Almond Butter Chocolate Cups

Sweet, salty, and chocolatey … oh my! Consider these whimsical cups an upgrade of the iconic candy that will please all generations in a household. Forget the fork; they’re meant to be eaten out of hand. Using bendable silicone muffin cups enables you to effortlessly peel the cups out of their moulds. If you do not use silicone muffin cups or paper liners and are having trouble unmoulding the frozen cups, try placing the bottom of the muffin tin in warm water for a few seconds, being careful not to thaw the contents.

3/4 cup (180 mL) evaporated skim milk
2/3 cup (160 mL) unsalted almond butter
2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla extract
8 oz (225 g) dark chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon
1/2 tsp (2 mL) coarse salt

In medium-sized bowl, whisk milk into almond butter, 2 Tbsp (30 mL) at a time, until silky smooth. Stir in vanilla.

To melt chocolate, stir chocolate in metal or glass bowl placed over saucepan of lightly simmering water until smooth. Stir cinnamon into chocolate.

Divide almond butter mixture among 12 standard-sized muffin cups, making sure bottoms are completely covered. Cover almond butter with melted chocolate. Sprinkle tops with salt. Place muffin tray in freezer until solid, about 4 hours.

Unmould cups, place in airtight container, and return to freezer until ready to eat. To serve, let each cup sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften slightly.

Serves 12.

Each serving contains: 194 calories; 7 g protein; 18 g total fat (7 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 10 g total carbohydrates (3 g sugars, 5 g fibre); 121 mg sodium

source: "Sweets for Your Sweetheart", alive #376, February 2014