I think we all have that one specific familiarity and constant attraction to some food that is bad for you. Like Reeses butter cups. I’m not going to preach about how bad they are for you because it’s simply obvious. But regardless of that, those little cups are incredibly delicious and whenever I think of them or see someone enjoying I begin to feel an eye twitching spasm coming on. I think it’s mainly because I loved them so much as a kid and they are incredibly memorable and familiar to me.
At the same time if you begin to really think about it, one thought arises. What if you just use wholesome ingredients to make the same thing? All they are really composed of is chocolate stuffed with nut butter. With that taken into consideration you can actually make one yourself pretty easily with so much more flavor and decadence without the health repercussions. I would imagine most foodies, health conscious or not, would probably prefer to make their own simply for the pure bliss of flavor.
The use of real ingredients in anything is obviously going to allow it’s quality of taste to really shine which brings a different yet better and beautiful flavor change to my childhood favorite treat. The more gourmand version of them that is. Now, I could have just went with the standard dark chocolate and nut butter but sometimes you have to be a little fancy and add some sea salt.
In this case I had found the perfect use for some smoked sea salt that I had recently picked up at the store due to curiosity. If you have ever dealt with smoked sea salt you probably know that the smell of it is incredibly pungent and will make your countertop smell like it for all eternity if you spill any on it. That is just a fair warning to those of you who have never used it, so you can’t say I didn’t warn you about the glue-like properties of the scent of smoked sea salt.
I’m interested to see what else that smoked sea salt can do with sweets and desserts. Maybe it will develop into the “next level” salted treat. Whether it does or not I think it matches this decadent and satisfying chocolate perfectly. If you don’t know where to find smoked sea salt try checking one of your local grocery stores, I was surprised to finding the array of smoked sea salts when I asked for it. I tried both the hickory and the alderwood smoked sea salts on these and they were both great but the hickory smoked had the hierarchy in flavor for me. There is no rule for it though, the only rule is to try not to eat them all. Which not to mention is also my second warning.
- 7-8 ounces high quality dark chocolate (70 percent or higher) or unsweetened baking chocolate sweetened with 5 packets of stevia
- ½ cup almond butter
- 1 packet additive free stevia or 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 2½ teaspoons arrowroot powder
- smoked sea salt for sprinkling (I tested with hickory smoked sea salt and alderwood smoked sea salt and preferred the hickory smoked)
- Line a mini muffin tin with mini muffin cups.
- In a small bowl add almond butter, honey or stevia, coconut flour and arrowroot powder and stir until well combined and place to the side.
- Chop or break the chocolate into pieces and melt it in a double boiler or place it in a bowl and microwave at 10 second intervals stirring in between each interval until melted.
- Once melted drizzle about a teaspoon or so of melted chocolate into mini muffin cups then carefully and slowly rotate the cups to line the sides with the melted chocolate but not all the way to the top.
- Once all of the mini muffin cups are filled and lined spoon in 2 teaspoons to a tablespoon of almond butter mixture into each chocolate filled and lined cup. (If you used honey the mixture might be thick enough for you to be able to roll it into balls, if it is then simply roll the mixture into balls and place the balls into the mini muffin cups and slightly press down a little)
- Drizzle melted chocolate over almond butter filled molds with just enough chocolate to cover completely.
- Sprinkle smoked sea salt over each finished chocolate and place in the fridge until hard. (at least 20 minutes)
Hey Slim! I found your site by accident a few days ago and am glad I did. Just wanted to add I little something I discovered….APPLEWOOD smoked sea salt…yum, yum and yum, again! Every time I walk thru the kitchen I have to stop and have a whiff. I bought it when I was in Washington state and thought I would die if I didn’t get back there for more…but lo and behold, I found it on Amazon! It is called, “Yakima Applewood Smoked Sea Salt” , and is the best I have ever had. Give it a try, you won’t be sorry. Have a great day and enjoy!
May I ask what the arrowroot powder does for the filling? Is it related to the consistency?
It’s only for consistency. It doesn’t add any flavor or anything like that. You could probably omit it but it changes the consistency pretty drastically.
Do you think a little xantham gum would work in place of arrowroot powder?
I’m not sure to be honest, I thought that xanthan gum was used more as a binder than a thickener but you could always try just a little and see. The only reason the arrowroot is in there is for a slight thickening.
This website is so awesome!
I found this recipe and thought it would be perfect for my Peanut butter cup loving husband. However, in reading the recipe I don’t see where or how you add the stevia to the chocolate. Could you please explain?
Thanks!
If you are talking about the 5 packets of stevia, then you would add that to the chocolate once its melted. (I think.) And that’s only if you are using unsweetened baking chocolate.
read step #2
Just made these and holy cow these are good!!! I wasn’t sure about the sea salt so I tried half with and half without. I definitely like the ones with the sea salt better! I’ll never go back to Reese’s. Thanks!
so, my mom sent me a link to this website because we both have been trying to eat healthier. i was assuming that it would be plain, tasteless stuff but…. wow. just… wow. i can’t wait to try this, it looks, and sounds, amazing! i was NOT enthusiastic about eating “rabbit food,” so i was a little surprised when i found a sweets section… this looks so good! definitely gonna tell my friends.
-a fellow teen and foodie
Thanks so much for the amazing recipe! We ‘ve included it in our Paleo Easter Recipe round up! Our readers will go crazy for these delightful little bites! e + c
http://themerrymakersisters.com/paleo-easter-recipes/
I am making these today to put in my girl’s Easter baskets. Do you have trouble with them sticking to the paper liners?
I made these yesterday with some minor adjustments. I added some chopped cashews (salted) to the nutbutter mix and sprinkled the salt on the nutbutter instead of on top. I’m quite pleased with the result.
And to clean the pan used for the chocolate i just added the remaining chopped cashews and spooned them out.
Very tasty!
If I understand it right, the stevia is added to the nut butter mixture. And the unsweetened chocolate is just melted without anything added to it? If that is correct, won’t the chocolate be too hard to eat, and way too bitter without any sweetener.
I want to try these because I also loved Reeses PB cups… but I don’t want to make the effort and end up with something that has to be thrown out…
Thanks..