Simple Unreal Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

If you don’t know already, I’m peanut butter obsessed. Let’s be honest, who doesn’t start drooling when they see creamy, rich and perfectly sweet peanut butter cups sitting right front of them- only crazy people don’t (or people with peanut allergies). I created these easy Unreal Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups so you can always have a stock of them in your freezer! These dairy free peanut butter cups use minimal ingredients, are mouthwatering and are so straightforward to make. If you like peanut butter, dark chocolate, coconut and all things desserts, I think it’s safe to say this recipe is a winner.

peanut butter lovers

Growing up in the Browne household, one thing was clear very early on, there was no room for any peanut allergies in that household. My dad starts every morning with a “Browne Fold”. Let me explain. Toast + peanut butter + honey. You spread the honey on half of the piece of toast and the peanut butter over the honey and over the other side of the toast. Lastly, you then “fold” it in half, kind of like a sandwich.

It’s not rocket science, but that is my dad’s breakfast every morning and has been since I can remember. My dad’s brother, my uncle, eats Browne Folds too- maybe not as religiously as my dad but it’s definitely a family trait. Now, I don’t eat Browne Folds every morning but I do have the peanut butter lovers gene for sure. And what goes better with peanut butter than chocolate (my dad would obviously say honey- but I can’t please everyone). And although my Dad hasn’t sampled these dark chocolate peanut butter cups yet, I know he would agree that these PB cups are UNREAL.

how to assemble these unreal dark chocolate peanut butter cups

These mini dark chocolate peanut butter cups are actually quite easy to make. If you break it down into a few steps you’re looking at about a timeframe of 25 minutes. If you are making your own coconut butter, start there as that takes about 8 minutes to make. While that is whirling around in the food processor start to melt the chocolate and coconut oil over low heat. Basically, you add some of the chocolate to mini cup liners and pop that in the freezer for a few minutes. Then you combine the ingredients for the filling batter.

My favourite organic peanut butter to dig into is the Nuts to You brand (not sponsored, just a big fan). The peanut butter is the star of the delicious, mouthwatering filling so you’ll want a brand that you love. Now it’s time to start assembling your dairy free peanut butter cups. Add the batter to the frozen chocolate. Freeze. Then add a chocolate coat on top. Sprinkle the top with sea salt. Freeze. It’s so easy. I promise this recipe is very much worth the freezer wait time. And the end result is some drool-worthy vegan peanut butter cups.

here are some reasons why I love these gluten free peanut butter cups, so listen up!

1. I created these unreal dark chocolate peanut butter cups knowing I wanted the center to be extra creamy. So I ended up adding coconut butter to the mixture. The coconut butter complements the peanut butter perfectly by adding a little sweetness and smoothness to the filling. If you don’t have coconut butter on hand or don’t want to make it, don’t fret. I recently re-tested these dairy free peanut butter cups and instead of coconut butter, I added 1 tablespoon of coconut cream (the thick stuff) to the mixture. The end result was amazing. So creamy and it cut down of the preparation time in this recipe.
2. These dark chocolate peanut butter cups are Picky Husband Approved, decadent, and so satisfying. But a word of caution: it’s hard to stop at one. These dairy free peanut butter cups are mini, so that means you can eat at least 5 right? But in all seriousness, because they are mini they actually make for the perfect snack. You get to satisfy a sweet craving without going overboard with portions. Plus, mini things are just cuter.
3. I’m completely guilty of combining a date, a scoop of peanut butter and a chunk of chocolate together and then stuffing it in my mouth. I call this the poor man’s (or woman’s) dessert because it is far from fancy but still tastes damn good. But I’m not going to lie these dark chocolate peanut butter cups are a step up from that date +pb combo. When I open the freezer and see those mini cups staring back at me, I know it’s going to be a good day. Or at least a good day for my taste buds- they aren’t magic cups or anything.

These cups are a cinch to make. They are sweet-tooth satisfying and they are the perfect dessert to have ready in the freezer for when a chocolate craving hits! This is a recipe that uses minimal ingredients but you may want to double the recipe because 9 mini gluten-free peanut butter cups just really isn’t enough! Needless to say, if you are anything like us Brownes’, you will love these UNREAL Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups.

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