Healthy Peanut Butter Cups?

Healthy Peanut Butter Cups

In case you didn’t know, I am a big-time runner. And yesterday, I ran my fastest-ever time for a 5k race at the Harry’s Spring Run-off.  Can you believe it?! 

I think that being in better shape at age 38 than at 28 deserves to be rewarded, don’t you? Unfortunately, my head just wouldn’t let my heart eat the cheap chocolate treats that I love so much.  One of the best (worst) things about running is that I feel so great after a run that I just can’t fathom putting anything blatantly unhealthy into my body. Thus, I am constantly reinventing my favorite treats into something I can really enjoy–body and soul.

Besides making my body feel strong, running also helps clear my head; it’s when I do my best thinking.  And it was that clear-headed brainstorming that led me to come up with what may be the easiest and most delicious non-guilty, guilty pleasure yet: 

The Healthy Peanut Butter Cup

For this recipe, you will need a mini-muffin tin and paper mini-muffin cups.  

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter; use the best quality you can find, preferably pure peanut with no added sugar.

½ cup coconut sugar*

1 egg

1 king-size good quality 70% cocoa dark-chocolate bar

2 king-size good quality milk chocolate bars 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 235

Put the paper muffin cups into the tin

Break the dark chocolate into 24 squares and put one into each muffin cup.

Cream the peanut butter, sugar, and egg until smooth.

Take a spoonful of the peanut butter mixture and roll into a ball before pressing into the muffin cup on top of the dark chocolate.  

Bake for 10 minutes; be careful not to over bake as they burn easily.

While the cups are baking, melt the milk chocolate in the microwave by stirring it every 45 seconds until it is smooth.  

When the cups come out of the oven, spoon and smooth about a tsp of chocolate on top of each one.  Put the finished cups (tray and all) into the freezer until they harden.  Remove from the tray and store the in the fridge for 3-5 days…if they last that long. 

*coconut sugar looks, tastes, and acts like light brown sugar. It is great in baking, oatmeal, and tea and can be found in most stores with a decent natural-food section.