Home Β» Sugar-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups {vegan}

Sugar-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups {vegan}

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I never thought I would be happy about Mr. Prevention’s hatred for coconut…but, I am officially thrilled. At least when it comes to this recipe. I saw this recipe, I read the ingredient list, and I literally stopped my weekend chores (okay, not hard to twist my arm, but these twisted it hard) to head straight into the kitchen to make these.

Good thing is, these are no bake and require very few ingredients…most of which you probably have on hand. All of which are healthy, and wholesome, and unrefined.

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I whipped these up and stared at the freezer door with anticipation. Time stood still. I think I checked on their “hardening process” about 12 times in 10 minutes before finally deciding to try them. I was then found moaning with delight over my new-found obsession and questioned as to what I was eating.

I decided to let Mr. Prevention in on my little treat. He took one bite and immediately detected the coconut flavor…and handed me the last few nibbles. As it ends up, the coconut flavor in coconut oil is very pronounced, especially when not heated.

Of course this is a major bonus in my book.

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Let’s recap.

Chocolate + peanut butter + coconut.

No sugar.

No bake.

Low-carb, with fiber.

You’re welcome in advance!

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Sugar-Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups adapted from Thrive Style by An Edible Mosaic

Bottom Layer:
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 packets stevia

Top Layer:
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup natural smooth peanut butter
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 packet stevia

Directions:

Line a mini muffin tray with 11 paper liners.

Stir all ingredients for the bottom layer together until smooth and divide between the wells (each should be about half full). Put the tray in the freezer on a flat surface and freeze until solid (about 15 minutes).

Meanwhile, stir all ingredients together for the top layer until smooth and divide on top of the set chocolate mixture. Return to the freezer and freeze until solid. Store the treats in the freezer.

Yield: 11 peanut butter cups.

Nutrition Information (per cup): 116 calories; 11.1 g. fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 55 mg. sodium; 3.6 g. carbohydrate; 1.5 g. fiber; 3.2 g. protein

Result: Absolutely amazing! These were titled “healthy enough for breakfast” and basically…they are! These are nearly sinless calories that would never lead you to believe you’re eating something “healthy”. These are great for diabetics or those following a carb-controlled lifestyle. These take about 20 minutes to make, most of which is hands-off freeze/hardening time and they keep well in the freezer, never getting too hard to eat. Good luck stopping at 1! These are going to be made on a regular basis, no doubt about it. Note: the coconut oil does give off a coconut flavor, so if you don’t like coconut, these may not be for you…or, sub in another oil. For those that love coconut, all the better! Enjoy!

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 Work time, a quick stop at home to pack, and then I am en route to Indianapolis for the 3-day diabetes conference! Should be good!

Be well,

Share With Your Friends!

68 Comments

  1. Saguna
    July 31, 2012 / 7:00 am

    I just had a gigantic craving for pb and was looking for the recipe to feed my addiction πŸ˜‰ These gorgeous cups look like the perfect thing, and healthy enough to justify the treat. I’ll be making it this afternoon! Thanks for the lovely recipe!

  2. Gina (The Candid RD)
    July 31, 2012 / 7:00 am

    I think these may beat my peanut butter cups that I’ve been raving about, without coconut oil but instead with nutritional yeast and peanut butter, and just melted dark chocolate.
    How did you find a sugar free peanut butter? I can never find one that doesn’t at least have 2 grams. I would love to know about one to show in my diabetes classes!!

    • Nicole, RD
      Author
      August 2, 2012 / 6:49 am

      Do you guys carry Joseph’s? I usually buy peanut butter from the Amish — just like WF has, they just churn the nuts into the butter. πŸ™‚

      • Skibee
        July 4, 2013 / 1:19 pm

        If you have a food processor you can make your own. Just use two cups of salted, roasted peanuts and process in a food processor. Mine had a recipe in it’s manual.

    • Tkirk
      December 26, 2015 / 12:57 pm

      Smuckers Natural

  3. Amy B @ Second City Randomness
    July 31, 2012 / 7:33 am

    I’ve never made my own pb cups… I feel this is a dangerous zone I’m entering. :p But you had me at breakfast!

