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
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
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!
I think I’m WAY too excited to try these because it’s finally cooling down around here!! 🙂 Sometimes when I catch up with my Mom I feel more inspired, and I’m glad talking to your Mom helped! Please tell her I say hello!! <3
Amy, these look delicious! I can not wait to try and make them. Reece’s peanut butter cups are by far the favorite candy in our household… so I’m sure these will go fast!
Thank you for sharing!
You’re so sweet Brooke — that means a lot to me! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you and your family think of these!
You’re so sweet Marina! My mom says to tell you hello too! 🙂 Moms are the best, aren’t they?? I can’t wait to hear what you think of these, sweet friend!
Can I use splenda and vanilla instead of the stevia? I don’t have any and I don’t want to invest in it if I don’t have to
You can! You don’t need the added vanilla; the Splenda alone should be just fine. See the Notes section underneath the Instructions for how much you’ll need. (That section can be easy to miss!) 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these Caitlyn!
These look really good! I think I’ll have to give them a try. Thank you Amy.
My pleasure, Toni! I can’t wait to hear what you think of them! 🙂
WHOOOOOOA!!!!!!!!!
SERIOUSLY????? PUMPKIN SPICE PB CUPS!?!?!?!
I HAVE to try this!!!! The flavors sound INSANE!
I can’t wait to hear how your peanut butter cups turn out Alec! 🙂
Amy, YUM!! SO many things to say about this post…
#1: YAY for feeling re-inspired and getting out of a rut! Isn’t it amazing how sometimes you need to say something out loud to realize something and make a change?!
#2: LOVE this: “But I think that’s what fall, and therefore pumpkin season, is all about: slowing down, embracing the process, and savoring the moment.” <3 <3 <3 <3 <3!!
#3: These look SO good. I went through all that peanut flour when I ordered it online (because it turns out to be the only "protein powder" that doesn't make me bloated, haha), but I need to re-order soon so I can give these a whirl.
SO glad to hear about your re-found inspiration! <3
Oh Andrea, you’re such a sweet friend and a true gem!! Thank you SO much for your glowing comment (and your texts this morning)!! ♡ I’m so glad the peanut flour worked for you! That’s awesome!! And sooooo true about #1… It wasn’t until I was talking on the phone to my mom, saying things out loud that I finally identified the feeling. So funny how that works!
This is awesome! My grandmother used to make peanut butter cups using chocolate + paraffin wax and peanut butter + powdered sugar.
I’m curious. Have you tried experimenting with chocolate alternatives? Maybe carob?
I look forward to trying your recipe!
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Rachel! I haven’t tried chocolate alternatives, so I’m not much use there. I can’t wait to hear what you think of these PB cups! 🙂
HI, I a man very interested in making this for someone who needs to avoid sugar. I am assuming the dark chocolate bars would have some sugar? Any suggestions?
I’m honored by your interest in my recipe, Juanita! You can use a higher percentage dark chocolate bar to reduce or eliminate all of the sugar. If I’m making these just for myself (and not to share!), then I actually make them with this 95% dark chocolate, which has almost zero sugar, and this 100% dark chocolate has none whatsoever. Both of these taste very rich and dark, but not everyone enjoys that intense flavor! So another option would be to use sugar-free dark chocolate, like this. 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of these pumpkin spice peanut butter cups if you try making them!
These sound delicious! Before I try experimenting too much, can you tell me what I can use in place of pumpkin puree? I know the point is to use the pumpkin but I want to experiment using shelf stable ingredients (meaning that I don’t need to refrigerate these within 24 hours of making). I’m going to temper my chocolate so they don’t need to be frozen. Any suggestion? Or maybe just up the peanut butter flour and/or spices with a little bit of liquid? Thank you!
We really appreciate your interest in our recipe, Danielle! We haven’t tried substituting anything for the pumpkin purée, so we’re not personally sure and don’t want to lead you astray. However…
We have a classic homemade peanut butter cup recipe that uses shelf-stable ingredients! Perhaps that would be a better fit for what you had in mind? You could easily add the same spices from these pumpkin spice peanut butter cups to that recipe’s filling, if you’d like! 🙂
We’d love to hear how your PB cups turn out if you end up making them!