EASY NO-BAKE CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN SEEDS PEANUT BUTTER CUPS

A healthy and devilishly good candy that is easy-to-prepare using chocolate, pumpkin seeds and peanut butter. Rich in protein and sinful in taste!

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips 
• 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter 
• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts
• 1/3 cup coconut sugar or granulated sugar
• 1 cup honey ‘OR’ maple syrup(for a vegan alternative)
• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• flaky sea salt for sprinkling (optional)

Method:

1. Use a mini muffin pan and line it with liners per cup or grease them with butter. 
2. Melt 1 1/4 cups of chocolate chips in the microwave for 30 seconds or on a stovetop stirring continuously until melted. Pour a teaspoon of the melted chocolate into each liner, brushing it up the sides of the liner using a small spoon. Place the muffin tray in the freezer for about 10 minutes until the chocolate is set firm.
3. Bring out the muffin pan from the freezer and add a teaspoon of creamy peanut butter to each cup. Again, place the tray back into the freezer for a while until the pumpkin seed filling is prepared.
4. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the pumpkin seeds and toast them for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly until seeds pop and become slightly golden. Bring it down from the stove and let it cool. 
5. In another saucepan add the coconut oil, sugar and honey and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring it for about 3 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Then add the pumpkin seeds and peanuts into this mixture. Continue to cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat, and stir it while adding in coconut oil and vanilla extract. Allow the mixture to cool for about 3-4 minutes.
6. Bring out the chocolate cups tray and equally divide and pour the seeds mixture among the cups quickly before it starts to get firm. 
7. Once all the cups are filled, melt the remaining chocolate chips and pour over the cups to cover the seeds mixture with chocolate. Further, smoothen them using the flip side of a spoon. 
8. You may now sprinkle these chocolatey cups with flaky sea salt if you desire to do so.
9. Refrigerate these chocolate cups until the chocolate solidifies, usually for about 20 minutes. Or you could lay them down at room temperature for a couple of hours if you prefer to consume them soft and tender as compared to the refrigerated hard bites of these chocolates.

Pro tip: Instead of topping with flaky sea salt, you may use confetti/ sprinkles or coconut flakes to garnish.

We recommend using Nourish You’s pure organic crunchy Pumpkin Seeds to make these petite chocolate pumpkin peanut butter cups that will melt-in-your-mouth making its way through your heart to good health.