  4. Saguna
    July 31, 2012 / 9:30 am

    Just made them and they are a REVELATION. No joke, I’m having a hard time stopping after two. πŸ™‚ Also, they solve my problem of not being able to always find Reese’s cups in England. MUCH healthier than those anyways, I’d reckon!

    • Nicole, RD
      Author
      July 31, 2012 / 12:37 pm

      πŸ™‚ Yay!

  5. Ra
    July 31, 2012 / 9:55 am

    Wait … peanut butter is good for you?

    • Nicole, RD
      Author
      July 31, 2012 / 12:37 pm

      Absolutely!

  6. Samantha Angela
    July 31, 2012 / 10:07 am

    I can’t wait to try these Nicole!

  7. Kristen (swanky dietitian)
    July 31, 2012 / 11:40 am

    Oh my gosh, this sounds incredible! But anything peanut butter is a must make!
    I made your honey dijon salmon the other night. It was just delicious by the way! Thanks so much!

  8. Kayle (The Cooking Actress)
    July 31, 2012 / 11:50 am

    Ooooh yum! I love using coconut oil!

  9. Kate
    July 31, 2012 / 12:33 pm

    If I were subbing in sugar (I know, the devil incarnate) is it a 1:1 ratio as stevia? Or is stevia sweeter so more sugar required?

    • Nicole, RD
      Author
      July 31, 2012 / 3:46 pm

      Stevia is much sweeter than sugar, but you don’t want the batter to be so thick that it doesn’t pour smooth-ish. I would try with 2 teaspoons of sugar per packet equivalent of stevia and see how that is. These aren’t overly sweet, but the coconut oil brings a definite coconut flavor. πŸ™‚

  10. Meme @ Living Well Kitchen
    July 31, 2012 / 12:45 pm

    These look absolutely perfect! I will have to try these soon. I’m obsessed with Reese’s and love coconut.
    Can’t wait to try these!!

    • Nicole, RD
      Author
      July 31, 2012 / 3:44 pm

      I assure you, you will be in heaven πŸ™‚

  11. Leah @ Why Deprive?
    July 31, 2012 / 1:14 pm

    Yah, I’m making these. That’s all I have to say about that. πŸ™‚

  12. Suzanne
    July 31, 2012 / 1:24 pm

    I’m trying these but with Splenda, I get a really bad after taste from the processed stevia, but cilantro also tastes like soap to me too. Weird taste buds I guess.

  13. Gina @ Running to the Kitchen
    July 31, 2012 / 3:01 pm

    Haha! That’s exactly how I feel about chocolate treats with my husband. Can you even believe there are people who don’t care for chocolate?! Somehow I married one of them. Not complaining though…

  14. Amy D.
    July 31, 2012 / 9:34 pm

    Oooh – my dad, newly-diagnosed with diabetes, loves coconut, so I am going to play it up and make a slight variation of these for his b-day this week…I am envisioning “Almond Joy” cups: sub freshly ground almond butter for the PB and add some unsweetened shredded coconut to the top white part. WOW!! I can’t wait to try ’em!

    • Nicole, RD
      Author
      July 31, 2012 / 9:46 pm

      Amy!!! I think you’re onto something BIG!!!! πŸ™‚

  15. prachi
    August 1, 2012 / 4:04 am

    You had me at good for you and breakfast πŸ™‚ I love this!

    —————————–
    Serve Over Counter

  16. Kathleen @ KatsHealthCorner
    August 6, 2012 / 9:19 pm

    Oh my gosh. You are a GENIOUS!!!!! πŸ˜€

  17. abcward
    August 14, 2012 / 3:49 pm

    Recipe looks awesome, especially for us carb counters!

    Suggestion: Try subbing in PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter (bellplantation.com) to save on calories, fat, sugar,etc.

  18. Karine
    September 18, 2012 / 12:26 am

    These look great!

    I’d love to make them for my dad who is diabetic, and I’m wondering if they would travel well on a 7 hour plane ride? πŸ™‚

    • Nicole, RD
      Author
      September 18, 2012 / 7:11 am

      Yep, they should travel great. You can throw an ice pack in a cooler, or pop them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before serving πŸ™‚

  19. abcward
    September 24, 2012 / 10:16 am

    Wanted to comment again on this (with a question too):

    – These are now regularly made in our home. For those like me who are attempting to eat healthy and have an infatuation with peanut butter, there is nothing better!

