To take our minds off the election (because even we Canadians are having anxiety right now!) let’s talk chocolate. Who doesn’t love chocolate and chocolate pecan butter cups?
When I looked through my kids’ Halloween loot last week the only thing that was remotely tempting was my long-time favorite, Reese’s peanut butter cups. But then I read the label and realized that there was literally more toxic crap than actual food in it.
But I still had a craving for it, so I decided to come up with something of my own, that was ALL real food and NO toxic chemicals. A little more ‘grown up with make-it-yourself pecan butter, rather than peanut butter (I have issues with peanut butter that I won’t get into here). And the end result was amazeballs!
This is sugarless, low glycemic, vegan, paleo, and full of good-for-you anti-oxidants. And the best part? It tastes better than all that Halloween candy you’ve been eating this week.
WHAT DO YOU NEED FOR CHOCOLATE PECAN BUTTER CUPS?
First, you need to make your pecan butter. Simply toss your pecans, coconut oil, salt, and stevia into your food processor and process until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.
While you make the chocolate, toss your pecan butter into the fridge. To make the chocolate pecan butter cups, melt your cocoa butter in a double boiler. Note: make your own with a heat-safe glass bowl or measuring cup in a pot with an inch or two of boiling water.
Then pour into your blender with the remaining chocolate ingredients and blend on high speed for 20-30 seconds. Next, arrange your muffin liners on a cookie sheet and spoon just enough chocolate to barely cover the bottom (spread around with a spoon if necessary).
Pop in the freezer for 3 minutes, or until firm. Divide pecan butter among the muffin liners. And make it somewhat flat with the back of a spoon. Pop back into the freezer for about 10 minutes or until slightly firm for chocolate pecan butter cups.
Spoon the remaining chocolate over the top of the pecan butter so it just covers the pecan butter. Try to use your spoon to spread it around. Place back in the freezer for about 30 minutes and serve.
| Also Read: Sugarless White Chocolate Bark Recipe |
KEY POINTS FOR CHOCOLATE PECAN BUTTER CUPS
PREP TIME
20 mins
COOK TIME
40 mins
TOTAL TIME
1 hour
A sophisticated (and uber-healthy) version of your childhood favorite – Reese’s peanut butter cups.
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 15
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED FOR THE CUPS TO MAKE IT MORE DELICIOUS
Pecan Butter
- 2 c raw pecans
- also, 4 tbsp coconut oil
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- about 15 drops of liquid stevia, or to taste
Chocolate Layer
- 1 c cocoa butter for chocolate pecan butter cups
- ¾ c raw cacao powder
- ½ c Lakanto
- also, add a pinch of sea salt
- 1 tbsp Frontier vanilla flavor
- 15 muffin liners (use ones that are on the stiffer side OR keep them in an actual muffin tin to make chocolates)
FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS STEP BY STEP TO MAKE DELICIOUS CUPS
Pecan Butter
- Put all ingredients into a food processor (except stevia) and process until smooth, scraping down sides. Sweeten to taste with stevia and process briefly to mix.
- Place pecan butter in the fridge while making the chocolate.
Chocolate Layer
- Melt cocoa butter in a double boiler (or make your own with heat safe glass bowl placed in a pot with 1-2″ of water in it – just make sure the water isn’t high enough that it might get in the glass bowl)
- Pour melted cocoa butter into the blender with the remaining ingredients and blend on high for 20-30 seconds
Assembly for chocolate pecan butter cups
- Place muffin liners on the cookie sheet (or in a muffin tin). Pour just enough chocolate to cover the bottom of the liner – spread with a spoon if necessary. Pop into the freezer for 3 minutes, or until firm.
- Remove from the freezer and evenly distribute pecan butter on top of the chocolate layer. If necessary, use the top of the spoon to flatten out the pecan butter. Put back in the freezer for 10 minutes or until slightly firm.
- When pecan butter is slightly firm then spoon just enough chocolate* to cover the pecan butter, using a spoon if necessary.
- Freeze chocolate pecan butter cups for 30 minutes and then serve.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer. Eat from frozen or let thaw for 5-10 minutes before eating.
NOTES
*If you notice that your chocolate has separated a bit or has started to harden a little, just blend briefly in your blender again until smooth.
LET’S SUM IT UP NOW!
I was challenged to create a recipe for Homemade Chocolate Pecan Butter by Sydni, a devoted reader and commenter who was also one of my college pals. She claimed to have purchased some from Whole Foods and fallen in love right away.
She said how appreciative she would be if I could think of anything comparable. I can’t compare this Whole Foods Chocolate Pecan Butter to the Homemade Chocolate Pecan Butter I invented since I haven’t tried it. But I will say without any doubt that this stuff is amazing. I’m addicted.
This is a fact.
The other morning, I prepared my preferred chocolate oatmeal—oats cooked with ripe bananas and cocoa powder. And topped it with a generous dollop of this homemade chocolate pecan butter. Breakfast of champions: oatmeal with double the chocolate!
Before I prepared this homemade chocolate pecan butter, I had never actually tried pecan butter. But it’s a very lovely thing. I now consider pecans to be one of my favorite nuts. To me, they taste like dessert. Particularly when made into rich pecan butter!
They have a subtly caramel-like flavor and may transform a simple salad into something amazing. They are exquisite desserts. Unless you have a nut allergy, you simply can’t go wrong with pecans.
So, enjoy chocolate pecan butter cups.