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.

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Vegan chocolate peanut butter cups

Are you ready for these?

I hope so, because I've been waiting to post about them since last December. They didn't really fit into my pre-Christmas baking, and then I thought rich, chocolatey, peanut buttery snacks might not suit the post-Christmas period very well.

And then I temporarily lost the piece of paper on which I'd scrawled the recipe. This was a very worrying period. Very worrying indeed.

However, the recipe has since been found, Christmas and January are over, and I think the time is now right.

Vegan chocolate peanut butter cups

Adapted from a recipe for the same at Hungry Hungry Hippie

Vegan

Makes 6 large cups or 8 - 10 small

Print recipe

Ingredients

For the chocolate coating

100g 70% dark chocolate (I used Lindt)

1 tbsp stevia or other granulated sweetener

1 tbsp non-dairy spread (I used Nuttelex)

1 tbsp non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)

For the filling

Just under 1/4 cup natural peanut butter (I used crunchy)

1 tsp stevia or other granulated sweetener

Pinch salt

1/2 tsp vanilla

Method

Set 6 large, sturdy muffin liners (or 8 - 10 small) on a plate or on a baking tray.

Combine the chocolate coating ingredients (dark chocolate, stevia, non-dairy spread, milk) in a heat-proof bowl. Melt in the microwave or a double-boiler until just smooth (you want the mixture to be melted but not runny). I used a microwave on low - medium power, stirring in 20 second increments until done.

Spoon half of the melted chocolate mixture into the bottom of your muffin liners. Place in the freezer for ~5 minutes, to semi-set.

Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the filling. When the bottom chocolate layer is set, place ~1 tbsp of filling into each muffin cup.

Spoon the remaining half of your chocolate mixture over the peanut butter filling, to give six covered peanut butter cups (you may need to return the chocolate mixture to the microwave at this stage, if it has thickened up). 

Set in the fridge until firm, at least 1 hour.

Oh my goodness me.

I had high hopes for these, and my hopes were exceeded. The darkness of the chocolate pairs perfectly with the peanut butter filling.  The firmness of the chocolate coating works to offset the creaminess of the centre. I can't remember why I used stevia over regular sugar (I am guessing because the recipe I adapted did), but it worked.

The overall experience is a shut-your-eyes, breathe in, settle back adventure.

Despite being incredibly delicious, these also have the advantage of being suited to single serve eating. The dark chocolate coating means that one at a time is enough. Just right, but enough.

I no longer need to grieve for the lack of vegan peanut butter cups in Australia. Or pay imported prices for the non-vegan Reese's variety.

These might have been messier than shop bought (and they definitely were messier than shop bought!), but they were oh-so-good.

Have you surpassed your own hopes with something you've made recently, food-related or otherwise?

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