Friday, August 2, 2013

Crispy dark chocolate peanut butter bites - vegan and no bake

I hate to say it, but sometimes I get bored by commercial chocolates. Unless I want to spend a small fortune on expensive vegan brands, the dairy free options are limited and get old quickly. Plain 70-85% cocoa chocolate? All well and good, but not exactly exciting.


When I saw Celia's homemade peanut butter filled chocolates recently, on Fig Jam and Lime Cordial, I was filled with a desire for something similar in my own kitchen. Sadly, that desire wasn't strong enough to motivate me into making an equivalent product. Celia's exquisite chocolates are individually filled with peanut butter and made in neat little moulds, and this week I lacked the patience or energy to replicate her efforts.

Instead, I made these crispy dark chocolate peanut butter bites. They aren't quite the same, but they are very good. As a bonus? You may be able to make them with ingredients already in your cupboards (I could!) and they take about 5 minutes to put together.


Crispy dark chocolate peanut butter bites
Dense, rich, and delightful.
Makes 16 bites.
Vegan.


Ingredients
1/4 cup good quality cocoa powder
1/8 cup maple syrup (add 1-2 tbsp more if you like your chocolate sweet)
4 tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp peanut butter
1 cup puffed cereal

Small muffin liners, for setting

Method
In a heat proof bowl, melt the cocoa powder, maple syrup, coconut oil and peanut butter together over low heat. 

When the chocolate mixture is smooth, add the puffed cereal and mix to combine. 

Spoon the mixture into small muffin liners or other moulds. Set in the fridge for several hours and then store in the fridge thereafter.


These, dear readers, I call exciting.

Submitted to Healthy Vegan Friday #54.

What's your approach to chocolate? Do you have firm favourites, or do you like to rotate through different options?

24 comments:

  1. As luck would have it I just wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and swiped a few stray peanut butter chocolate crumbs away. (which is my current VERY much favourite :-)
    Yours sound good though Kari...I'd give them a crack too.

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    1. Is that the Whittakers block you're referring to B.? That is so very good...dangerously good :-)

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  2. Patience is what I seem to be lacking lately so this recipe is right up my alley! I have all the ingredients except for puff cereal..I do have Cheerios..do you think I can use that instead? Good ole' Cheerios hehe. While I'm obsessed w/dark chocolate, I don't have an absolute favorite....mmm....chocolate...

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    1. Ooh, yes! Cheerios would give a slightly different results - more crunch than crisp - but I think it would be equally delicious :)

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  3. those look like very grown up chocolate crackles - not for this house with the peanut butter but I am sure they would work with other nut butters for us. I also would love to make chocolates that look at beautiful as celia's but alas it is also unlikely here

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    1. Grown up chocolate crackles is exactly right...and really, if you wanted, you could just omit nut butter altogether and use more coconut oil.

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  4. Those look so damn delicious :) I don't know that I could make a batch without eating them all!

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  5. Bahahaha! I have 100% never had the patience to make peanut butter cups myself either. I know I'm going to spend 2 hours carefully filling them and then eta 3/4 batch in one sitting, so it's just... yeah. This, though? This I love.

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    1. *Laughs* I do view it as a definite advantage that with these, if you eat 3/4 batch after making them, you've likely only used as much time in eating as you used in the making :-)

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  6. Replies
    1. They certainly had that effect on me Maureen.

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  7. Yes, Celia is such a talent when it comes to chocolate. I love the look of your little bites though and I'm sure they're equally as tasty! xx

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    1. If not equally, they certainly deliver highly!

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  8. Yum - these look delicious! And quick and easy is for me.

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    1. It's just so much, well, easier isn't it?!

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  9. Yep I hear you re commercial chocolates - in fact its been a good few years since I bought any!!!!!!!! But these...... yep something I could manage because i do much rather make my own chocolate treats! ;-)

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    1. It's certainly a more enjoyable (not to mention better for you) way to go :)

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  10. Oh these look so delicious! It would be dangerous to have a batch of these at home !!! Yum!

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  11. I don't find myself getting bored with plain dark chocolate but I certainly appreciate variety. Especially when it comes in the form of delicious looking treats like these!

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  12. chocolate and peanut butter together? bet it will be such a hit, deliciously decadent and certainly going to make them very very soon...thanks so much for the recipe :-)

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