How to make healthy choices every day

Superfood Nut Butter Cups

nutbuttercups

I had pretty peculiar and passionate habits around candy as a kid. You can imagine then, that my favorite holiday of the year was Halloween.
I clearly remember coming home at the end of an exhausting night with my pillow case busting at the seams full of sugary bliss, dumping it all out on the living room floor and methodically sorting it. Little mountains of gummies, hard candies, mini chocolate bars and suckers landscaped the broadloom and I sat back admiring the new world I’d created. Obsessive? Oh yea. Freakishly.

But it didn’t stop there. Everything would then get put into smaller bags according to the type of candy and those into even smaller bundles according to how much I valued that particular item. I believe most “normal” kids would eat their favorite things first, but oh no, not me. I would actually suffer through all the cruddy stuff first and hoard the rest, usually well into the Christmas season when I knew my next shipment would be coming in with my stocking.

Where am I going with all of this? Well, to tell you that by the time Santa rolled into town I still had my Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups under my bed. Hands down, they were my all-time favorite.

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What is it about the combination of peanuts and chocolate? Undoubtedly, it goes beyond the magic of salty-sweet coupling to achieve something inexplicably divine. And although I’ve moved on from Reese’s, I still obsess over this pairing, albeit with a slightly more, ahem, healthy attitude.

We all know that the one thing I really love making in my kitchen is food that tastes like indulgence, but is secretly good for you (kind of the point of this blog). The biggest compliment my husband can give is: “this tastes so bad for me!” Mission accomplished. These nut butter cups fit the bill with their silky smooth, decadent chocolate and salty, nutty filling. Can I also tell you that they are healthy? No joke! When I set out to make these chocolates, I wanted to make sure I could eat more than one of them and feel good about it because I believe that is how eating should be.

The wonderful thing about this recipe, is that you will learn how to make a basic raw chocolate that you can turn into anything. Candies, bars, syrup, chocolate coating, whatever! Even if you just want to eat the chocolate all on its own you can do that too. It’s super simple to make, only requires a few ingredients and is so much healthier than the regular kind of chocolate you buy at the store and melt down yourself. It’s totally raw, full of superfood antioxidants and energizing enzymes. Food to love that loves you back.

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Lovin’ me some Lucuma
Here’s a groovy food I’ve never talked about before: Lucuma! Lucuma is a super fruit and a total superfood. It hails from Peru where it is known as “Gold of the Incas”, and has been cherished for centuries. Here in the west, the golden coloured pulpy fruit is rather difficult, if not impossible to find, so I purchase it its dried and powdered form.

Lucuma is sweet, but low on the glycemic scale, so it is perfect for anyone looking to decrease their sugar consumption. The flavour is similar to caramel or maple, so it lends itself to a wide variety of sweets. For breakfast, add a tablespoon of lucuma powder to smoothies, yogurt, and oatmeal. You can of course use it in desserts as well by blending it into pudding, cakes, cookies, candies, and bars. It is especially delicious in homemade ice cream!

Lucuma contains antioxidants, good amounts of fiber, healthy carbohydrates, and minerals such as zinc, calcium and iron. Judging the by the bright, yellow-orange hued flesh, we know that it is packed with beta-carotene, a powerful anti-carcinogenic compound.

Look for lucuma at health shops and natural food stores. Lucuma that has been dried at low temperatures and stone-ground is of the highest quality, as these processes preserve many of the delicate nutrients the fruit contains. If you are going to be using it in baked goods, this is less important. I’ve seen a few recipes online that use lucuma in cupcakes, breads, and cookies, which all sound amazing. If any of you have had success using lucuma in baked treats, let us know in the comments.

 

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The compulsive, candy-obsessed kid in me can’t quite believe I am saying this, but I’d give up my old peanut butter cups any day for these next-level versions. These are simply so delicious, so delectable and divine, the only behavior that I still carry with me is my inability to share. Workin’ on it.



