These were never meant to be. They were conceived with the oh-so pure intention of becoming protein-packed, feel-good fat bombs. Naked and glistening in a righteous-yet-vulnerable, unctuous sheen.
But then I thought…f*ck it. Everything is better with chocolate.
Why should I deny these peanut butter ‘n’ chia jelly babies the rich, silky safety of a salted chocolate cup? Who am I to decide what lives and dies without the knowledge of 70 percent cocoa indulgence plus a pretzel on top?
Maybe a lil’ gold dust, too?
So basically, I’ve sexed up a Reese’s peanut butter cup. Made it healthier, too.
And honestly? My version WINS.
These Peanut Butter & Chia Jam Cups are made simply with dark melted chocolate and coconut oil, coated inside bonbon cases (or mini muffin cases, in less sexy-speak). You can make the chia jam yourself in a jiffy—swop out raspberries for strawbs or blueberries if you like—or you can take a cheeky shortcut and use naturally sweetened, 100% fruit jam (I love this one), especially.
The salt flakes on top are pretty essential as they clarify all the flavours and balance the sweetness. The pretzel, obviously, is optional, but I love the crunchy texture contrast it adds.
For melting the chocolate, have a double-boiler on hand. If you don’t own one, all you need are two pots of differing diameter, or one pot and a slightly larger heatproof bowl, like kitchen-grade metal or ceramic.
The most important step is the freezing. I know you’ll wanna have these beauts’ within immediate reach, but trust me when I say that if you want the ultimate fudge-y consistency, you’ll want to freeze your pb & j cups, mkay? 🙌🏻
CAN I USE ANY NUT BUTTER?
Yes! Use what you have or what you prefer. Just know that peanut butter has a more dominant flavour than, say, cashew or almond.
I always choose natural nut butters without all the extra gunk; no added sugar, salt, or environmentally UNfriendly palm oil. If you’re looking for a nut butter that checks all these boxes, Meridian nut butters and spreads are where it’s at, IMO.
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PEANUT BUTTER AND CHIA JAM CUPS
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
- Yield: 15–18 servings 1x
DescriptionYum
It’s your favourite childhood combo made healthy (and more delish!): creamy peanut butter + raspberry chia jam nestled inside salted dark chocolate cups…JOY. 🖤
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1 and 1/2 cups dark chocolate, chopped (50-70% tastes the best, IMO)
- 12 level tbsp natural peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp maple syrup (or honey)
- Pinch of sea salt
- Sea salt flakes, for dusting
- Mini pretzels and edible gold dust, optional
For the chia jam (use around 1/2 a cup if using naturally sweetened jam)—
- 2 and 1/2 cups berries of choice
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
- 6 tbsp maple syrup (or honey)
- 1/4 cup chia seeds.
Instructions
- Fill a double boiler and place on the lowest heat setting. If using a pot and heat-proof bowl, fill the pot with water and place the larger bowl on top.
- Place half the amount of chopped chocolate along with 1tbsp coconut oil in the double boiler and stir continuously while melting. Once melted, add the remainder of the chocolate and keep stirring. Remove from heat immediately once melted.
- Allow chocolate to cool so that it is barely warm to the touch and thickly coats a spoon. Meanwhile, start on the chia jam, if making.
- Blitz in a food processor or blender the berries, orange juice, 6 tbsp maple syrup/honey.
- Stir through the chia seeds and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour until seeds are plump.
- Once you’ve placed the jam inside the refrigerator, arrange your bonbon/mini muffin cases on a tray. Spoon 1 generous tsp of the chocolate mixture into each case. Then, carefully tip the case onto its side and roll slowly so that chocolate coats all the way up the sides of the case (if it’s not thickly coated, the chocolate isn’t cool enough).
- Place tray of chocolate-covered cases into the refrigerator to set—about 10-15 minutes.
- Next, add the vanilla extract, 2 tsp maple syrup/honey, pinch of sea salt and the remainder of the coconut oil into the peanut butter and stir well.
- Remove chocolate cups and chia jam from refrigerator. Check that both are ready.
- Fill each chocolate cup with 1 generous tsp of peanut butter mixture, and 1 tsp of chia/store-bought jam (remember that you need to leave space for the chocolate topping). Push peanut butter and jam gently into cup with spoon to fill the space.
- If the remainder of your chocolate has set, simply reheat on a low setting as before. Once ready, spoon one tsp over the top of each cup and gently smooth with the back of a spoon to fill any gaps.
- Sprinkle a few sea salt flakes over the chocolate cups, gently set a mini pretzel into the top, and dust over the edible gold powder (optional).
- Place cups back into the refrigerator to set—around 10-15 minutes. Store in freezer for maximum fudge-y consistency.
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