+GF +QP
Ever unwrap peanut butter cups only to find the middle layer nearing the side of expiration, giving way to a bland, chalky filling? Is there even a situation worse than money spent on inedible chocolate? Not likely.
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, this peanut butter cup recipe is a saving grace. A few ingredients, most importantly real peanut butter, are mixed to create the perfect creamy center. Never again will your palate suffer the fate of chalky peanut butter cups. —MR
MAKES 10 PIECES
⅔ cup (150 g) cacao butter
⅓ cup (80 ml) maple syrup
¾ cup (80 g) cacao powder
2–3 tbsp (16–24 g) gluten-free oat flour or any flour
⅓ cup (60 g) unsalted peanut butter
Sea salt
Start by making the chocolate sauce. Using the double-boiler method, fill a small saucepan with ⅓ cup (80 ml) of water and place a bowl on top, covering the saucepan. Turn on the heat, and once the bowl is hot and the water below is boiling, melt the cacao butter inside the top bowl. Once it has melted, stir in the maple syrup and cacao powder for a few minutes until the chocolate thickens.
Using a cupcake holder (I use a silicone one), fill the bottom layer with a small teaspoon of the chocolate mixture. You want to make sure that it thinly coats the bottom layer—you don’t want it to be too thick either. Once you’ve filled the bottom of each cupcake holder, pop them into the freezer for 15 minutes to set. As it sets, mix the oat flour with the peanut butter; the flour helps keep the peanut butter intact so that it forms small balls.
Take the frozen chocolate out of the freezer and dollop ½ teaspoon of the peanut butter mixture on top of the frozen chocolate layer. Press down so that the peanut butter is even. Once this is done, pour the remaining melted chocolate over each peanut butter dollop, so that it covers everything. Sprinkle with sea salt and let this sit in the freezer for 20 minutes, or until it hardens. You can store these in the freezer or refrigerator.
Note: If you don’t have all the ingredients to make chocolate from scratch, simply use the double-boiler method to melt four 5-ounce (140-g) bars of dark chocolate. Then carry on with the rest of the instructions below.