Happy Valentine’s Day, Friends!
I’ll be honest, I’m not typically one to celebrate Valentine’s Day. To be completely frank, I think it’s a bullshit consumer-driven fake holiday that tries to take our money for double the price of what we’d pay on say, February 15th….like the bouquet of fresh roses I typically buy every other week at my local grocery store that was more than double the price yesterday. Ugh.
Ok, I know I sound salty af, but I’m not, I promise! If anything, I’m just cheap af.
Anyway, whether you’re celebrating today with that special someone, your pals, or yourself and Netflix, I think chocolate and peanut butter is always a good idea.
So here you go…
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites.
Easy, quick, delicious, healthy-ish, and just 8 ingredients!
I wish I could say this recipe is my own, but it’s actually from Brandi Doming, the amazing creative behind the blog, The Vegan 8. These chocolate peanute butter bites are in her new cookbook, The Vegan 8: 100 Simple, Delicious Recipes Made with 8 Ingredients or Less. If you’re new to vegan cooking, or cooking in general, then this is the cookbook for you! Brandi’s recipes are particularly amazing because they all contain 8 ingredients or less (not including water, salt, and pepper), but she uses the ingredients in new and exciting ways each time. Not to mention, there are tons of oil free, gluten free, and nut free recipes in the cookbook!
Excerpted from The Vegan 8 by Brandi Doming. Copyright © 2018 Oxmoor House. Reprinted with permission from TI Inc. Books, a division of Meredith Corporation. New York, NY. All rights reserved.
When they sent me a digital copy, I flipped through it quickly and immediately, these Chocolate Peanut Butter Bites caught my eye and I knew I wanted to make them for Valentine’s Day!
I stuck true to the recipe, with the exception of adding a bit of beet juice to the peanut/coconut sugar mixture to stick to today’s theme.
These chocolate peanut butter bites come together quickly, requiring just 20 minutes of your time! If looking for a super last minute dessert, this is the one for you!
Anyway, I hope you guys love this recipe as much as I do! These bites are eerily reminiscent of Butterfinger candies, but without all the weird processed junk. Til next time, friends!
XOXO <3
- 1⁄2 cup (128g) smooth peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons (18g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons (60g) pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon (5g) vanilla extract
- 1⁄4 teaspoon (2g) fine salt
- 1⁄2 cup (80g) roasted, salted peanuts
- 1⁄4 cup (40g) coconut sugar
- 3.5 ounces (100g) 70 to 72% dark chocolate chips or bar, finely chopped
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add the peanut butter, cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla, and sea salt to a bowl, and stir until it comes together into a thick batter and is completely smooth. Roll about a heaping tablespoon of the dough into small balls, creating 8 balls total. Place the balls on the prepared pan.
- To prepare the coating, add the roasted peanuts and coconut sugar to a food processor, and process until the mixture is in very small pieces but not as superfine as a flour consistency. Add this mixture to a wide, shallow bowl. Set aside.
- Add the chopped chocolate to another small microwave-safe bowl. Melt in the microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds or in a double boiler. If microwaving, stir, and then heat in 10- to 15-second intervals until the chocolate is almost all melted. Be careful not to let it burn. Stir the chocolate until it is completely melted and smooth.
- Place 1 ball into the melted chocolate and use a fork to rotate and coat it completely. Tap the fork gently on the side of the bowl, letting the excess chocolate drip off. Immediately place the ball into the peanut coating mixture and rotate it multiple times with the fork until coated well. Place the ball back on the pan and repeat with the remaining balls.
- Place the pan in the fridge to set for about 20 minutes. Store the balls in the fridge to retain their shape. They can be set out at room temperature after they’re fully set for parties, but they will become softer and less crispy as time passes
Tip:
Be sure to use a peanut butter without added oil or sugar. To make these nut free, sub the peanut butter with sunflower seed butter, if you don’t mind having that as a strong taste in these bites. With this sub, the batter may be a tad more wet and may need to chill in the fridge for 15 minutes before adding the chocolate.
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