With Spooky Season coming up, the grocery store has been stocked with so many different classic candies from my childhood, which has been making me crave some Reese’s peanut butter cups, but with them being basically sugar, They’re not exactly the best for you in terms of nutritional value, so I wanted to try making a version that was healthier while remaining just as delicious. I also was planning on making another protein bar recipe since that’s something I like to snack on during road trips, as well. And so, I thought I would combine these two ideas into one!
I’ve been wanting to make another protein bar recipe since I really enjoyed the last one we made, but I wanted to try a different flavor pairing and of course, peanut butter and chocolate are the perfect choice. Another benefit of making your own protein bars is that you know exactly what goes into each bar and you can adjust the macros exactly to your needs. In terms of protein powder, I quite like Legion athletics protein powder, since it doesn’t contain anything weird and tastes great, and if you wish to order some, on legion athletics . com, you can get 20% off if you use my referral link in the description!
In terms of storage, these, like normal reese’s taste best when cold, so I recommend keeping them in the fridge or freezer for storage, but they should be fine at room temp for a little while while driving on your road trip.
Because each cup is quite small, each individual piece isn’t that filled with protein, but because they are small, you can eat a handful of them with little guilt. But of course, you can add more protein powder instead of the flour if you wish to add more protein instead of the fiber that the flour adds. And you can also remove or limit the chocolate if you wish to eliminate any extraneous calories, but the chocolate makes it extra yummy so I would keep it. And you can even swap out the filling entirely if you’re not a fan of peanut butter by substituting it with more yogurt and adding in any other flavors you think would go well with a chocolate coating.
Also, you don’t necessarily need to make these into the shape of Reese’s cups, if that’s not important to you. You can use this same recipe to make chocolate peanut butter bars instead, by using a baking pan like in the previous recipe, to form the peanut butter bar base with melted chocolate on top. Though, I do like the nostalgia of chocolate peanut butter flavored things being in this shape, so I recommend taking the extra time to make it look like the real thing. But regardless of the shape of your protein snack, your Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Cups will be a great way to curb your sweet tooth while also enjoying the benefits of the better nutritional values of this healthier version of the classic chocolate peanut butter snack.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of protein powder (vanilla or unflavored is best, but you can also use peanut butter or chocolate flavor if you wish)
- 1/2 cup or so of peanut butter
- 1/2 cup or so of greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup of oat or almond flour
- 2 tablespoons or so of honey or maple syrup
- 1 cup or so of chocolate chips or baking chocolate (I recommend using milk chocolate for it to be the most accurate but I’ve got extra chocolate from previous recipes, so I’ll be using dark chocolate.)
Special Equipment:
- Some (24) muffin linings for the cup shape
- You don’t need to have the tray, but it does make the cups easier to transport and retain its shape, so use it if you have one.
Step 1: Line Muffin Tin w/ Parchment Paper Cups
First, line a mini muffin tin if you have one with parchment paper cups and set this aside while we make the melted chocolate.
Step 2: Melt Chocolate
In a microwave-safe bowl, add in half of the chocolate and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring the chocolate in between.
Once the chocolate is mostly melted, carefully remove the bowl from the microwave and continue to stir the chocolate to finish melting the last bit of the solid pieces that haven’t yet melted.
Step 3: Add Melted Chocolate to Bottom & Sides of Liners; Cool in Freezer for 10 Minutes
Then, into each liner, add in about 1 teaspoon of the melted chocolate or enough to cover the bottom and the sides of your liner and then use the back of a small spoon to brush the melted chocolate up the sides of the liner to create a chocolate cup.
I found it easiest to add enough to cover the sides and then add a little bit more to fully coat the bottom. But once all of your cups are ready, place them in the freezer for 10 minutes, while we mix the peanut butter filling.
Step 4: Mix Together Peanut Butter Filling
Next, in a medium bowl, add in the protein powder, peanut butter, greek yogurt, flour, and honey or maple syrup and then mix this until it combines into a paste-like consistency.
Step 5: Add Peanut Butter Filling to Chocolate Cups
Once your chocolate cups have hardened and your filling is ready, add 2-3 teaspoons or more of your peanut butter filling into each cup by forming a peanut butter mixture dough ball and then flattening it into each cup.
Step 6: Make More Melted Chocolate & Cover Peanut Butter Filling
Next, we’ll add the rest of the chocolate to completely cover the peanut butter filling, so repeat the melting step from before (Step 2) for the rest of the chocolate chips and then cover each peanut butter cup with the melted chocolate.
Step 7: Place Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups into Fridge/Freezer for 30-60 Minutes & Then Enjoy
Once everything is covered, give your pan a tap on the counter to help the chocolate spread evenly or spread it out manually and then place this into the fridge or freezer to firm everything up for 30-60 minutes. And once everything has solidified, your Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Cups are ready to eat.