143 thoughts on “Superfood Nut Butter Cups”

  • These are SOOOOOO amazing!!!! Worth the drive to the health food store and $$$ for lucuma powder and cacao butter. I am bringing into work this week for a work friend who is also a follower of this blog. She is making another one of your recipes and we’re having a little candy snack/swap together 🙂 I will make these a million times

    • How sweet! Love hearing this and love that health-supportive treats are bringing people together especially at this time. Enjoy <3

    • Hi, thank you for sharing this recipe! I just made it and they are delicious?, my question is: did I do something incorrect because when they warm to room temperature they start to melt.

  • Oh my these are possibly the best sweet snack I’ve made in a while, they taste amazing and I’ll be using the basic chocolate recipe again, looking forward to searching through more of your lovely recipes

  • Lucuma is impossible to find other than online (tried many health food stores and Whole Foods in Canada). Is there a substitute for this? Curious about a substitute in the Raw Blondies recipe in your book. I don’t mind purchasing a few unique superfoods but buying this powder online for one recipe is just beyond my limit for exciting cooking adventures 🙂

    Thanks!

  • hi dear Sarah?
    Is this good snack for 1 year old baby boy?
    and can I melt dark noir chocolate 92% instead of cacao butter, cause I can not find it.

  • dear Sarah!
    it is good snack for one year old???
    and can I make cacao butter – melted a dark noir 92% chocolate?
    Thank you for answer!

  • What kind of raw honey do you use? I used a rather thick one (don’t know what kind, I bought it at a farmers market) but it didn’t blend very well and ended up very sticky at the bottom.

  • I just made these for the second time. All the men in my family go absolutely crazy for them and talk about them all the time! I make them with almond-hazelnut butter. 🙂

  • Hello – i have a question. I would really like to make these and deliver them to my boyfriend who lives 15000km away, at least a week by fast delivery. How long do you think they will keep outside the fridge?

  • How sweet is lucuma? I notice that you add a little extra in the form of honey to this recipe. I ask because I’m curious about using lucuma instead of sweetening with something like maple syrup. I’m not looking for anything crazy sugary, just a delicate sweetness. Could I use lucuma alone?

  • Just wondering what the nutritional count would be for each? Fat, Calories, Carbs? We love eating clean and we are addicted to these…need to know if we can keep them in our snacks! Please say yes! HAHAHA!

  • I made these this afternoon and they were sooo delicious! The first batch didn’t turn out very well, as soon as I added the lucuma powder to the liquid chocolate it separated in a yucky mess. So, on my second try I left out the lucuma and added some extra cocoa powder (as per the instructions) and it worked a treat. I had to use store bought peanut butter this time (wholenut, crunchy) as I didn’t have enough almonds in to make my own nut butter but this recipe was so easy that I will definitely attempt my own butter next time. These are very rich and indulgent but utterly scrumptious. I’ve made your Life Changing Bread too Sarah which I (and my husband) love. Thanks so much for the inspiration.

  • Hi!
    This looks and sound amazing. I am trying to do them, but for some reason there is liquid fluid and there is thick coaco mass, but not together. I am used to follow recipes and i am careful to take right amount. What can have gone wrong? Thankful for any help!

  • Oh my goodness!!!! I just made these and they are perfect. Thanks for the intro to lucuma powder! I made them in little silicone chocolate moulds, so they look gorgeous. I have also made a variation with a filling of coconut butter, shredded coconut and vanilla paste. They’re just setting now so I haven’t tried them yet but I have high hopes!

  • I made these a few weeks back and I am about to make them again. They are AMAZING! My 1 1/2 year old daughter loved the special treat as she is allergic to eggs, dairy and gluten and rarely gets to experience things like this. Mine like a previous post did melt immediately out of the fridge and were not as pretty as yours, but I’m hoping the 2nd batch will look a little better. 🙂 They still tasted fantastic! Thank you for the wonderful recipes. How long do you think they can last in the fridge? Do you think you can store them in the freezer and save for even longer?