    Question: We have a child who has a severe peanut allergy. Is there another ingredient that we could substitute for the peanut butter to make a similar candy for him? [And no, we cannot substitute sunflower butter, etc. – he does not like anything that is even similar to peanut butter].

    Would something like marshmallow, etc. work?

    • Nicole, RD
      Author
      September 24, 2012 / 11:41 am

      I’ve tried these with almond butter (yum!), but I’m assuming that’s out of the question, right?? Could could do fluff, or maybe all chocolate to keep them sugar free? Glad you like them!

      • abcward
        September 24, 2012 / 12:00 pm

        Right – we cannot do anything with any sort of tree nut. Maybe if I do all chocolate, I could add some caramel, some sort of fruit, etc. I just assumed that I needed something similar in consistency to PB. Maybe I’m wrong πŸ˜‰

        • Bailey
          June 18, 2013 / 6:21 pm

          Mmmmm….a couple sliced strawberries on top of the chocolate layer instead of the peanut butter layer sounds good.

  20. Barbette Curran
    October 15, 2012 / 7:50 pm

    I would like to try this recipe and would like to know what is the quantity of a stevia packet?

    In Tbl. or tsp.?

    How much stevia did you use?

    Thank you,

    Barbette

    • Nicole, RD
      Author
      October 15, 2012 / 10:59 pm

      Hi Barbette! Good question! 2 packets is about 1 teaspoon — you can definitely add more/less to taste! ~Nicole

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    • Lis
      March 6, 2013 / 2:55 pm

      I am SO happy that I found this recipe!!!! I have given up refined sugar for lent and this is BY FAR the best sugar free treat that I have made!!! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!! I have reblogged it at lisdunndesigns.blogspot.com!

      • Nicole, RD
        Author
        March 6, 2013 / 3:07 pm

        I love these, too! Sooo good!!

  22. Lisa
    December 29, 2012 / 12:24 pm

    Just saw your version of these…. Yum! They’re still my fave πŸ™‚ (and I still eat them for breakfast!). I made some last night in a pan because I was visiting someone who did not have mini-muffin wrappers (the horror!)… and they work well that way too!

    • Lisa
      December 29, 2012 / 12:24 pm

      Oops, I hit Post before I fully entered my web address…

  23. Crystal
    January 18, 2013 / 10:35 pm

    I might be a little late to this post but I just saw it. Have you ever used refined or deodorized coconut oil? I personally love coconut but thought maybe your hubby would like some coconut flavor free chocolate πŸ™‚

  24. Sarah
    March 22, 2013 / 12:59 am

    As someone who doesn’t really care for the flavor of coconuts, do you have any recommendations for another oil that could give me the same result?

    • Nicole, RD
      Author
      March 22, 2013 / 6:35 am

      Sarah, I do not. I’m sorry!

    • Emily
      April 2, 2013 / 12:42 am

      Expeller-pressed coconut oil doesn’t have the flavor or smell like coconut. If you don’t like the flavor that might work.

    • Amber
      April 2, 2013 / 10:52 am

      Refined coconut oil doesn’t have the coconut flavor.

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  26. Heather
    April 5, 2013 / 10:36 pm

    I got a big bag of Stevia in the Raw, not realizing I needed the packets. How much is in a packet? I can’t wait to make these. Having company this weekend and want to do a test run before I make them for someone else. Plus, you just can’t have too many peanut butter cups!

    • Nicole, RD
      Author
      April 5, 2013 / 10:47 pm

      I would say 1 teaspoon per packet…Google might have an exact answer πŸ™‚

  27. Shannon
    April 15, 2013 / 11:39 pm

    If you use Louana coconut oil (from Walmart) instead of extra virgin coconut oil, you won’t get the coconut taste at all! πŸ˜‰

  28. Lunah
    May 31, 2013 / 4:39 pm

    I tried this last night, and they were awesome! But I put in the recipe with sugar and dark chocolate cocoa powder instead of stevia and unsweetened powder just to see the nutritional info – it’s actually still quite low carb (for someone not doing keto – around 5g of net carbs per cup)! I was impressed! So I might make some regular cups for friends in the future. They’re so yummy and surprisingly easy ^_^ Also, for anyone who doesn’t like coconut flavor, LouAna coconut oil has no coconut flavor or smell, which is what I used. I hate hate hate coconut so I was really pleased to find it πŸ™‚

  29. Neisha Teer
    June 18, 2013 / 10:54 pm

    Oh. My. Granny. I just made these and they are DELICIOUS! Thank you from the bottom of my sweet tooth! Hubby will love them too…if he gets one before they disappear!

