Healthy Pumpkin Spice Peanut Butter Cups

 
Towards the beginning of August, I called my mom to chat and catch up. I asked about her work, their cabin, and their visit to see their friend’s golden retriever puppies (they’re bringing one home in September!). Mom had texted me pictures of the adorable little dogs the night before, and I wanted to hear all about those cute fur balls!  

Mom inquired about my blog, how some behind-the-scenes tweaks turned out, my amazing team members, and what recipes I planned to post in the upcoming weeks. As we conversed, I explained I felt a little uninspired, even with pumpkin season quickly approaching (my favorite time of the food year!), and then…
 

 
It felt as if a light bulb literally flickered on inside of my head. “When I began my blog in 2010,” I recalled (has it really been that long??), “I started it as a way to get me out of my cooking and baking rut… To try making new things… And I feel as if I’ve fallen back into another rut by sticking with cookies and brownies and muffins and quick breads all the time. People love them, but… I’m not trying anything new anymore.”

In that moment, I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I knew why my blogging energy level felt lower than usual… And I knew how to fix it!

So when I saw today’s pumpkin cookie recipe penciled into my calendar, I decided to postpone it (don’t worry — I’ll still share it with you soon!) and crossed something off of my “Recipe Bucket List” instead…
 

 
These healthy pumpkin spice peanut butter cups! They taste luxurious and decadent and rich — aka way better than the Reese’s cups I grew up eating! And when your teeth sink through that delicious dark chocolate and hit the filling… It’s an explosion of cozy fall flavors as the pumpkin and spices simply melt in your mouth.

In other words… True bliss — and completely irresistible! (So it’s probably a good thing that they’re really simple to make? 😉 )
 

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE HEALTHY PUMPKIN SPICE PEANUT BUTTER CUPS

Here’s what you’ll need to make these healthy pumpkin spice peanut butter cups! It’s a nice short list… Only 5 ingredients!

Peanut flour. To make the filling of these healthy pumpkin peanut butter cups, you’ll start with peanut flour. Peanut flour is made from partially defatted peanuts, so it’s high protein with a strong nutty flavor. It’s also fine and powdery with a consistency similar to cocoa powder.

This one is my favorite because it contains only one ingredient: peanuts! Some other brands also contain added sugar or other ingredients, which can change the way they behave in recipes.
 

 
Pumpkin. You need regular pumpkin purée to make these peanut butter cups. It’s also called 100% pure pumpkin, and it only contains pumpkin. Nothing else!

Tip: Skip the pumpkin pie mix! That includes sugar, spices, and other ingredients, which also changes the way it behaves in recipes.

Pumpkin pie spice. Pumpkin pie spice is sometimes shortened to simply “pumpkin spice,” and it refers to the blend of spices normally included in pumpkin pie filling. It does not contain any pumpkin!

I like to make my own. I’ve found many premade jars include a lot of cinnamon and very little of the other spices, so they taste a bit more one-dimensional. You’ll need cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger for this recipe’s homemade blend!
 

 
Sweetener. To make these pumpkin spice peanut butter cups’ filling sugar-free, I opted for liquid stevia. It’s one of my all-time favorite ingredients! Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing artificial or refined (aka it’s clean-eating friendly!), and it’s highly concentrated. You just need ½ teaspoon to sweeten the filling of this entire batch of healthy pumpkin spice peanut butter cups!

Many stevia brands and products have different sweetness levels, so they’re not necessarily 1-for-1 substitutes for each other. I highly recommend using the same one that I do for the best results! This is the kind I use because I love its sweet flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertaste, and although you can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, I generally buy it online here because that’s the best price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)

Tip: If you use the same exact ingredients that I did, your healthy homemade pumpkin peanut butter cups are naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, low carb, and vegan!

Dark chocolate. More specifically… Dark chocolate bars — not chips! Chocolate chips often contain a stabilizer to help them hold their shape. Bars omit that, so chocolate bars melt better and taste smoother. I love Ghirardelli and Lindt!
 