    • I stored mine in a Tupperware Container in the silicone molds I made them in. I take one or two at a time and leave at room temperature.
      Lasts much longer in the freezer.

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  • I made these a few days ago, and I am so glad I had people to share them with or I would have downed the majority! This recipe vastly exceeded any expectation I may have had, which I don’t remember now since I’m on a chocolate high 😉 Thank you, thank you, thank you!

  • Hi,
    I made these for Easter yesterday, and while they tasted YUMMY, I had a few problems with them. The first is they melted immediately. As soon as I took them out of the freezer and handled them at all, they began to melt. The other issue is they weren’t pretty. The nutbutter was sticky to handle so I wasn’t able to make it into a round ball. It was sort of a rough edged smoosh, but the chocolate didn’t cover it and hide it as it looks in your picture. I went wrong somewhere, I substituted agave for honey, other than that, I think I followed your recipe exactly. Any suggestions would be great!

  • Sarah,

    I just made this recipe and it was so simple and tastes amazing! I also made the life changing loaf of bread and it was amazing as well. I just wanted to say thanks for the recipes and blog. I love how you use the recipes to teach the nutritional value of amazing foods!

  • I don’t know about anyone else here, but I sorted my Halloween haul like that back in the fifties! I even have old photos as a 3 year old to prove it. Hmmm… I just don’t recall eating any after the first few days. Should have checked the trash can! Sadly I don’t recall Reese’s Cups back then, but I imagine I made up for lost time once they did appear. My kids used to save them for me: “Those are for mommy…”. I buy them to give out now, but probably eat more than I give out.
    So, I made these last week. While making them I tasted the filling and the chocolate and thought the honey taste was overwhelming and I wouldn’t be making them again. Boy, was I wrong! Once they hardened and I ate one I was hooked. I actually ate 4 (1/2 sized ones) in the first sitting. I had to control myself from eating more!
    Thank you Sara for another keeper!
    And I certainly understand what you mean about sharing! :o)

  • I’d love to make these, but am not having much liking finding the ingredients. Ahh, the frustrations of trying to make healthy sweets! : ) Lucuma is nowhere to be found, nor is cacao butter. May I ask where you found your cacao butter?

  • Oh-My-God!! I just made these and they are simply divine! I had to wait a week for my Lucuma Powder, Cacao Butter and Cacao Powder to arrive in the post….well worth the wait though. I have never tasted such gorgeous chocolate in my life, thanks for sharing this recipe : )

  • I can’t wait to make these, I have the ingredients ready to go! Do you have the measurements in weight? If not, what’s your style of measuring volume? Pack and scoop? Fluff, spoon, and level? Also, like another adoring fan, I too a, wondering about measuring the cacao butter…do you just estimate, melt, and then measure tablespoons?

    Thanks, so much love for your sweet recipes. xo

  • I used the mini-muffin tins – they’re incredibly decadent and a little bite is the perfect size. Although I didn’t measure, I think I used about a 1/4 TBSP of chocolate on the bottom, then I rolled a tiny ball of filling, flattened it into a disc in my palm before covering the bottom. I think I used about a full TBSP of chocolate to cover. Make sure you take the time to flatten the filing into a disc otherwise, it will be visible on top. I found the smaller the candy, the better. Don’t aim to fill the mini-muffin cups to the top because they’ll be too big. Smaller is definitely better with this recipe. Plus, you’ll make a LOT more if they’re on the small side. Very fun to make candy using raw ingredients!

  • I just made these and I can’t stop eating them! I used peanut butter in place of the nut butter to make them as much like Reese as possible and they turned out great.

  • Thank you so much for ALL your amazing recipes! I have never made one and been disappointed! I am making these to put in my girls’ Easter Baskets…which makes me feel so much better and relieved to give them healthy treats.

