Detox Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups ~ when I need a little something sweet but don’t want to wreck my diet with a pint of ice cream or a stack of cookies, I go for one of these healthy dark chocolate almond butter cups, they satisfy my cravings without putting a dent in my healthy lifestyle!
Of course I’m using the word ‘detox’ with a wink and a nod 😉 just like I did with my DARK CHOCOLATE DETOX BITES, but these luscious homemade almond butter cups definitely fall into the super food category ~ made with the darkest chocolate, pure almond butter, and lots of healthy fruits, nuts, and seeds. In fact, these dark chocolate almond butter cups are the one of the best examples of good and good for you I’ve found.
I had fun rummaging through my cupboard for all the dried fruit, nuts, and seeds that I had stashed away. These are the same goodies I use in my chunky fruit and nut breads, like my PALEO FRUIT AND NUT BREAD, and my CHUNKY FRUIT AND NUT QUICK BREAD. It’s nice to have a good variety around so you can mix and match them like this. The fruit adds sweetness and color, and the nuts and seeds add the perfect earthy crunch to a classic nut butter filled chocolate cup.
Here’s the assortment of fruits, nuts, and seeds I used on these detox dark chocolate almond butter cups~
- dried cranberries, kiwi, figs, dates, peaches, plums, raisins, pineapple, blueberries, coconut
- walnuts, pistachios, almonds, macadamias, peanuts, pine nuts, cashews
- hemp seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, pepitas
TIP: Lots of stores have bulk bins or special sections where they stock bulk dried fruit and nuts. Look for cranberries, cherries, kiwi, pineapple, and papaya to add a pop of color to your cups.
These are the perfect little mid-day pick -me-up, or after dinner treat. You can make them as big or as small as you like, depending on your mold. I used standard size silicone muffin liners which are just right for a substantial cup, but you can make bite sized minis, if you like.
These reusable liners can be used for baking as well as all kinds of candy making. They hold their shape and peel off easily. You can buy them in all shapes and sizes, and it’s just one more way to cut down on waste in your kitchen.
Once the chocolate hardens, you can easily pop our your almond butter cups, just peel them away just like you would with paper.
TIP: Paper muffin liners will work too. You can also use paper cups as your molds if you’re desperate for a healthy snack and you have nothing else 😉
Use your favorite chocolate for this recipe, but remember that the darker it is, the healthier. I recommend at least a 60% cacao chocolate, and you can go as high as 90% for a super bittersweet flavor. For convenience I use Ghirardelli 60% Bittersweet Chocolate Chips. They’re always available at my supermarket and I like to have them around for baking anyway.
How to make your own nut butter with any type of nut for these cups…
- First roast your nuts to boost their flavor. Put them in a single layer on a dry baking sheet in a 350F oven for about 15-20 minutes, giving the pan a shake now and then. When you smell a nutty aroma, they’re done. Let them cool right on the baking sheet. There’s no need to remove the skins from your nuts, they’ll add flavor to your butter.
- Put your cooled nuts into a food processor or high speed blender and processing until creamy. Scrape down the sides of your machine or blender often as you go. First your mixture will seem dry and gritty, but keep going, it will start to break down and will finally melt into a creamy butter.
- If for any reason your nuts are very dry and you have trouble getting them to break down into butter, add a little bit of vegetable oil to the processor.
- Add salt if you like to the finished butter. You can also add other flavors like vanilla or cinnamon.
- That’s all there is to it!
- For a visual guide you can check out my ROASTED PECAN BUTTER post
Detox Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups
Ingredients
- 2 10- ounce bags of bittersweet chocolate chips
- 12 Tbsp almond butter
- assorted dried fruit, cut in small dice
- assorted nuts, chopped
- assorted seeds
- shredded coconut
Instructions
- Put 1 bag of chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on full power for a minute. Stir, and if the chocolate is not completely melted, microwave for further short 15 second bursts until it is completely melted.
- Spoon about 1 1/2 tablespoons of chocolate into each of 12 cupcake wrapper molds. Nudge the chocolate up the side of the wrapper about 1/2 – 3/4 of an inch, to form the sides of the cup. Refrigerate until firm.
- Spoon about a tablespoon of almond butter into the bottom of each hardened chocolate cup. Spread it flat.
- Melt the remaining bag of chocolate in the same bowl (there will be some remaining melted chocolate left in the bowl, that's fine.) Working in batches, spoon enough melted chocolate onto each cup to cover the peanut butter.
- Arrange your toppings over the surface of each cup. Refrigerate again until the chocolate is firm.
- Enjoy!
Make it your own ~
- Use any chocolate you like, including milk or white.
- Fill with any nut butter you like ~ I think white chocolate pistachio butter cups would be delish.
Thanks for pining these Detox Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups!
These look great! I need to get all toxed up just so I can make a batch and detox. 🙂
You always make me laugh 🙂
These are gorgeous!!! A great healthy snack to handle those chocolate cravings!!
Chocolate cravings are too powerful to resist!
I will detox all day every day from here on out! YUM! Beautiful photography, too!
These are awesome, Sue. Calorie bombs, but good for the soul and body.
Good calorie bombs 😉
Perfect little bites! Great for satisfying the cravings without the guilt 🙂
These look beautiful, I love that they’re a healthy treat
First off, your photos are absolutely beautiful! These look amazing – a total treat while you detox 😉 although I couldn’t confidently say they would last long!
Thanks Katie, I had fun shooting these 🙂
I have a sweet tooth, and these treats will satisfy my sugar cravings. Plus, each bite-sized morsel is perfectly portioned.
I’m definitely going to make the ‘minis’ next time, these were the decadent detox version 😉
Yes, please! These are so pretty and I love that they’re decently guilt-free! I have everything I need to make them, woohoo!
Delicious bites, yum! Plus they’re “detox”, can’t wit to try them! 🙂
It’s nice when delicious and healthy can coexist!