Just four ingredients and less than 30 minutes to make these healthy chocolate peanut butter & jelly cups! Vegan friendly and ways to make paleo too.
It’s peanut butter jelly time!
In chocolate buttercup style form.
Yes, you get peanut butter & jelly sandwiched between layers of chocolate.
And everyone always loves these when I make them!
Why Should You Make PB & J Cups?
Because making homemade peanut butter cups is just too easy! And if you love the PB & J combo, you’ll love these.
Not to mention you’ll have dessert ready in less than 30 minutes.
You Just Need 4 ingredients!
- favorite dark chocolate chips– use a paleo friendly brand or vegan friendly like Enjoy Life. You can also use chocolate bars (I like Theo) and melt them down. You just need at least 10 ounces for nine cups. Quality chocolate matters! I really don’t recommend store-bought brands for these.
- coconut oil – this helps smooth out the chocolate for melting and creates a better consistency.
- favorite jam / jelly / preserves – Strawberry, raspberry, whatever you like! Really anything will work here. If you’re feeling up for making your own jam, try my strawberry chia seed jam used here.
- peanut butter – I personally opt for an all-natural nothing added kind of creamy peanut butter, but whatever you have on hand is fine. If you avoid peanut butter for whatever reason, you can definitely swap in almond butter or cashew butter as well.
Making PB & J Cups is super easy
You won’t believe
- how easy this recipe is and
- how crazy people are about them!
I first made a rendition of this recipe several years back using almond butter. I remember Drew devouring them, my brother-in-law also loving them, and our friends asking me countless times to make them for him again.
A quick, healthy dessert that everyone loves? HECK YES.
These peanut butter & jelly cups can do no wrong.
So here are the steps:
Step 1 – line muffin tin / gather ingredients
Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and get all of your ingredients together: peanut butter measured out, jam, and melted chocolate prepared.
Step 2 – melt chocolate
Be sure to melt the chocolate carefully. I microwave in 20 second increments on half power. You can also use the stovetop. Whichever method you prefer, watch carefully. Using a higher quality chocolate is best (i.e. avoid store bought brands for this recipe.)
Add about one tablespoon of chocolate to each liner, brushing up the sides a little using the back of the spoon.
Step 3 – add PB & J filling
Next you’ll add the filling – about 1/2 tablespoon of peanut butter and 1 teaspoon of jam to each cup.
Step 4 – top with melted chocolate
Top with another tablespoon of melted chocolate, evenly covering the filling.
Step 5 – chill to set
You can pop these in the fridge to set and they’re ready in about 20 minutes!
See –easy, peasy.
FAQs about this recipe
Can I use almond butter? – Yes, yes of course. Or cashew butter. Or sun butter. Or a blend!
Are these paleo? – Because we’re using peanut butter, this recipe is technically not paleo. BUT, if you use almond butter or cashew butter (or seed butter) then they become a paleo friendly treat.
Is this recipe vegan? – That depends on the chocolate you use. Make sure you’re getting a dairy-free and vegan friendly chocolate. Lily’s, Enjoy Life, and Theo are all options I love for this.
Do I have to use coconut oil? – the coconut oil helps smooth the chocolate out when melting. It also sets with the chocolate when chilled. I *think* another oil would be okay if you can’t do coconut, but I haven’t tested this myself.
How do I store these pb & j cups? – I would store in the fridge if you can, but they can be set at room temperature for a few hours before enjoying (as long as your environment isn’t super hot).
More Buttercup Recipes
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and review letting me know! It helps others learn about the recipe too and I truly appreciate your feedback. Xx Ashley
How to Make…
Peanut Butter & Jelly Cups
The easiest and most delicious way to enjoy peanut butter & jelly – in buttercup form! Just 4 ingredients, less than 30 minutes – these Peanut Butter & Jelly cups are the perfect healthier chocolate vegan dessert.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Diet: Vegan
- Yield: 9 cups 1x
- Scale:
Ingredients
- 10 ounces quality dark chocolate (your favorite vegan friendly brand)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons jam or jelly (try my homemade chia jam!)
Instructions
- Line a 12-cup muffin pan with 9 liners; set aside.
- Melt chocolate: add chocolate to microwave safe bowl (I used chips, but chop chocolate into small pieces if using bar). Microwave on 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring between. Once chocolate is just about melted, stir in coconut oil and microwave again until fully melted and chocolate is smooth. You can also use stovetop on very low heat.
- Make Cups: add about 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate into liner, brushing up side of liner with back of spoon. Do all nine cups before moving on. Now add about 1/2 tablespoon of peanut butter onto chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of jam. Cover with another tablespoon melted chocolate, moving the chocolate with the back of the spoon until fully coated. Place pan in fridge to set chocolate, about 15 minutes or until chocolate has completely set.
- Enjoy!
Recipes Notes:
To Store: You can keep these cups in the fridge for a couple of weeks; enjoy cold or set out at room temperature before eating.
Breanna C. says
For someone who doesn’t bake, I loved this recipe! Not just because it was essentially “no bake” but they were delicious and looked like they took a lot of effort! I may or may not have eaten half of them in one day!
★★★★★