Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups

Ingredients

Ingredients:

a large batch of homemade chocolate (see recipe below - homemade chocolate makes the recipe raw and less processed, but you can also melt down dark chocolate bars for a quicker method)

a batch of “caramel” sauce (see recipe below)

Almond Butter Filling Ingredients:

1 cup natural, smooth, unsalted almond butter

4 Tbsp. arrowroot powder

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp. fine grain salt

Toppings:

sea salt flakes for topping (I use Maldon's flaked sea salt)

Preparation

First, line your muffins tins and make your homemade chocolate.

Homemade chocolate recipe:

The ratio for homemade chocolate is 3:1:1 (coconut oil or cocoa butter* (melted): coconut oil: maple syrup)

To make a large batch I would start by mixing together 1 cup cocoa powder, 1/3 cup coconut oil or cocoa butter (melted), 1/3 cup or less maple syrup. Add a pinch of sea salt and a dash of vanilla extract. If you find you need more chocolate for the almond butter cups just make another batch using the correct ratios, and store leftovers in the fridge.

*cocoa butter hardens a bit better

**For a quicker route, just melt about a pound of dark chocolate in a double boiler setup so that it liquifies and stirs easily.

Now, make the caramel filling in a separate bowl.

To make the “caramel” filling:

Combine 1/4 cup smooth, unsalted almond butter, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 1/2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil, 1 tablespoon of arrowroot, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Set aside.

Next, Make the almond butter filling:

Combine the almond butter, arrowroot powder, maple syrup, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt until combined and set aside.

Assemble:

Spoon a little less than a tablespoon of chocolate into a regular sized muffin tin. Use a utensil to smother the chocolate so it covers the bottom entirely. Repeat until all tins have chocolate at the bottom. Spoon a small teaspoon of caramel sauce on top of each chocolate puddle. Then scoop out a heaping teaspoon of almond butter filling and roll into a ball. Press down on top of each chocolate/caramel puddle in the muffin tins. Repeat with all tins. Spoon a little less than one tablespoon of chocolate mixture onto the top of each almond butter ball to cover it completely. You can use your finger to maneuver the chocolate -if it is messy, no worries (isn’t that the fun of it?)! Sprinkle a pinch of flaked sea salt on each almond butter cup and chill in the fridge until they are set.

*Store in the fridge. If you made coconut oil based chocolate, store in the fridge until RIGHT before you eat them for the best texture results!