A couple of weeks ago, my mom gave me a big bag of those infamous chocolate peanut butter cups for my birthday.

I had every intention of bringing the bag to work to let my coworkers devour its contents, but instead… I ripped it open and ate every last gosh darn cup.

That’s right. I ATE THEM ALL. Thanks a lot, mom.

It was amazing and horrible all at the same time.

But instead of wallowing over my complete and total lapse of self-control, I put my energy to better use…

I made homemade and healthy chocolate peanut butter cups that are not only delicious, but are also free of refined sugars and anything artificial, AND high in antioxidants. Win-win!

What you will need:

• 1 cup powdered cacao (Click here to learn the health benefits of cacao and understand the difference between cacao and cocoa.)
• 1/2 cup of organic virgin coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon of organic raw coconut butter
• 4 tablespoons of raw honey (Click here to read about the health benefits of raw honey.)
• 1/4 cup sugar-free organic peanut butter (this particular brand claims to be completely aflatoxin-free. What’s that mean?)
• Some sort of mold in which to make your chocolate peanut butter cups (I use these silicone ice-cube trays – they making removing the chocolate a breeze.)

Directions:

First you need to make the chocolate using the cacao powder, coconut oil, coconut butter, and raw honey. If your raw honey or coconut oil is solid (coconut oil has a melting point of 76°F, so if you keep your house cool, it will likely be soft but solid), put them into a glass oven-safe bowl or measuring cup (such as Pyrex), and place it in pot filled with shallow, boiling water (do not let the water get into the bowl or cup containing the honey and/or coconut oil). Mix the coconut oil and/or honey until melted, and then pour it into a mixing bowl with the cacao and coconut butter. Mix all of the ingredients until smooth and consistent.

Using 1/3 of your chocolate, pour a shallow layer of chocolate into your molds to create the top of the chocolate. The size of your molds will determine how many chocolates you will be able to make (i.e. how many molds you should use to pour this top layer of chocolate into). Pop your molds into the freezer for 5 minutes to set.

Remove your molds from the freezer after the chocolate has set. Now it’s time to add your peanut butter. If you are using an organic peanut butter, you likely keep it in the fridge. Refrigerated PB makes this step a breeze! Scoop out a dollop of peanut butter, and if it is cool enough, mold it with your fingers so that it fits within the shape of the mold, leaving room at the top and around the sides so the next payer of chocolate will completely surround the PB.

After all of the molds are filled with dollops of peanut butter, pour the remaining chocolate over the top. This will fill the gaps on the sides of the PB and cover the bottom. The PB should be completely encapsulated.

Place the molds in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes to set, then remove, and enjoy!