Dark Chocolate Protein Peanut Butter Cups

Here is a quick and fun recipe for you! These protein-spiked dark chocolate peanut butter cups are for when you want to get more out of your PB cup (I know, a high priority). Just enough protein is included in the PB filling to make it a bit more nutrient dense, but without any texture or flavor sacrifice. Hope you enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Cups

Makes 10 little PB cups
 
¼ cup vanilla protein powder
½ cup peanut butter
¼ tsp vanilla extract, if desired
1 cup dark chocolate chips (Ghirardelli 60% choc chips used here)
 
mini muffin pan, 10 mini muffin liners
 
Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until the chocolate is just melted.
 
Spread the chocolate on the mini muffin liners evenly, making sure there is a good layer at the bottom too. Place in fridge for about 15 minutes, or until chocolate has hardened.
 
Mix peanut butter, protein powder, and vanilla extract together until well combined. Place about 1 tbs. of the PB mixture into each cup, dividing the mixture evenly. Tap the muffin tray on the counter a few times to flatten out the mixture.
 
Add a bit more melted chocolate to cover the PB. Spread gently and make sure the top is not too thin. Refrigerate for at least an hour, or until the cups have chilled and set. Eat!
 
Each cup has 5 g protein, 8 g carbs, and 10 g fat.
 
Notes: Chocolate protein powder tastes good here too, but the vanilla lets the PB flavor shine. I used a regular (homogenized) peanut butter, but I suppose you could use a natural one as well. The better quality chocolate you use, the better tasting these will be. Yes, you can use milk chocolate if you insist. I ended up using a bit less than the one cup of melted chocolate. I am sure you can figure out what do to with any leftovers. I kept these PB cups in the fridge mainly because it is so hot out, but if you don’t live in a sauna, you could leave them out at room temp.