  • Omg, I just made these!! Amazing!! but truth is, even one of them is way too filling and rich for me.. I should have looked for the mini cupcake forms 🙂 thanks for the recipe my boyfriend is going to love them!

  • These were amazing. I subbed maca for lucuma as I could not find it. My suggestion is to make them and them let them sit until the next day. They will taste even better after you give your taste buds a rest from all that sampling while creating!

  • Love these, Sarah B. 🙂 Thank you. I’m wondering, though, if it wouldn’t be possible to post the weight of the cocoa butter instead of the measurement by Tbs? Unless I’m doing it completely wrong, I’m finding I have to guess the amount from the solid block, then melt it and measure.

    Although I’ll definitely make these again and again, I wonder if there’s a way to make the chocolate a bit more crunchy (like I remember from Resse’s?) Thanks so much again!

    Kristin (Stockholm, Sweden)

  • Boy do these recipes sound good! I am always looking for something new and interesting to try and it looks like your blog is full of a lot of interesting and tasty treats. Gonna go and look for the Lucuma today and try that one right away…

  • Hi Sarah,
    I love your blog! I’m going to Amsterdam this weekend for work, do you have any foodie rec’s for either markets or restaurants you love in the city?
    Thanks!

  • My partner is the same! If he tells me something healthy I’ve made tastes like it can’t possibly be good for you, that’s when I know I’ve been successful. So clever replacing peanut butter with a healthier nut butter in this recipe 🙂 I’m definitely making these over the weekend!

  • Life changing as usual. You are the goddess of goodness.

    Thank you for all that you share with us.

    These candies are the best things I’ve ever made. Sharing is an issue.

  • Hi Sarah!
    I am one of the so-called blind readers who follows your blog but hasn’t left any comment yet. So congrate me…it’s my first comment (I don’t know why but I was pretty afraid of posting it ^_^)
    The question is why when I do any chocolate (I tried even these cups) bars/candies with the usage of cocao butter the end result feels very oily/buttered?… I mean after biting a bit I feel like my lips are in butter/oil.

    P.S.: Regards from Russia! (yeah…you have a lot of readers from here)

  • Hi Sarah!
    I am one of the so-called blind readers who follows your blog but hasn’t left any comment yet. So congrate me…it’s my first comment (I don’t know why but I was pretty afraid of posting it ^_^)
    The question is why when I do any chocolate (I tried even these cups) bars/candies with the usage of cocao butter the end result feels very oily/buttered?… I mean after biting a bit I feel like my lips are in butter/oil.

    P.S.: Regards from Russia! (yeah…you have a lot readers from here)

  • I used to do the EXACT same thing with my Halloween candy as a kid. And now, like you, I’m trying to find ways to replace sugar in my baking with healthier options. Keep up the great work!

  • These are just plain fabulous. I’m dying over that first picture with the sea salt! Drool. I’ve never tried lacuma but I’m beyond obsessed with almond butter so these little beauties were made for me 🙂

  • I hardly ever (never) comment on a blog but felt compelled to praise the dickens out of your “Rawvioli”! I made it yesterday for a special occasion and it was the highlight of the meal! It was so worth the effort and I recommend this recipe to anyone wanting a truly special taste treat! Now…on to these lovely candies…

  • Wow, thank you for the inspiration! I was just thinking today I want to make some raw chocolate and here was your recipe. Love it Sarah, keep the inspiring recipes coming 🙂

  • Hi Sarah! I am such a fan and have made almost all of your recipes. I just made these- following the recipe exactly- but I have one question: how did you get the chocolate tops and bottoms to look so smooth? Mine were a bit lumpy looking. Is it because I used paper instead of silicone? Would love your feedback. Thanks! PS. I’ve never commented on a blog in my life. I adore you and mynewroots. Thanks for being so incredibly awesome, you’re the sweetest sweet potato.

