It’s Friday, let’s eat some chocolate!
Homemade toasted hazelnut butter gets mixed with maple syrup and enrobed in chocolate to make a perfectly sweet, nutty, complex version of a good old peanut butter cup. 
I’ve been dreaming of chocolate ice cream swirled with peanut butter and studded with peanut butter cups for a few weeks, but keep resisting the urge to make it lest you disown me for my excessive use of peanut butter. Thanks to a half-eaten bag of hazelnuts in the pantry threatening to jump ship, my peanut butter cup dreams became hazelnut butter cups dreams, and here we are. As for the ice cream? We’ll talk about that later. Spoiler alert: It’s date-sweetened and makes my heart skip a beat. You’re gonna loooove it. 
One of my favorite parts about blogging is spending more time with food (uh, is that weird? Don’t answer. I don’t want to know). I love the creative thought process, the trial-and-error, and growing my food photography skills. I am a complete amateur, for sure, but I’m definitely having fun along the way. 
When I made these hazelnut butter cups it was a dark and gloomy afternoon. It had been raining on and off all day, and there was no way I would be able to take good pictures. I figured I would make them, stick them in the fridge, and just take pictures later in the week. Out of nowhere the rain stopped, the sun came out, and there were leaves everywhere in the yard. I grabbed my hazelnut butter cups, dried off a handful of leaves, and spent some time out in the backyard taking pictures in the fleeting moments before dark. My neighbors most likely think I’m a lunatic, but I can live with that. At least there are hazelnut butter cups to snack on. 
To make these, you first start by making toasted hazelnut butter. Hazelnuts go in the oven until they’re golden brown and fragrant. A quick trip in the food processor or high speed blender with a little coconut oil yields a smooth, creamy, ultra toasty hazelnut butter. Maple syrup, salt, and vanilla get stirred in, and then the thick paste goes in the fridge to cool. Chocolate gets melted and poured into paper-lined muffin cups, then quickly firms up in the fridge or freezer. A dollop of hazelnut butter and more chocolate go on top, and you’re done. Just let them harden in the freezer for a few more minutes, and you’re ready to eat! I topped mine with some chopped hazelnuts for a crunchy textural contrast and because they look puuuurty that way. 
These toasted hazelnut butter cups would be a beautiful centerpiece for a fall party, but are also ideal for sticking in the freezer and hoarding all to yourself (my preferred method, clearly). I know Christmas is over 2 months away, but I can’t stop thinking about making a big batch of these as gifts for my friends and coworkers. A little ribbon and a handmade label would thrust these into rustic homemade gift territory- my favorite place to be for the holiday season.
Whether you’re making these RIGHT NOW, or bookmarking the recipe for December, these Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Cups need to make it on your to-do list. Trust me, you’ll start to wonder why you’ve limited yourself to PB cups for so long. When you make them, let me know! Comment below or tag me #bakedgreens on Instagram so I can see all your chocolatey creations!
Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Butter Cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips
- 1 Tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/2 cup homemade toasted hazelnut butter follow recipe below or use store-bought if available
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup can sub honey or agave
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- a pinch of salt
- roughly chopped hazelnuts and flaky sea salt for topping (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Put chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave safe dish, and microwave in 30-second intervals until melted. Mine took about 2 minutes total in the microwave. Set aside.
- 2. Line a muffin tin with paper liners. I made a mixture of 5 full-sized cups and 5 mini muffin-sized cups, but this recipe will yield about 8 full-sized or 15 minis. Coat the bottom of each muffin cup with chocolate (enough to cover the bottom, 1-2tsp), and use the back of a spoon to nudge the chocolate 1/4 inch up the sides. Transfer muffin tin to the fridge or freezer to let chocolate harden.
- 3. Meanwhile, combine filling ingredients, and transfer to the freezer to chill. Once chocolate has hardened (about 10 minutes), spoon 1/2-1 Tablespoon of filling into each cup. Use your fingers to flatten the filling, then cover with remaining melted chocolate. Sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts and flaky salt, if desired.
- 4. Transfer pan back to freezer/fridge to allow chocolate to harden. Store excess hazelnut butter cups in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or the freezer for a month or more.
Notes
Psst: Here are some of my favorite products for making this recipe!
Hazelnuts / Coconut Oil / Maple Syrup