Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

These homemade vegan peanut butter cups are made using just 6 ingredients and taste better than store-brought. They are perfect for dessert, or a quick chocolatey snack.

Peanut butter and chocolate is a classic for a reason. Sometimes, if I feel snack-ish and don't know what to eat, I'll grab a jar of PB, some dark chocolate, and simply dip the latter into the former. It never fails to amaze me.

And peanut butter and chocolate are even better in a homemade peanut butter cup form. Set in the fridge, then served with a warm cup of tea, they are what every chocolate lover's dreams are made of.

Hence, I'm very excited to share these vegan peanut butter cups with all of you! As they require just 6 ingredients to make from scratch, I suggest you make these ASAP!

What's to love about these homemade peanut butter cups?

I used to eat store-brought peanut butter cups all the time back in the day. Before my vegan days. I used to pop into the supermarket constantly to stock up on them and enjoy with endless cups of tea. So this recipe feels like a major throwback, just vegan and on the healthier side, too.

And honestly, I think these taste much better than store-bought. The flavour is fresher, they're not extremely sweet, and the fact that they're homemade makes them feel much more special.

What's great about making vegan snacks and desserts at home is that it puts you in control of the ingredients. You have complete oversight. Which means, no hidden ingredients, only the ingredients that you choose to put in. They make an ideal snack whenever you want something quick and super chocolatey!

Ingredients you will need

• Peanut butter. Use smooth peanut butter for this recipe. It will also work with any other nut or seed butter of your choice.
• Cinnamon. This will add a great subtle aftertaste to the nut butter filling.
• Salt. Peanut butter and dark chocolate with a hint of saltiness is obviously a classic mixture of flavours!
• Maple syrup. You can use any other liquid sweetener of your choice, but don't use sugar as this will interfere with the texture.
• Coconut flour. This helps with the texture of the nut butter filling (don't worry - this won't add a coconut flavour).
• Dark chocolate. Use any vegan chocolate of your choice.

How to make homemade peanut butter cups

First, add the peanut butter, cinnamon, salt, maple syrup and coconut flour to a mixing bowl and mix together thoroughly.

Now melt the chocolate. Add the chocolate to a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan over a low heat. Make sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water and bring to a light simmer. Wait for the chocolate to melt, stirring if necessary.

Pour a layer of the chocolate into the bottom of a cupcake mould or case. The thickness can be adjusted according to your preferences, but aim for around 5mm/0.2 inches. Leave in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Now add a layer of the peanut butter filling, followed by another layer of the chocolate. Leave in the fridge for the fridge for 30 minutes more. They are now ready to eat!

Tips for making healthy PB cups

• If the peanut butter you used contains salt already, leave out the extra added salt.
• To replace liquid sweetener, melt a Stevia tablet in an equal amount of water.
• If you want even more chocolate, sprinkle some raw cacao powder into the peanut butter mixture.
• Check out detailed instructions on how to melt chocolate here.
• Switch up the chocolate variety you use! Any vegan chocolate variety works well.
• These can be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Other quick vegan snack ideas

• Almond cookies
• No-bake cake pops
• Simple chocolate chip cookies
• Sweet potato brownies
• Four-ingredient fudge

Let me know in the comments: what's your go-to chocolatey snack? If you give these homemade vegan peanut butter cups a go, be sure to tag me on Instagram (@earthofmariaa) so I can see your creations, and leave your feedback in the comments below together with a star rating!