100-Calorie Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares
By Jamie Webber
One of the best matches made in heaven in the food world is chocolate and peanut butter. In my opinion, there’s nothing better. Since it was my birthday recently, I decided to treat myself and my coworkers to my favorite combination. These squares were inspired by the Mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Cups I made last year, but these squares are a little gooier, a touch sweeter and the perfect dessert for a birthday. I’ve also made these with almond butter and they are just as satisfying, so take your pick. I bet cashew butter would even be perfect in this recipe. Just remember, no matter what nut butter you decide to use, make sure you look for the jars that contain an ingredient list that only has the nut, and maybe a touch of sea salt. You don’t need any nut butters with added sugar, hydrogenated oils, and heaps of salt — the simple ones are so much better to taste and much better for you.
Ingredients
Chocolate Base:
- 3/4 cup (75 g) almond meal
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp cacao powder
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
- sea salt, to taste
Peanut Butter Layer:
- 1/2 cup (130 g) peanut butter
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- sea salt, to taste
Chocolate Topping:
- 1/4 cup (30 g) cacao powder
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) coconut oil
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- sea salt, to taste
Directions
- Line a square baking pan with parchment or wax paper.
- Combine all ingredients for the base in a medium bowl. Mix well until a dough is formed. If you need to add a small amount of maple syrup to make it less dry, you can do so.
- Place the dough into the pan, pressing down lightly so it is firm – you want the base to be solid so use your hands to press down evenly.
- Place in freezer to set while you make the peanut butter filling.
- Rinse the bowl, and now combine all of the peanut butter filling ingredients into the bowl. Once combined and creamy, pour on top of the chocolate base and return the pan to the freezer.
- Clean the same bowl if you wish, and then add the chocolate topping ingredients together. Mix well until all clumps are gone. You should have a silky chocolatey sauce.
- Pour it over the peanut butter layer, add more salt to the top and then place pan back into the freezer for 30 minutes – 1 hour.
- When ready to serve, cut into 20 small squares. Store in the freezer for up to 5 days (if they last that long).
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes (in freezer)
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 20
Serving Size: 1 square
Calories: 100
Fat: 7g
Trans Fat: 4.5g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 35mg
Carbohydrates: 7g
Fiber: 2g
Sugars: 4g
Protein: 2g