Homemade Peanut Butter Hearts

Just like the delectable-ness that comes in the orange and brown wrappers.  Except better.

WAY better.

Like, won't give you a sugar crash after just one.  Like, I don't have to pack my guilt trip bags, because these really aren't that bad for you.

Ok, so they're still kind of  bad for you. They are a treat, after all.  But if you're looking for an alternative to sugar, soy and preservatives... these babies are your ticket!


The Hubby is kind of addicted to peanut butter and chocolate cups. So, because I love him dearly, I made him these peanut butter and chocolate hearts.  Trust me. They taste just like the dark chocolate version of the brand name that shall remain nameless.  Got that?

Side note:  did you know that you can make powdered (confectioners) sugar at home? In your coffee grinder?  I'm wicked excited about this discovery.  I was pretty much out of powdered sugar when I thought of doing this recipe.  So I just put some evaporated cane juice (organic sugar) in my little coffee grinder and whizzed away for about 30 seconds.  Presto! Powdered sugar.

Sweet.

So, then I just mixed the sugar and the PB together, formed hearts and froze them.   A while later, I wandered back into my kitchen, microwaved some dark chocolate chips and dipped the still frozen PB hearts into the molten chocolate.  Then, with messy, dripping, chocolate-y fingers, I placed the PB hearts on a plate and popped them into my freezer to harden up.  The next day, I remembered them in my freezer and took them out and wrapped them in foil.  Not so pretty, but they are individually wrapped candies now!

Just to try it out, I also made 2 PB cups, using silicone muffin cups.  Just poured in about a tablespoon of melted chocolate into the bottom of the cup.  Stuck it in the freezer to harden up for about 5 minutes. Formed the PB mixture into a flattened ball.  Stuck the ball on top of the frozen chocolate in the muffin cup. Covered it with more melted chocolate (1-2 Tbsp).  Put it in the fridge to harden up and wolfed it down about an hour later.

mMMMMMMMMmmmmm.......

Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the cups. Here's the hearts, though.

And here's the lowdown...

Peanut Butter Cups

by Raye

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: none

Keywords: snack dessert peanut butter chocolate

Ingredients (depends on size)

• 1/4 c. natural peanut butter
• 1/4 c. powdered (confectioners) sugar
• 4-6 oz. dark chocolate (about 60% cacao)

Instructions

1. Mix the peanut butter and sugar to form a dough like consistency (think play doh). Form into desired shape (hearts, trees, eggs, etc. or just a flat disc for PB cups). Place shapes on a tray and freeze for approximately 1 hour.
2. After 1 hour, melt the chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until completely melted. This will take about 2 minutes.
3. Remove frozen PB shapes from the freezer and dip into melted chocolate. Set aside on a tray. For PB cups, pour 1 Tbsp melted chocolate into the bottom of a muffin cup (I recommend using a silicone muffin cup for best results, however, you could use a standard muffin tin with a paper liner). Chill muffin cup for about 5 minutes to harden it up. Then, place the flat PB disc onto the hardened chocolate in the muffin cup and top with another 1 to 2 Tbsp of melted chocolate.
4. Chill PB shapes or cups for at least an hour before serving.
5. Note, nutrition facts are based on 8 servings (with this amount of ingredients, I made 2 PB cups and 6 PB hearts).

Powered by Recipage