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HEALTHY PUMPKIN SPICE PEANUT BUTTER CUPS

Let’s talk about how to make these healthy homemade pumpkin peanut butter cups! These no-bake gems are actually really simple to make… Just slightly more time-consuming than I originally anticipated. (Maybe because I put on a baseball game in the background and stopped to cheer too many times?…) But I think that’s what fall, and therefore pumpkin season, is all about: slowing down, embracing the process, and savoring the moment.

Or… Maybe just savoring an extra pumpkin spice peanut butter cup. I won’t judge! 😉

Mini muffin pans. You’ll need a few mini muffin pans to whip up these peanut butter cups. To make it easier to pop them out, line the muffin cups with foil or paper liners. (I used paper for the ones in these photos!)
 

 
Make + shape the filling. The filling is super easy to make. Whisk together the dry ingredients, stir in the wet, and you’re done!

Next, you’ll shape it into 36 little spheres… And then flatten those spheres to be just barely smaller than the size of your mini muffin cups. Flattening the filling into discs ensures the tops of your homemade peanut butter cups are smooth and flat too — not rounded from the sphere poking up out of the chocolate!

Melt the chocolate. I opted for the easy way and melted my dark chocolate in the microwave. Use short intervals, and stir really well in between each one. (This helps prevent overheating it!)

Pro Tip: Keep your melted chocolate warm during the next step! If you leave it on the counter while you work, it’ll start to cool and re-solidify, and you may need to pop it back in the microwave to melt it again. This shouldn’t affect the flavor — only the appearance! Melting the re-solidified chocolate often results in little speckles or freckles. Yet if you keep your bowl of melted chocolate warm, your homemade peanut butter cups will look perfectly smooth and dark, just like store-bought or fancy gourmet ones!

To do this, I use an unconventional method… A panini press! (Mine is no longer sold in stores, but this one is similar.) I put a folded washcloth on top of its metal surface and place my bowl of melted chocolate on top of that. It works like a charm! A pancake griddle would also work, if you own one of those instead.
 

 
Assemble. Dollop a small amount of melted chocolate into the mini muffin liner, enough to cover the bottom, and carefully set one of your flattened pumpkin peanut butter filling discs on top. Spoon more melted chocolate on top, carefully spreading it so it drips over the sides of the filling and into every nook and cranny of those liners.

See? Super simple! It just requires a little time and patience. (And maybe your favorite music or a good movie in the background?…)

Chill. Once all of your mini muffin liners are filled with decadent chocolate and cozy filling, pop those trays into the fridge for 20 minutes or the freezer for 10 minutes — or until the chocolate has completely hardened. This speeds up the setting process! Then peel off the wrapper and…
 

 
Take a bite! How amazing does that look?? 😉 And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy homemade pumpkin spice peanut butter cups!

Healthy Pumpkin Spice Peanut Butter Cups

© Amy's Healthy Baking

Yields: 36 mini peanut butter cups

These homemade peanut butter cups taste so much better than store-bought ones! They have an irresistible spiced pumpkin filling (trust me — peanut butter and pumpkin go together like two peas in a pod!) surrounded by smooth dark chocolate. It’s nearly impossible to stop after just one! The peanut butter cups will keep for at least one week if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or at least two months (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container in the freezer.

4.67 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients 

• ½ cup (60g) peanut flour (measured like this — and see Notes!)
• ¾ tsp homemade pumpkin pie spice (see Notes!)
• 7 tbsp (107g) pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie mix!)
• ½ tsp liquid stevia (or adjusted to taste)
• 1 cup (224g) roughly chopped dark chocolate (see Notes!)

