This was my first adventure in molded candy land, and though I made a mess with the chocolate because I’m impatient, these sunbutter cups still turned out quite well.
From start to finish, which includes making the sunflower seed butter, the entire process only took me about 45 minutes, so this is a pretty quick food project, too. You could also fill these with peanut butter, almond butter, marshmallow, or a little jam. Or you could do a combination of two fillings, like peanut butter and jam or jam and marshmallow. The possibilities are endless!
In this recipe, I use mini candy bars from Hershey’s sugar free line. Ideally, I would’ve made my own dark chocolate from scratch, but I haven’t quite perfected this yet, and the Hershey’s bars will do in a pinch. Just be sure that you eat these in moderation if you use the Hershey’s sugar free bars, as they’re filled with sugar alcohols, and the situation could get ugly if you eat too many.
makes approximately 18 individual cups using Wilton’s Peanut Butter Cups candy mold
Notes: If you’re not on a sugar free diet, you can substitute sugar 1:1 with the xylitol and use any milk, dark, or semi-sweet chocolate that you like.
Ingredients
1 cup roasted, salted sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp. canola or vegetable oil
3 Tbsp. xylitol
16 Hershey’s Sugar Free Special Dark Mini Candy Bars (or equivalent), about 1 1/2 bags
Instructions
1. Add the sunflower seeds to the bowl of a food processor. Process until finely ground, about 2-3 minutes. Add the xylitol and canola oil and continue to process for 1-2 minutes, or until the mixture forms a thick paste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Unwrap the candy bars and place them in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30 second increments until almost completely melted, about 1 – 1 1/2 minutes total. Stir the melted chocolate until smooth.
3. Dip a pastry brush into the melted chocolate and use it to coat the inside of the individual molds, making sure not to coat them too heavily. When you’re finished, tap the mold repeatedly on a hard surface until the chocolate is more evenly distributed. Place the mold in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, or until the chocolate is set.
4. Remove the sunflower seed butter from the refrigerator and add approximately 1 teaspoon of the butter to each individual cup. I rolled mine into balls and flattened them before placing them into the cups, but this isn’t necessary.
5. Spoon the remaining chocolate over the top of the sunflower seed butter, spreading it around until the top of the cup is completely covered. Tap the mold on a hard surface to redistribute the chocolate, if necessary. Place in the freezer for another 10-15 minutes, or until the chocolate is set, and pop the finished cups out of the mold. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Posted in Alternatively Sweetened, Desserts, Food, Gluten Free | 4 Comments »
Mmm, those look divine!
posted: October 29th, 2009 at 5:40 pmThese are just what I need!
posted: October 30th, 2009 at 9:57 amlooks fab and btw – I love your blog!
posted: November 10th, 2009 at 8:40 pmI have always wondered how this was done. Fantastic! Though, of course I’d have to skip the microwave for the old school double boiler method.
posted: November 11th, 2009 at 10:07 am