almond butter cups (and a coconut oil manifesto)

Posted on June 26th, 2013 by mountain girl  |  13 Comments »

These little treats are similar to peanut butter cups, with a bit of a twist: I used almond butter and carob instead of peanut butter and chocolate.  Ever since I made them last week I’ve eaten at least one every day.  They might just be a little addictive.

I didn’t sweeten them at all, since carob has some natural sweetness to it.  You might want to add a little sweetener to the melted mixture, but I like them just like this.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup virgin coconut oil

1/3 cup carob powder

about 2 tablespoons almond butter

Method:

Melt coconut oil gently until liquified. Stir in carob powder until dissolved.

Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture into each of 5 parchment muffin liners. Chill in freezer about 5 minutes, until hardened.

Spoon a teaspoon of almond butter onto the center of each and flatten gently, making sure to leave about 1/4″ space around the edge.  Pour remaining carob mixture (about 1 tablespoon each) over the almond butter to cover.  Chill in freezer.

You can easily make these more traditional by using peanut butter and cocoa powder.  Just be sure to add sweetener, since chocolate is much more bitter than carob.  I also experimented with adding shredded coconut to a couple of them, and found I really liked the extra crunch.

A similar recipe (without the nut butter) that I make often is here , along with a few tidbits on the benefits of coconut oil.  (By the way, if you don’t like the taste of your coconut oil, try a different brand.  The taste varies widely.)

You might think these contain a lot of fat, and they do–more than 2 tablespoons per muffin cup. But coconut oil can actually be key to a healthy metabolism.  There is so much marketing hype over fat-free and low-fat foods, but those can slow down your metabolism and lead to other problems.  Healthy fats like coconut oil help your body run like a well-oiled machine–from your organs and  arteries to your joints, skin, and hair.

I think it’s very interesting that people who eat a primitive diet in tropical cultures eat a ton of fat, mostly from coconut (50% and upwards!) and have virtually NO heart disease, cancer, or diabetes.  What they don’t eat are processed foods: sugar, refined grains, artificial additives, margarine, and cooking oils like corn, soy and canola.

It seems like our bodies just don’t know how to handle the foods that are fairly new in the last hundred years or so.  Even with all the advancements in medicine, we’re ridden with health problems that mankind has never–or rarely–encountered before.  That’s a little scary to me.

Before I hop off my coconut oil soapbox, let me just say that it also improves digestion, stabilizes blood sugar, helps prevent and reverse Alzheimers disease, contributes to thyroid health, and helps fight yeast conditions, bacteria, and viruses.  Some people even take a kind of “medicinal” tablespoon a day for weight management and general health.

As for me, I’d rather take my medicine couched in chocolately goodness and oozing with nut butter. 🙂

13 Responses to “almond butter cups (and a coconut oil manifesto)”

  1. Tiffany says on :

    Looks so yummy! 🙂

  2. Hannah says on :

    we are coconut oil believers too. this looks yummy.. going to try it soon.

  3. Colleen says on :

    LOVE this!!!! good idea to just make them in muffin cups!!! I’m totally doing this!!! and maybe today!!! YUMMMMMMM
    We use coconut oil in everything at our house… even on our bodies and hair!!! =)

  4. Jaime says on :

    I tried these today and they are great, thanks! I used cocoa powder, honey and peanut butter in place of the carob powder and almond butter but it was just because that’s what I had on hand. You definitely need the muffin liners, I did without eep.

  5. One down, one to go. | a notion to knit says on :

    […] evening, Hubby and I wanted something sweet so I tried these almond butter cups with a few changes based on what I had in my cupboard. Instead of almond butter and carob powder, I […]

  6. mountain girl says on :

    Jaime,
    Glad you tried them–I’m sure they were yummy with your substitutions!

  7. mariah says on :

    I am absolutely trying these this weekend! they look wonderful!

  8. Cody Honeycutt says on :

    How many does this recipe make? Just curious so I know how many people I have to fight off…LOL

  9. mountain girl says on :

    It makes 5, but they’re nice and big!

  10. MJ says on :

    This recipe is great! I’ve made them numerous times – I do a double batch. It’s so simple – thank you Mia for a healthy way to have a treat.

  11. MJ says on :

    Thank you Mia! I make a double batch. Yum Yum:}

  12. Sasha says on :

    I made these. They were delicious, however, my oil rose to the top leaving the tops white. How did you get yours to stay all chocolatey?

  13. mountain girl says on :

    Hi Sasha,
    Hmm…it’s been a while since I’ve made these, so I’m not really sure. I do remember the oil rising on my coconut oil carob hearts once. I think that happens when the carob is not fully combined with the oil…maybe try using a blender next time? Please let me know if that works better!