Sugar-Free Almond Butter Cups
These sugar-free paleo almond butter cups are my daily pleasure. Notice the absence of the word "guilty" before pleasure. That's because I'm 100% not guilty about it. In fact, I recommend them to my clients as a healthy treat / snack / post-meal palette cleanser - whatever you want to call it! These almond butter cups have absolutely no sugar or even any sweetener to spike your blood sugar. In fact, they do quite the opposite and are an amazing source of satisfying, slow-burning and metabolism-boosting fuel from the healthy fats in almond butter, coconut butter and MCT oil. They are also packed with antioxidants from raw cacao. Not only are these almond butter cups a not-so-guilty treat, they are a superfood. Truly healthy chocolate treats that fully comply with a paleo / keto / sugar-free / real foods lifestyle? Yes please!
The secret to making these almond butter cups palatable without the sugar is the coconut butter. Coconut butter has a delicious naturally sweet flavor that takes the bitterness out of the 100% cacao chocolate. In addition to tasting amazing, coconut butter (pureed coconut) is incredibly healthy. It's loaded with fiber (supports digestion and detoxification), medium chain triglycerides (easy-to-digest fats that support fat-burning and physical performance) and lauric acid (anti-bacterial and immune-boosting fat). Although I prefer to make these with fully unsweetened chocolate chips, for those not as accustomed to dark chocolate, you can use a slightly less potent chocolate, such as these chips by Pascha and these by Equal Exchange. These chips do contain a small amount of sugar but they are still far healthier than any of the peanut butter or almond butter cups you may find at the store.
PALEO / GLUTEN-FREE / DAIRY-FREE
MAKES: 12
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 oz coconut butter (1/2 cup)
- 3.5 oz 100% cacao chocolate chips * (a little over 1/2 cup)
- 1/8 cup MCT oil or melted coconut oil
- 1/3 cup almond butter
* For a less "intense" flavor, you can use lightly sweetened but still dark chocolate chips or baking bar. I love these chips by Pascha and these by Equal Exchange. You can also just use 3.5 oz of a chocolate baking bar.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Line a muffin tray with silicone liners.
- Add an inch or so of water to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Combine the coconut butter and chocolate chips in an ovenproof glass or stainless steel bowl and place over top of the saucepan to create a makeshift double broiler. Stir together until combined.
- Remove from heat and stir in the MCT oil.
- Add a spoonful of the melted chocolate mixture into each of the muffin cups, just enough to coat the bottom.
- Pop the tray on a flat surface in the freezer for about 10 minutes to set.
- Remove the tray from the freezer and add about a teaspoon of almond butter to the center of each cup and flatten with a spoon if necessary. Spoon more of the melted chocolate mixture on top until all of the almond butter is covered.
- Return the tray to the freezer for about 20-30 minutes until hardened.
- Enjoy immediately or store in the freezer until ready to eat!