the ingredients sticking; however, it may depend on your bakeware.

Instructions:
1. Prepare 2 mixing bowls – one for the chocolate base and one for the peanut butter top layer.
2. Using bowl #1, combine peanut butter, melted coconut oil, vanilla, cacao powder and maple syrup. Stir to combine until you get a soup-like texture.
3. Combine peanut butter, melted coconut oil, vanilla and maple syrup into bowl #2. Just as you did with the base layer, stir to combine to a soup-like texture.
4. Spoon or pour the base layer evenly into each muffin cup of either a regular-size or mini-muffin tin.
5. Pour the contents of bowl #2, the peanut butter top layer, into each muffin cup, directly over the chocolate base layer. The two will combine slightly, but do not mix. (For effect, you may drag a toothpick across the top to make a design in the peanut butter cup if desired.)
6. Place in the freezer for approximately 30 minutes.

After the 30 minutes of freezing time, your peanut butter cups should be good to eat! Place them in the refrigerator to store them, or freeze them for longer storage life.

Enjoy!
Tiffany