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