Recipe courtesy of Psychologies Magazine (Summer 2017)
The heavenly combination of peanut butter and chocolate is always decadent, and the unprocessed versions of both ingredients are wonderfully nutritious, say Melissa Sharp and Lindsay Stark in Modern Baker: A New Way To Bake
Makes 12 standard cups or 24 mini cups
For the Peanut Butter Base:-
200g peanut butter
180g pitted dates
100g oats
100g ground almonds
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tblsp coconut oil
For the chocolate topping:-
100g coconut oil
30g raw cacao powder
2 tbsp date syrup
Step One: Grease 2 x 12 hole mini-muffin trays or a 12-hole standard muffin try with a neutral flavoured oil, such as sunflower oil (not coconut oil as this will go solid and won’t prevent the mixture from sticking).
Step Two: In a food processor, blend together all the peanut butter base ingredients until they come together in a smooth mass, with no lumps of date.
Step Three: Divide the mixture evenly among the holes in the tray and press down firmly. Place the tray in the freezer while you make the topping.
Step Four: For the chocolate topping, place all the ingredients in a small pan and warm over a gentle heat until the coconut oil is melted. The date syrup can sink to the bottom, so make sure that you stir the mixture well.
Step Five: Pour the chocolate over the peanut butter mix and return the tray to the freezer for at least 1 hour. These lovely cups keep really well in the freezer for up to a month, or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Defrost for 1-2 hours in the fridge before eating.
Nutrition note: Dates are rich in minerals, vitamins and fibre. The humble peanut is often eclipsed these days by more ‘fashionable’ nuts, but it can punch its nutritional weight alongside all of them.
