I just realized that I’ve turned on my oven maybe once in the past week. What a glorious thing.
What could be worthy of turning on the oven during a heat wave, you might ask? Two words: sweet potatoes! Yes, even in the summer, heat wave be damned, I need my sweet potato fix.
This is my favourite way to eat sweet potatoes lately: Dice the sweet potato (leave the skin on), roast until tender, and then toss the cooked potato with coconut oil, sea salt, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Finally – and here’s the best part – a generous spoonful of hemp seeds sprinkled on for good measure. The hemp seeds stick to the coconut oil, coating every delicious bite of sweet potato. I seriously drool when I think about it!
But this post isn’t about roasting things like a crazy person when it’s 40C with humidity, it’s about not roasting things! Aside from my precious sweet potatoes, I’ve been relying heavily on raw foods to make up much of my diet. Raw Pad Thai, Detox Tabbouleh, hummus and veggie wraps, fruit galore, and a huge smoothie every single morning, just to name a few. Summer rules and winter drools. Period.
Speaking of drooling. These raw almond butter cups! Oh my goodness. Eric declared them one of his favourite treats and this is coming from a non-almond butter fan. I’m not buying it, Eric. I have a peanut butter cup recipe on the blog already (oh, and peanut butter cups in a jar, let’s not forget), but I wanted to make something with the batch of raw almond butter I made recently.
For the almond base, I initially tried a combo of almond butter, coconut oil, and sweetener, which was super tasty, but the cups melted and were pretty greasy. In an effort to make the base more substantial, I reduced the almond butter and added in almond meal and a touch of oat flour. It was the perfect solution. Not only did it hold up better, but it tasted like cookie dough! What’s not to love about that? noooooothing.
I used a mini silicone muffin holder since they are so flexible and I just popped the cups out after freezing. Easy! You can certainly use a regular muffin tin lined with paper liners though. For the thick chocolate coating, I made my own chocolate using cocoa powder, coconut oil, and sweetener. Feel free to simply use melted dark chocolate if that floats your boat! I added some sliced almonds on top before freezing which added a nice crunch.
As you can see the chocolate topping started to melt during my photo shoot because it was a gazillion degrees, so I recommend enjoying these straight from the freezer for best results. Either way, I wasn’t complaining too much!
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Raw Almond Butter Cups
Yield
1 dozen cups
Prep time
Cook time
0 minutes
Chill time
45
Total time
Like the peanut butter cup candy, but so much tastier and better for you! These raw almond butter cups are the perfect solution to any sweet craving. I used a mini silicone muffin tray since they are so flexible and I just popped the cups out after freezing. You can certainly use a regular muffin tin lined with paper liners too. For the thick chocolate coating, I made my own chocolate using cocoa powder, coconut oil, and sweetener. Feel free to simply use melted dark chocolate if that's what you have on hand. Be sure to keep these chilled until just before serving and store them in the freezer for best results. I personally love them straight from the freezer.
Note: Use certified gluten-free oats to make this recipe gluten-free. NEW: See below for a nut-free version!
Ingredients
For the base
- 3/4 cup raw almonds, ground into a meal
- 1/4 cup rolled oats, ground into a flour
- 2 tablespoons raw almond butter (or nut butter of choice)
- 1.5 tablespoons coconut oil, warmed if necessary
- 1.5 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or agave nectar)
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch of fine grain sea salt, to taste
For the topping
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or 2 tbsp agave nectar)
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- pinch of fine grain sea salt, to taste
Directions
- Add almonds and oats into a high-speed blender and blend on high until a flour forms. Dump into a large bowl and break up any clumps with your fingers.
- Add the nut butter, coconut oil, maple syrup (or agave), cinnamon, vanilla, and salt into the bowl. Stir until thoroughly combined. The dough should be fairly sticky like cookie dough.
- Line a mini (or regular) muffin tin with paper liners or use a silicone muffin holder. Portion the dough into each muffin cup and press down until even and smooth.
- To make the chocolate sauce: Whisk together the coconut oil, sweetener, cocoa powder, and salt until no clumps remain. Spoon the sauce over top each of the cups, distributing evenly. Garnish cups with sliced almonds if desired.
