Hello again you lovely bunch! I hope you’re having a lovely week!
I have such a special recipe to share with you today! If you know me personally, you will know I am HIGH-KEY obsessed with peanut butter! Any kind, variety or snack, if it has peanut butter it’s an immediate YES from me!
One thing I have kind of missed since being vegan is Reece’s Cups. They were a staple treat for me and if you’re a peanut butter lover too, I’m sure you feel the same way! So I wanted to recreate something to satisfy us peanut butter lovers alike – a supersized peanut butter cup!! This one is mostly raw/plant based too and not full of horrible ingredients; so although an indulgent treat, won’t add any nasties to your body!!
Don’t be put off by the multiple steps in the recipe, they’re much easier than they look at first glance. Plus, once you’ve cracked it, making this will become second nature and a staple to your weekend treats too!
INGREDIENTS:
BASE:
- 1 cup of dried dates
- Hot kettle water
- 1 really heaped desert spoon of smooth peanut butter
- 1/2 cup walnuts (blitzed)
- 1/2 cup almonds (blitzed, or prepacked ground almonds)
- (Optional: 1/2 cup of cacao nibs – they add such a lovely texture!)
‘PEANUT BUTTER CARAMEL LAYER (THE MIDDLE ONE)’:
- 1 cup of dried dates
- Hot kettle water
- 3 really heaped desert spoons of smooth peanut butter
- 1/4 cup of agave syrup
- (optional) a spoonful of LUCUMA (a natural powder that gives a caramel flavour but 110% not needed – I rarely use it because it’s pricey!)
TOP LAYER:
- 250g of good quality, dark, vegan chocolate (I used 85% Green & Blacks), melted
PROCESS:
STARTING WITH THE BASE:
- line a cake tin with tin foil or baking paper and spray with coconut oil (to prevent sticking)
- Then, boil the kettle. Place the 1 cup of dates in a heatproof bowl and just cover with enough water so they’re all immersed. Leave to soak for a few minutes whilst you’re doing the next steps just so they soften up a bit.
- Blitz walnuts and add to a large bowl
- If you’re blitzing almonds, do this now and add to the same bowl. If not place the ground almonds to the same bowl.
- Then remove JUST the dates from the water (with a fork if the waters still too hot) and add to your blender.
- Pour the 2 nut flours from the bowl into the blender with the dates, add the peanut butter and blitz together; scraping the sides down as you go and when needed, adding some of the datey water the dates were soaking in before, little by little until a sticky paste forms.
- If you’re adding cacao nibs, transfer into a bowl and mush in the cacao nibs using your hands.
- Once you’re happy with the consistency, pour the mixture into your lined cake tine and press down with your hands until the whole base of the tin is covered.
- Leave this in the fridge or freezer whilst you make the middle layer.
NOW THE MIDDLE LAYER:
- Like before, begin by soaking the dates in the same way as before.
- Once they’ve soaked for 4/5 minutes, remove JUST the dates from the bowl (as before) and add to your blender.
- Add the 3 heaped desert spoons of peanut butter.
- Add the 1/4 cup of agave syrup
- Add 1/4-1/3 (or more if it’s not blending) cup of the datey water the dates were soaking in.
- (add in lucuma powder IF using)
- Blitz together, then blend to form the smoothest, creamiest ‘peanut butter caramel’
- Remove your cake tin from the fridge/freezer.
- Add this ‘caramel’ mixture on top of the base and spread evenly with the back of a spatula or knife.
- Place in the fridge/freezer again whilst you carry out the next step.
NOW THE TOP LAYER:
- Break 250g of your chosen chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl.
- Melt however you chose, if you’re happy using a microwave (in this particular case I am) then melt that way, if not, melt it over a pan of boiling water.
- Once melted, pour over the middle layer of the desert and spread by holding the cake tine in two hands and tilting it until the chocolate is spread all over, forming a top layer.
- LEAVE EVERYTHING TO FREEZE FOR AT LEAST 2 HOURS BUT IDEALLY 4hrs/OVERNIGHT! Basically, until it is set enough to hold it’s shape when cut.
- Store in the freezer and once served, eat straight away.
As ALWAYS I hope you love this recipe, and make sure you tag me in any photos over on my instagram @olimatafitnessuk ! I’m going to leave below the links to some of the specialty ingredients I used to make it easier for you to get your hands on them.
Sending blessings for this week!
Love, always,
Ols x
CACAO NIBS I bought here.
DATES: Poundland
LUCUMA POWDER from here.
PEANUT BUTTER from here.
