Name: Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter Cups
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Ingredients: 1 cup cocoa powder (good quality); 1 cup coconut oil; 6 tablespoons maple syrup (more or less to taste); 3/4 cup almond butter; 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 3 tablespoons maple syrup; Flaky sea salt

Dairy free, vegan, and gluten free dark chocolate cups filled with an cinnamon maple almond butter filling. A delicious, healthy creative spin on a favorite classic candy.

A co-worker and I have a lunchtime ritual. After we eat our lunches, we immediately grab a dark chocolate treat to conclude our meals. Even if we are traveling for work, I make sure to grab two dark chocolates and throw them in my bag. The meal is just not complete without it.

To my dismay, I recently learned my co-worker can no longer eat dairy. We typically eat Doves dark chocolate or Justin’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups, both which contain dairy. Those were a no go for her now.

I knew I needed to create a delicious chocolate treat she could also eat. Eating them alone just didn’t feel right.

I have seen so many posts and recipes lately for homemade nut butter cups. I wanted to create my own version of the candy that would contain no dairy, but still be as delicious and flavorful as our favorite candies.

Enter my maple cinnamon almond butter dark chocolate cups. My version is dairy free, vegan, and gluten free, but still rich, indulgent, and delicious.

Let’s get to cooking.

The first step is to make the dark chocolate coating. To do so, melt coconut oil in the microwave. Pour in the cocoa powder, maple syrup, sea salt, and a pinch of cinnamon. Stir until the mixture is smooth.

The beauty of making these on your own is you can control the amount of sugar you use. If you like a darker chocolate, add less maple syrup (about 6 tablespoons will lead to a dark rick taste). If you like a sweet more milk chocolate taste, add a few more tablespoons of maple syrup.

Next, mix together almond butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, and sea salt. This just gives the almond butter a little more flavor and sweetness. Cinnamon, chocolate, and almond butter are a beautiful combination of flavors. Warm, sweet, and decadent.

Line a 12 cavity muffin tin with liners. Pour in some of the chocolate mix, so it covers the bottom of the liners. Add in a scoop of the almond butter mixture and press down so it is flat. Cover with more chocolate.

Put the cups in the freezer for 5 minutes. Take out and top with flaky sea salt (I let it freeze slightly first so the salt does not melt from the warm chocolate mix). Freeze for another hour, or until completely hardened.

I prefer to let the candies sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before eating. It allows the chocolate to slightly soften and leads to a perfect eating experience.

These chocolates are a great after lunch snack. Or really an anytime snack. They are rich, decadent, and delicious.

My co-worker tried them out and loved them. Even better than our favorite store bought candies, and much healthier. Thankfully, our after lunch ritual can continue!

I hope you love them too!