- Place in the freezer in a flat area for 30-45 minutes, until firm. Pop out the cups & enjoy immediately! These are best consumed straight from the freezer.
Tip:
If looking for an oat-free option, you might be able to substitute the 1/4 cup of oats for more almond meal. My guess is that you’d need to add another 1/3-1/2 cup almonds to avoid the dough becoming too sticky. Please report back!
For a nut-free version, sub the almond meal for an equal amount of rolled oats (so use 1 cup total rolled oats). Sub the almond butter for sunflower seed butter. Works great!
I made these recently and they tasted great! However, they were super thin and I had to more than double the topping recipe to cover them-and it made only 8 or 9 cups instead of 12. I may try again. Do yours usually come out thick or thin?
Hi Hilary, They come out quite thin – the photos can make food look bigger at times! Glad you enjoyed them anyway :)
hi i just made this, i dident have enogh coconutbutter for the topping so i i put som banna in. my mother how cant eat them love them. grat recepy
When I noticed the image at the top of this page I was so interested I just had to read more. I loved the ingredients and the fact that you provided pictures of what everything should look like as you make these almond cups. I just know my family will love these and they’re actually a relatively healthy snack.
I just made these they are amazing. Just wish they were a little lower in calories so I could eat like a million of them! :)
I made this with my three year old grandson. It turned out great and was so nice to have a recipe he could do easily.
Hi Angela,
These sound amazing and I’ll try, but for now I am also off oats. What would you recommend as a substitute
Thanks
Kim
Hi Kim, I would use more almond flour in it’s place (you might need a bit more though since it’s finer)
This is ridiculously amazing! Must try!
Hi
I made the butter cups, taste delicious but they were so dry they fell apart (crumbled) when eAting. I followed the recipe exactly. Any suggestions
Thanks Diane
Hi Diane, my guess is that your almond butter was more dry than mine. I said in the directions that it should have the texture of cookie dough. If it’s dry I would add 1 teaspoon of water at a time until you achieve the right consistency. Hope this helps!
That’s exactly how I make my chocolate! Love it! I made something just like this the other day, only using peanuts.
So I made these today and popped one out after 45 minutes and while everything else was frozen, the maple syrup came pouring out. A little confused, I did some research and learned that truly pure maple syrup will not freeze. So… Did anyone else have this problem? Perhaps will need to try honey next time.
Hi Angela,
Could you substitute oat flour for coconut flour? I am gluten intolerant so can’t have oat flour.
Cheers
Michelle
Hey Michelle, Coconut flour tends to be a bit more drying than other flours, so I would suggest not adding the full amount of oat flour and just adding a bit at a time as you mix it. Hope this helps!
I made your almond milk today and will not be buying the store brand again….ever!!! Do you think I could use the left over pulp as my almond meal or no since it has been soaked?
I think you’d have to dry it out in a dehydrator or oven at a very low setting before using (just a guess!)
I just made these and I can’t get over how yummy they are. Great site with lovely heathy dishes. Thanks! I wonder if you might know the nutritional values for the almond buttercups? A healthy alternative to mainstream treats but they are so scrummy and rich I imagine they will have to be a once in a blue moon delight? Good job I can keep them frozen so! :-)
OMGosh! Are these really healthy when I can’t stop eating them?!? Angela, thank you!!!
These look so delicious!
Can I make these a couple days ahead? Also, if I am taking these to someone’s
House, do I need to store them in the freezer or will they be ok for a couple of hours?
I recommend storing them in the fridge or freezer – they melt when at room temp. Hope this helps!
This is hands-down the best recipe as a sweet treat. It’s fast and easy to make and everyone loves it! Thank you Angela!!
Just made these in mini muffin cups. Ran out of chocolate topping, maybe I was too generous ! So just remade a small amount. Can’t wait to try them, they’re in the freezer !
Just made these tonight and they are amazing! Thanks for the recipe.
Just made my own version of these for my loved ones for Christmas. Can’t wait to see how much they enjoy them!
Hi Angela, the look of these almond butter cups made me go to the shop and buy a high-speed blender. I’m amazed by your website! I will definitely prepare more vegan recipes from now on, thanks for the inspiration. :)