Instructions

• Place cupcake liners inside of 36 mini muffin cups. Line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut flour and pumpkin pie spice. Make a well in the center. Add in the pumpkin purée and stevia. Stir until completely incorporated.
• Working with a small amount of the pumpkin mixture at a time, shape into a small sphere. Flatten the sphere until it’s just barely smaller than the mini muffin cup. Place onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the pumpkin mixture.
• Place the dark chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds. Stir for 1 minute. Continue to heat for 10-second intervals, stirring for 1 minute between each, until the chocolate has completely melted. (I highly recommend keeping it warm while you assemble your peanut butter cups — see the Notes below!)
• Dollop a small amount of melted chocolate into one mini muffin liner, enough to cover the bottom, and carefully set one of the flattened filling spheres on top. Spoon more melted chocolate on top, carefully spreading it so it drips over the sides of the filling and into every nook and cranny of those liners. Repeat with the remaining chocolate and pumpkin mixture.
• Once all 36 mini muffin cups have been filled, place them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes (or the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes) or until the chocolate has hardened. Store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to eat.

Notes

IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It’s extremely important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much flour will dry out the mixture and make it too crumbly to hold together.

 

IMPORTANT STEP 3 NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Flattening the filling into discs ensures the tops of your peanut butter cups are smooth and flat too, not rounded from the sphere poking up out of the chocolate!

 

STEP 4 NOTE – HOW TO KEEP CHOCOLATE WARM: To keep your bowl of melted chocolate warm, (a) turn on an electric pancake griddle or a metal panini press {I don’t have the former, so that's is what I use! mine is no longer sold in stores, but this panini press is very similar to mine!} and (b) place a washcloth in between the bottom of your bowl and the electric griddle or metal top of the panini press. If you use this set-up, your bowl of chocolate should stay warm and at the same consistent temperature, which makes assembling your peanut butter cups so much easier. (They’ll also look prettier! If you let the bowl of chocolate sit on your counter and periodically reheat it, your peanut butter cups will look speckled.)

 

HOMEMADE PUMPKIN PIE SPICE: For the homemade pumpkin pie spice, use the following: ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger, and ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg. If you prefer, you may substitute store-bought and/or premade pumpkin pie spice.

 

PEANUT FLOUR NOTES: Peanut flour is made from partially defatted peanuts. This means it’s lower fat, lower calorie, and higher protein compared to regular peanut butter or finely ground peanuts. (It kind of looks like tan cornstarch and has a similar ultra-fine, almost dusty texture.)

 

I highly recommend this peanut flour! It only contains one ingredient (peanuts), unlike many others that contain added sugar or other ingredients. If it's unavailable, then other brands that only contain peanuts and/or salt (such as PBfit Pure Peanut, PB2 Pure Peanut Butter Powder, or Crazy Richard’s 100% All Natural Peanut Powder) would be decent alternatives.

 

I don’t recommend making your own peanut flour or substituting almond flour. They don’t have the same powdery texture, so the mixture won’t have the same consistency.

 

LIQUID STEVIA NOTES + ALTERNATIVES: I highly recommend using the liquid stevia! Many brands and products have different sweetness levels, so for the best results, I recommend using the same one I do. This is the one I use (it's my favorite!), and I buy it online here because that’s the best price I’ve found. (You’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)

 

If you prefer concentrated powdered stevia, you’ll need 1 ½ teaspoons of this powdered stevia. You can also substitute ¼ cup of granulated sucralose or this granulated stevia. If you prefer to substitute another sweetener, you’ll need the sweetness equivalent of ¼ cup of granulated sugar. I don't recommend substituting pure maple syrup, honey, or agave because they'll add too much liquid to the filling and make it difficult to shape.

 

DARK CHOCOLATE NOTES: Use regular bars of chocolate, not chocolate chips! Chocolate bars melt better and taste smoother than chocolate chips, which often contain a stabilizer to help them hold their shape. I love Ghirardelli and Lindt for this!

 

FREEZING TIPS: Paper liners will better peel away from the peanut butter cups when they’re cold, straight from the refrigerator or freezer! If storing in the freezer, let them thaw on the counter for 5-10 minutes before eating.

 

{gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan, clean eating, low carb, sugar-free}

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.

View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
 
 
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡  Healthy Pumpkin Truffles
♡  Healthy Pumpkin Blossoms
♡  Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte Energy Bites
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte
♡  The Ultimate Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
♡  Healthy Cookie Dough “Peanut Butter” Cups
♡  …and the rest of Amy’s healthy homemade peanut butter cup recipes!