According to my husband this was the best chocolate he has ever had. Wow, what a compliment! I have to agree with him as I could not speak until I had fully finished eating my cup. Sounds funny, but these macadamia nut butter cups are one of those foods that make you speechless until its all gone.
Macadamia nuts are one of the healthiest nuts we can eat and are a rich source of mono-unsaturated fat like oleic acid (18:1) and palmitoleic acids (16:1). They contain polyphenol and a huge amount of fiber. They are an excellent source of minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese and zinc as well as rich in many important B-complex vitamins that are vital for metabolic functions. They are also incredibly good for curbing your appetite!
The chocolate in this recipe is homemade and I made it with pure raw cacao butter and organic raw cacao powder and this is why I think the chocolate melts in your mouth and tastes so incredibly good. Alternatively, you can melt a high quality dark chocolate to make your nut butter cups.
Note: the amount of chocolate in the recipe will make 3 macadamia nut butter cups. Adjust the recipe if you want to make additional cups. Also, 1 cup of macadamia nuts makes ½ cup butter, so you will have left over butter to make more than 3 nut butter cups.
Recipe
Paleo Macadamia Nut Butter Cups
Ingredients
Macadamia Nut Butter:
- 1 cup raw macadamia nuts
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate:
- 5 tablespoons cacao butter
- 7 tablespoons raw cacao powder
- ½ teaspoon vanilla powder
- 2 tablespoons raw honey, or maple syrup
Instructions
Macadamia Nut Butter:
- Grind the macadamia nuts in a food processor or blender until creamy, but leaving a few very small chunks.
- Mix vanilla extract with the nut butter.
Chocolate:
- Melt the cacao butter over a double boiler until it reaches 122°F/50°C.
- Add the cacao powder and stir to combine.
- Add the honey and ground vanilla and mix until all combined and the mixture reaches 122°F/50°C.
- Pour a small amount of the chocolate on the bottom of the mold and freeze for about 10 minutes.
- Remove cups from freezer and add a full teaspoon of macadamia nut butter. Roll the macadamia nut butter into a ball and flatten it with your hands, then place it on top of the chocolate.
- Cover with the remaining chocolate and freeze or refrigerate before serving.