  • Where the heck to do you buy some of these more speciality ingredients in CPH? I just moved here and as gourmet as Netto is…yeah it’s just not cutting it.

  • I can’t find any cacao butter around here…I have everything else as well as coconut butter. I wonder if I increase the cacao power and coconut oil if it would be a reasonable fake?

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  • I’ve never heard of lacuma but now that I have I surely will check it out. Your cups look amazing – so professional – I could have sworn they were store bought. This is one of my passions as well – the nut-cup. I am afraid mine won’t be as pretty as yours but I’m willing to give a whirl if you are…

  • Dear Sarah,
    You keep making me a very happy woman. 🙂 Still loving every single recipe you post and these will be a treat this weekend. I even have all the ingredients at home ! I’m sure the kids will love them and I’ll be a very happy Mom for giving them a sweet healthy treat.
    BTW, PB used to be my absolute favourite too before I gave up sugar and processed foods.
    Thanks for the treat !

  • P.s. These totally would of hit the spot when you were craving chocoalte covered almonds in Mio, and WAY better than a crumbly amaranth bar… lool, oh this makes me laugh so much! xx

  • No way!! I totally made a version of these for Isa’s birthday at the end of Feb – she loved them and now seeing this, she was like ‘Were they these, can we make these?!?!’

    The combo of choc and almond butter+honey, is just to die for! I used real chocolate.. would love to try this one – and I used vanilla powder, so I’m interested for trying the flavour combo with Lucuma, and also if Maca could be a replacement for this, or would the flavours be too strong?!
    xxxx Wish I was eating one of these right now!! xxx

  • I absolutely agree with you loving the amazing combination of nut butters and chocolate (like I think most people can!). I love making these cups for a quick snack/dessert. Thanks for sharing your recipe on this healthier take of a childhood favorite!

  • Hi Sarah! I came across your blog a few weeks ago and fell in love with it! I am always checking to see if you’ve posted a new blog and get so excited when you do! These nut butter cups turned out devine, I looove the cacao butter element. I’m also glad you introduced me to lucuma, how did I not know about this before! Thank you for sharing all your delicious and nutritious recipe’s, it is such a good feeling to make scrumptious food that is also jam packed with healthy ingredients! Greetings from Australia:)

  • I can always count on you, Sarah, to introduce me to new ingredients… but this time I have lucuma powder. However, I used all my cacao butter on my maca chocolate truffles.

    I have had a hankering for mac and cheese lately.. have any recipe recommendations? 🙂

  • These look amazing! I am a horrible person though, because I’m thinking about ways to make them worse for me (ie: I want to stuff them with Nutella… etc). I trust you though! So I’ll totally try this the healthy way.. at least first. 🙂

  • Dear Sarah!
    I ve just tasted it! This supergood nut butter cup and I just adore it! What a revolutionary thing you came with! Loooove it so much I just had to write to you:) While eating it I was thinking about all the dear people I m gonna prepare it for! I added a bit of chilli powder to the chocolate and as I didn t have Lucuma I used a bit of grinded flex seeds to make the nut mixture thicker. Thank you for being such a great inspirator and life changer! My next project will be your life changing bread, but I ll wait til the 20 of march, that s my birthday, so it will be a cool bithday bread:)
    Have a great day!Cheers!
    Renata

    • Hi Meghan – I used cacao butter that I bought from my health food store. No, you cannot make your own, unless you’ve got a cacao tree growing in your backyard. I’m coming over if you do…

  • These look and sound devine, i want to try them! I have a confession to make: i have never tried peanut butter cups.. Since i grew up in Italy, surrounded by nature, fruit and nuts were the snack. Of course i had the occasional chocolate, but it never some fancy version of it.. of course during my teenage years i made up for everything.. and eventhough i am back to fruit and nits now, i wouldn’t mind these little cups at all!