    • Nicole, RD
      Author
      June 19, 2013 / 7:04 am

      Haha, Neisha…this made me smile! So glad you enjoyed them!

  30. Melissa
    July 2, 2013 / 8:20 am

    I just made these twice in one week (well, the first time was only half the recipe). These are so delicious! πŸ™‚

  31. theresa
    July 15, 2013 / 12:08 pm

    Just made these & I found the chocolate layer to be extremely bitter.. I used Hershey’s cocoa powder, should I have used something different? Other than that, they were amazing & will make again! πŸ™‚

    • Nicole, RD
      Author
      July 15, 2013 / 8:27 pm

      Theresa…they are dark, dark, dark and yes, a bit bitter (I love this about them!)…add more sweetener next time to cut the bitter πŸ™‚

  32. jan jones
    August 2, 2013 / 6:22 pm

    I really laughed when I saw the comment about your husband not liking coconut flavor, and how that is a bonus for you. I just made some chocolate chunk mug cake yesterday, and it was supposed to have pecans, but I left them out. Well, I only got about 4 bites, and my kids gobbled them up. My kids who don’t like pecans. I think you see where I am going with this – next time they will DEFINITELY have pecans.

    They are made with almond flour, coconut flour (bonus for you!), eggs, stevia and extra dark (85%) CHOCOLATE. (well, that is what I used). They only take a couple minutes in the microwave, and they are AWESOME. As I am sure these peanut butter cups will be. And I am totally excited about making my own peanut butter. Why is it that I make my own almond butter, but never thought of making my own Peanut butter???

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  35. Rebecca
    January 30, 2014 / 8:58 pm

    Make these all the time and LOVE them. They are best in my opinion when completely hardened. If you don’t have Stevia packets, 1 tsp of Truvia is a good equivalent. Some even say one pack is not enough, so I have added another half of one to the recipe, and it is indeed improved. Amazing to be able to eat something so good and have them be so healthy – almost addicting – watch out! πŸ˜‰

  36. Jessie
    March 10, 2014 / 9:24 am

    My husband loves peanut butter cups. I added more chocolate on the top to make them just like a regular Reece cup. Thanks for the idea.

  37. Laura
    April 30, 2014 / 1:31 pm

    I just made these, with a few minor changes. As I tasted the chocolate layer before making the peanut butter one, I found it to be on the bitter side. In lieu of adding way too much Stevia and getting an off taste, I used a scant tablespoon of honey in the top layer instead of the Stevia. The contrast between the two layers is perfect, and the whole thing is not overly sweet. Also, used even smaller cups that was recommended, which made about 20. Now I can eat three without feeling guilty!

    • Nicole, RD
      Author
      April 30, 2014 / 11:04 pm

      Sounds delicious!

  38. Tiffany
    August 27, 2014 / 3:45 pm

    My family doesn’t really appreciate coconut, I used half EVCO(organic) and half grapeseed oil! Worked like a charm! Still a slight coconut flavor, but very mild and adds a lovely element to the cups! Great recipe!

    • Nicole Morrissey
      Author
      August 27, 2014 / 7:36 pm

      Thanks Tiffany! Glad it was a hit πŸ™‚

  39. Rebecca
    October 13, 2015 / 3:44 pm

    I am a THMer, and these are still, after 2 years, my favorite snack ever. Now that I am pregnant – they’re the little bit of extra protein that I make sure to eat throughout the day πŸ˜‰ Love them and they’ve been a lifesaver πŸ˜€

    • Nicole Morrissey
      Author
      October 13, 2015 / 7:22 pm

      Rebecca, what a sweet comment. Thank you! So glad you love them! Me too! πŸ™‚

  40. Treva
    January 31, 2016 / 6:04 pm

    Do you know the saturated fat, to calculate weight watchers smart points?
    Looks great!

    • Nicole Morrissey
      Author
      February 1, 2016 / 8:47 am

      I do not, I’m sorry.

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