At choir rehearsal a few days ago, I declared to a table of pitch-perfect singers that sausage was my fourth favorite food in the world (a very sometimes food if I ever saw one). You can imagine the follow-up question.
“That’s strangely specific,” said our excellent choir director. “What are your top three foods?”
Well. Let me tell you. You need not look beyond the very first post of this blog to discover the answer. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
(Notice how I never changed the permalink for that post from the super cheerful “Hello, World!” WordPress uses for the default first post. I should have changed it to something more appropriate, like “Welcome to DOOM (Dietitian Of Overexcited Mutts)!”)
Chocolate, peanut butter, and cheese. The food of (singing) champions. In particular, chocolate and peanut butter go together like Peter and a kitchen appliance catalog. That’s why I celebrated when I discovered this month’s Recipe Redux theme:
No-Cook Desserts – The raw food trend is sweetening things up with all sorts of treats from cocoa clusters and energy balls to puddings and panna cottas. Please share a no-cook dessert you are serving. No-cook usually means ‘super-quick’…and we always want to make time for a healthy dessert!
Dessert time! Not only do chocolate and peanut butter take center stage in this raw, vegan dessert, but my trusty mini-muffin pan also makes an appearance. Why? Besides the obvious reasons, a mini-muffin pan is perfect for keeping small the portion sizes of this rich dessert. Like many raw desserts, these chocolate peanut butter cups make liberal use of peanut butter, coconut, and avocados . While these foods are packed with healthy fats and other nutrients, they’re also calorie-dense, which means moderate portions are key. Mini-muffin pan = automatic portion control.
The recipe is adapted from this one and is melt-in-your mouth delicious. Keep these peanut butter cups in the freezer and pop ’em out to defrost for a minute before eating.
Raw Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Keywords: raw dessert vegan coconut chocolate
Ingredients (20 mini cups)
Ganache Layer
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
Peanut Butter Layer
- 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1/2 ripe large banana
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
Chocolate Layer
- 2 medium-sized ripe avocados
- 1 tablespoon almond milk
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- Pinch salt
Instructions
In separate batches, blend each layer in a blender or food processor until smooth. After each layer in blended, place in a separate bowl. Arrange muffin papers in mini muffin pan or use a paper towel to spread a small amount of coconut oil in each cup.
Drizzle 1 teaspoon of the ganache layer into each cup. If ganache is too stiff, heat in microwave for 10 seconds or over stove to soften (will need to wait for the ganache layer to cool in cups before adding additional layers).
Add 1 teaspoon of the peanut butter layer into each cup and use spoon to smooth. Finally, add 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of the chocolate layer into each cup and smooth. Freeze for 3 to 4 hours. Remove from pan and serve immediately or transfer to tightly-sealed, freezer-safe container for storage. Can freeze for 3 months.
Q: Have you ever tried a raw dessert? What are your three favorite foods?
Joanne says
September 21, 2013 at 8:22 amChocolate and peanut butter (together) is my number one in terms of foods I love! Kind of just want to gobble a whole batch of these up!
Christina @ Pinch of Healthy says
September 21, 2013 at 8:43 amWow these look amazing! I completely agree with your top three foods…now we just need to figure out how to combine them 🙂
The Candid RD says
September 21, 2013 at 8:48 amDefinitely pinned these. They sound like perfection!!! Kind of like your coconut vegan donuts. I went out and bought a mini muffin pan the other day and made them. Nick LOVED them, but said they tasted more like mini biscuits, which, I had to agree, they did. I used brown rice flour, maybe that’s why. Either way they were fantastic AND husband approved!
Jessie says
September 21, 2013 at 3:22 pmMmm, mini biscuits sound great! I’ll have to try them with rice flour next, too 🙂
Melissa says
September 21, 2013 at 9:03 amChocolate and PB desserts are definitely my favorite. I’ve never tried making homemade PB cups, let alone healthy ones – thanks for the inspiration!
gretchen | kumquat says
September 21, 2013 at 1:10 pmthese look awesome. i’m such a chocolate-peanut butter lover. yum. (and i love that you’re such a fan of teetering food towers… :))
Jessie says
September 21, 2013 at 3:22 pmHaha, you’re right! I try to be subtle about it … okay, not all THAT subtle … 😉
Deanna Segrave-Daly says
September 21, 2013 at 6:50 pmWell, I adore your first post because peanut butter, chocolate and cheese would be top 3 for me too (followed by bacon and shrimp.) I actually just started a Peanut Butter & Chocolate pin board because of these ReDux recipes and I’m pinning ever last peanut butter recipe – yessiree!
Lucy says
September 21, 2013 at 9:41 pmChocolate is just naturally meant to go with peanut butter, isn’t it? Scrumptious 🙂 My favorite foods tend to change a bit but I always love chocolate, tuna + salmon, freshly baked bread, muffins, mushrooms, cabbage, nuts, raspberries…and a billion other things haha. It’s too hard to rank them 😉
jodye @ whole pure recipes says
September 21, 2013 at 10:44 pmThese peanut butter cups look amazing, and your use of avocado and banana in the layers is so creative! I’ll have to give these a try!
EA-The Spicy RD says
September 22, 2013 at 12:26 amThese are definitely calling out my name! Love raw desserts, and 3 favorite foods are…tomatoes, coffee, and….chocolate 🙂
Sarah says
September 22, 2013 at 5:36 amLooks good!
Just made these for the first time this week so delicious and relatively healthy treat!
http://ohsheglows.com/2012/10/17/homemade-rolo-knock-offs-vegan-gluten-free-5-ingredients/
Alex Caspero MA,RD (@delishknowledge) says
September 22, 2013 at 1:08 pmLove the combo of peanut butter and chocolate! That’s what I did as well 🙂 Love this version, will be making it soon!
Courtney says
September 22, 2013 at 1:38 pmThis looks good, nice use of the coconut oil. Gonna have to try!
Cindys Recipes and Writings says
September 23, 2013 at 5:43 amYou managed to get so many good things in here, Jessie! Yum!
Jessica @ Nutritioulicious says
September 23, 2013 at 12:56 pmYum! These look amazing!!
Andrea@WellnessNotes says
September 23, 2013 at 7:16 pmThey look & sound delicious!
Three favorite foods: tomatoes, cheese, cherries.
Danielle Omar - Food Confidence RD says
September 23, 2013 at 7:21 pmI’m a huge fan of raw peanut butter cups! I make a version of this all the time, I love your addition of avocado…yum!
Ameena says
September 23, 2013 at 8:46 pmThese look fantastic! And full of ingredients I LOVE.
Amazing recipe Jessie…thank you for sharing. My family thanks you as well. 🙂
Monet says
September 24, 2013 at 8:32 pmChocolate and peanut butter are a match made in heaven. No doubt. An these peanut butter cups couldn’t look any better. I love that they are raw and vegan too! Thank you for sharing Jessie!
Kristen @ Swanky Dietitian says
September 25, 2013 at 12:32 pmYou had me at peanut butter! YUM!
These look fabulous!