  • reeses peanut butter cups were my favorite, too. i considered it a successful halloween if i got a few full sized reeses packages. chocolate and peanut butter were MADE for each other.

    so interesting about lucuma powder! i’ve seen it on blogs before but never knew what it was. i will definitely have to look for it next time i’m grocery shopping!

  • I need to make them immediately! They look amazingly delicious and enticing. I’ll have to get some Lucuma asap. Thank you again Sarah for another inspiration. You need to have your own TV show soon!

  • what can I use instead of Lucuma – where I live i can’t find it, though for my next visit to the US I’ll look for this. I have to make this!

  • Why doesn’t the world know more of these things? Somebody can make a fortune on selling lucuma chocolate bars. Do the Mast Brothers know about this? 😉 It’ll so cool if you guys do a collab.

  • These look amazing I’m dying to make them! Is that 3Tbsp on cacao butter melted or shavings? Thanks!

  • Holy, moly! Seriously. I CANNOT wait to make these. They look incredible. My fiancé has a serious sweet tooth, and I’m always trying to find new healthy treats, that aren’t horrible and unhealthy, for him to try – and he loves peanut butter! Mission accomplished! These are going right to the top of my ‘to make’ list. Thank you for another inspiring recipe Sarah B!

  • These look fantastic, just what I was looking for. I also would like to know if I can substitute Maca for Lucuma. I have yet to find Lucuma anywhere around where I live. Maybe if I go into a large city they may have it. Shall give it a try. Love your site, your recipes are grand
    and your writing and comments are the best.

  • Oooo, I’m also curious about substituting the Lucuma for Maca as I have an abundance in my pantry. I’ve never tried Lucuma before (although, I do intend to), but Maca does have similar flavours of Caramel and Maple 🙂

    PS – These look amazing! x

  • Dear Sarah, do you think that these can be made with rice sirup as a sweetener? A friend of mine is fructose intolerant and can’t have honey, maple sirup or agave sirup and lots of things that usually replace the sugar… It’s really difficult to find sweet stuff for her! Thank you so much!

  • Oh my gosh, I did the same thing as you with my Halloween candy! Reese Cups and Crispy Crunches were my favourite of the chocolate, so I’d save them till the end. As you said, I’d ‘suffer’ through the rest, with the exception of Eat More bars, black liquorice (my mum got that!) and those liquorice all sorts things, which I think are called Goodies. I couldn’t stand any of those so I tried to bribe my younger sister into doing ‘trades’ for her good candy. Anyways, enough of my blabbering on. These look amazing!

  • Hi, I am loving that I found your site. I have made 3 of the recipes so far and they are very good. Where can I find the nutritional values for the recipes? Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.

  • I can certainly relate to your childhood candy obsession and now I too love creating deliciously healthy creations for the next generation (and myself).

    Thanks for sharing, I’ll have to try these with hazelnut butter as hazelnut and chocolate is my peanut butter cup lovin’ husbands other favourite flavour pairing.

  • I just experimented on some almond butter cups a couple of weeks ago, having been lucky enough to score a giant jar of cacao paste at my local organic store that (sadly) went out of business. I pulsed together a combination of soaked, raw and peeled almonds with a handful of roasted ones and added coconut sugar which I’d processed so it was fine, like powdered sugar. The shell was made with melted down cacao paste, ghee, a bit of coconut oil and coconut sugar. Like you, I sprinkled a bit of salt on top of each. They were really good, but I did have trouble totally dissolving the coconut sugar. I’ll use raw honey next time. Thanks:)

  • Is it possible to replace the Lucuma with Maca- if I have that in my pantry already? I’m never sure how much Maca is too much… and I might eat a bunch of these at once! But these are sure to fix my chocolate addiction (without all the sugar). Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

  • For the last two days I’ve been trying to find the perfect peanut butter cup recipe! Thank you! I previously made them only with coconut oil but the texture would be either too hard, or get messy to quickly. I’m hoping the cocoa butter will fix that 🙂

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