Halloween is coming, and around here, that means one thing......time to bust out some serious sweet treats. I have a well-documented sweet tooth, it's true, although it's also fairly well controlled. I tend to limit my sweets to: a. things I have to buy because I'm baking, b. fancy-ass ice cream, or c. the occasional square of very dark chocolate because I am A Damn Grownup. Still, there's something about the chill of fall in the air and the thrill of seeing Halloween costumes creep into all the stores that also makes my mind spin back to childhood, thinking of only one thing: OMG CAAAAAAANDY. The ubiquitous, orange-wrapped peanut butter cups of my youth continue to take center stage as my number one candy craving around All Hallows' Eve. Does anyone actually buy peanut butter cups year-round? I know they're available during the other months, yet I never seem to do it. Only around the season of witches, pumpkins and ghouls do I tend to remember how much I love them, and how much fun it would be to eat an entire bag of them myself. Last year at this time I was extreeeemely pregnant....and may have done exactly that! This year I have no such excuse, so I won't be buying and hoarding a bag of the orange-wrapped delights all to myself. No, this year I have an even better, wicked plan.
Enter the homemade, dark chocolate almond butter cup! It's rich, it's complex, it's even marginally more healthy for you (ANTIOXIDANTS YO). Layers of velvety dark chocolate give way to a toothsome center of sweet & savory almond butter, finishing with a slight crackle from a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. This is a Halloween treat fit for A Grownup.
Need something last-minute to take to a costume party this weekend, or something for the big kids to snack on while tiny trick-or-treaters make the rounds on Halloween night? This is the goodie for you! Best of all, you won't have to share--urban myths being what they are, I don't know any parent that would let their little one accept unwrapped homemade trick-or-treats--so have at them, and pass out brightly wrapped, commercially made goodies to the kids instead! Happy Halloween, Grownups!
Makes 12 cups
14 oz. dark chocolate (I prefer 70%)
1/2 cup all natural almond butter, well stirred (look for one that is nothing but almonds)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon coconut oil
flaky sea salt of your choice
Melt chocolate in the top part of a double boiler until smooth. Prepare a muffin tin with 12 silicone liners, and pour 1/4" chocolate into the bottom of each. Place in freezer to chill.
In a mixing bowl, combine almond butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, and a small pinch of sea salt to taste. Remove muffin tin from freezer, spread about a tablespoon of almond mixture onto the chilled chocolate base, then pour remaining chocolate over each, gently smoothing tops with the back of a spooon or spatula. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt, place back in freezer and chill until completely set. Remove before serving, serve at room temperature for a properly smooshy, nutty, chocolately experience.