Growing up, before I ever knew about eating healthy, one of my favorite treats was Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.  Actually, anything with peanut butter and chocolate had my name written all over it!

When I was 20 years old & I completely changed my lifestyle, my obsession for peanut butter was replaced by a healthier obsession for almond butter.  Almond butter is an absolute staple in our house.  It’s loaded with healthy fats, protein, fiber, and other nutrients.  Not to mention it’s totally versatile — we use it in desserts, dressings/sauces, snacks, dips…you name it!

When buying almond butter, it’s important to buy it raw — not roasted or with any added oils or sugars.  The best case scenario would be buying sprouted almond butter, but this can be tough to find (nuts are much easier to digest when they’re sprouted, but that’s a whole other conversation..😉 ).

The reason we use almond butter instead of peanut butter for most things is because almond butter has much more nutritional value.  Peanuts (& peanut butter) are high in omega-6 fatty acids, which are pro-inflammatory in the body and create an environment that is ideal for disease to develop.  Peanuts also contain anti-nutrients called lectin that can prevent your body from absorbing minerals it needs, cause more inflammation, and mimic insulin (which can affect your ability to lose weight or maintain an ideal weight). Also, peanuts are susceptible to mold contamination — yuck! 😬  Don’t get me wrong — I love the taste of peanut butter, but we eat it as a special-once-in-a-while treat in our house, and stick mainly to almond butter or other nut butters.

Anyways, these almond butter cups are absolutely delish, and I think they look so cute and professional!  This is one of my go-to dessert recipes when I want to impress people — they taste AMAZING, they look awesome, and most importantly, they are super nutritious!  Enjoy!! 🙂

P.S. I’ve got a special surprise for you beneath the ingredients & directions below — don’t miss it! ☺️

The following recipe makes ~20 medium-sized almond butter cups (feel free to cut the recipe in half if you want, but I always find that it’s a good idea to have more on hand!)

Ingredients: Almond Butter Filling

1 cup raw/sprouted almond butter

1/2 cup organic virgin coconut oil (softened)

2 scoops of organic, grass-fed vanilla whey protein powder (we use MaxLiving Grass-Fed Whey Protein — the quality is top-notch, & it’s sweetened with stevia, so it doesn’t cause inflammation or spike your blood sugar)

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. cinnamon (optional)

Ingredients: Chocolate Covering

5 1-oz. squares of unsweetened chocolate (100% cacao)

1/4 cup organic virgin coconut oil

1/4 cup organic grass-fed butter

Stevia (or desired sweetener) to taste

Other

Mini cupcake/muffin cups

Directions:

1. Put unsweetened chocolate, coconut oil, and butter into a small saucepan on very low heat.
2. While chocolate ingredients are melting, mix up the almond butter filling.  In a medium-sized bowl, put all of the almond butter filling ingredients.  Stir together until smooth and creamy.
3. When chocolate is melted, sweeten the chocolate with Stevia or desired sweetener to taste.
4. Put mini-cupcake cups in a cupcake/muffin tin.
5. Spoon a layer of chocolate into the bottom of each cup — just enough to cover the bottom evenly & entirely.
6. Spoon the almond butter filling on top of the chocolate layer in each cup.  (The chocolate will kind of magically fold up around the filling…pretty cool!)
7. Once all the cups are filled with a chocolate layer on the bottom and an almond butter filling, here is the key step in order for them to turn out perfectly!!: Put the muffin tin with the unfinished almond butter cups in your freezer for about 5-10 minutes (until the filling is hardened).  
8. Once the filling is hardened in the freezer, take the unfinished almond butter cups back out of the freezer.  Spoon a layer of chocolate on top of each almond butter cup, so that you can’t see the almond butter filling anymore.
9. Put the almond butter cups back in the freezer for at least 15 minutes (or until hardened).
10. ENJOY!!  We store ours in the freezer — but they don’t usually last long!! 😉

*If you have extra chocolate leftover, you could make some all-chocolate cups (no filling).  Or you could freeze the chocolate on a plate/piece of parchment paper, and break them up into “chocolate chips” after they’ve hardened (perfect for healthy chocolate chip cookies, pancakes, etc.)!!

*Fun Option:  Try adding some sliced strawberries, blueberries, and/or coconut flakes to the top chocolate layer before freezing.  How gorgeous are these?!

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A Special Surprise For You

If you’re reading this, you’re most likely into delicious, healthy recipes.  And if that’s the case, I’ve got a special freebie download for you that’ll help you take your nutrition & recipes to the next level: Dr. Christi’s Must-Have Ingredients List.

This practical guide highlights 40 of my favorite go-to foods that are frequently found in my household & that I can’t live without (and you won’t want to either!).  These foods are fat-burning, health-boosting, nutrient-dense, & sure to become staples in your kitchen! Click below to get instant access to the list! 😄

If you want to learn more about how to easily healthify your favorite foods & recipes (& still make them taste delicious!), click here!

How excited are you about finally finding a healthy way to satisfy your peanut butter cup cravings?!  Let me know what you think of them below!

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