Homemade Dark Chocolate and Almond Butter Cups (aka Healthy Reese's Cups)

With Halloween just around the corner, I went with G to purchase gobs and gobs of candy for the neighborhood trick-or-treaters.  Without a doubt one of my favorite candies are Reese's Cups.  So I was beyond excited when I went to a local grocery store cooking demo that featured Vegan Nut Butter Cups. 

I took the recipe and replaced the peanut butter (but by all means, you can use peanut butter!) with almond butter.  Oh.  my.  goodness.  So good, so easy and really, pretty guilt-free when you consider the nutritionally powerful dark chocolate and almonds.

Still a treat, but one way, way more healthful than a traditional peanut butter cup.

Dark Chocolate and Almond Butter Cups

1 cup dark chocolate chips (to make this vegan, use vegan dark chocolate chips)
1/4 cup natural almond butter
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (helps make the nut butter a wee bit "gritty" like a traditional peanut butter cup, and adds good B vitamins and protein)
12 mini-muffin cups

Melt the chocolate in a pyrex or microwave-safe dish.  Cook on HIGH for 45 seconds, stirring, then repeating until all the chocolate is melted.

Spoon a wee bit (about 1/2 teaspoon) of the melted chocolate on the bottom of each muffin cup:

Tap gently so it covers the bottom and a wee bit on the sides:

Repeat with the 12 other mini-muffin cups.  Pop the cups in the freezer so they can harden slightly.

Meanwhile, mix the almond or peanut butter with the nutritional yeast:

Remove the cups from the freezer and press about 1 teaspoon of the butter mixture on top of the chocolate:

Reheat the chocolate in the microwave for 20 seconds on HIGH or until it is fully melted and spoon some on top of each nut butter mound:

With the back of a spoon, spread it so it fully coats the nut butter and comes down the sides:

Again, you can tap the cups so the chocolate "settles" in the cups:

 

Freeze for 15 minutes and they're ready:

Now try not to eat them all!

Makes 12 cups.

Life is sweet!
SPC