High Protein Peanut Butter Cups

Who doesn’t love peanut butter cups? The problem is, they don’t love us. Per each 2-pack of Reese’s peanut butter cups, you end up with 13 grams of fat and 21 grams of sugar (that’s the equivalent of 5 teaspoons of sugar). Plus they contain PGPR and TBHQ, which are ingredients you don’t want in your food. PGPR, which stands for polyglycerol polyricinoleate, is used as a cheap replacement for the more expensive, but much healthier ingredient, raw cocoa butter. PGPR also helps increase shelf stability, which is usually a good indicator that you don’t want it in your food.

Reese’s peanut butter cups also contain TBHQ, which stands for tertiary butylhydroquinone, is a chemical preservative, which is derived from petroleum and is a form of butane. It can also be found in varnish, lacquer and resin. The FDA says that TBHQ must not exceed 0.02 percent of the oil or fat content of the food. As little as a single gram has caused nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, delirium, a sense of suffocation, and collapse (Pollan, Winter) and 5 grams can cause death. In a 1993 study, TBHQ significantly elevated the incidences of esophageal papillary or nodular (PN) hyperplasias and papillomas, as well as forestomach papillomas, but significantly decreased the multiplicity of colon adenocardnomas.

Now, although the above-referenced chemicals have been deemed safe in small doses by the FDA, those doses add up over a lifetime of ingestion, and who knows what the long-term effects will be? I don’t know about you, but I certainly don’t want to take my chances. So, wouldn’t it be great if peanut butter cups existed that were actually good for you and provided you with a double dose of protein? Well, now they are! I have created awesomely delicious and nutrition high-protein peanut butter cups. I am sure once you try them, you will never go back to Hershey’s peanut butter cups again.

High Protein Peanut Butter Cups

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Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1 10 ounce package mini chocolate chips (I like Enjoy Life's mini chocolate chips)
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• a good pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 cup natural unsweetened peanut butter
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• 1 scoop vanilla vegan protein powder (I used Genuine Health's fermented vegan proteins+ powder)

Instructions

1. In a small pot, melt together the coconut oil and the chocolate chips over low heat, stirring regularly so the chocolate doesn’t burn.
2. Once melted, stir in the sea salt, then remove from heat and pour about 1/2-1 tablespoon of chocolate into the bottom of mini silicone muffin cups or a 12 cavity silicone bakeware mold.
3. Place the silicone molds in the freezer (if you used individual cups, place them on a small baking sheet first) to set for at least 10 minutes.
4. In the meantime, in a medium sized bowl, mix together peanut butter, honey and protein powder until smooth.
5. Remove the silicone molds from the freezer and place about 1/2 tablespoon of the peanut butter filling in each mold. I personally like to roll the filling into a ball and then press it into the mold, so its nice and flat. Spoon another 1/2 – 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate on top and place the molds back into the freezer to set for at least an hour.
6. Pop the peanut butter cups out of the molds. To serve, let the thaw for a few minutes before devouring.
7. Store them in the freezer in an air-tight container for up to three weeks.

High Protein Peanut Butter Cups was last modified: January 15th, 2017 by Michelle

Notes

GF, DF, Vegetarian

References:

• http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm#tbhq
• http://scienceblogs.com/moleculeoftheday/2007/03/29/tbhq-mixed-feelings/
• http://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/potential-tbhq-dangers#3
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7697806?dopt=Abstract
• Winter, Ruth. A Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives, 7th Edition
• http://www.befoodsmart.com/ingredients/tbhq.php
• http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/10/health/chemical-food-additives/
• http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/a?dbs+hsdb:@term+@DOCNO+838