This is our favorite chocolate + nut butter recipe! These honey-sweetened nut butter cups are not only incredibly easy to make (only four ingredients), but they are sugar-free, paleo, and seriously tasty.

Any nut butter would be delicious with these, but our favorite is the Lavender Honey. You can get creative with toppings as well. We love the crunch from the added cocoa nibs, but you could also add shredded coconut, dried fruit, or toasted nuts on top.

Ingredients:

Yields 12 chocolate cups

• 1.5 cups coconut oil
• 2 cups cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, plus additional for finishing
• 5 tablespoons Ground Up Nut Butter of choice
• Cacao nibs to finish (optional)

Directions:

1. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, gently melt the coconut oil until all the chunks dissolve.
3. Stir in the cocoa powder and gently mix until melted and no clumps remain.
4. Whisk in the honey, vanilla, and salt until smooth.
5. Fill each cup with enough of the warm cocoa mixture to cover the bottom, so each is approximately 1/4-inch high.
6. Place the pan in the freezer for 10 minutes, or until the bottom has hardened. In the meantime, keep the remaining cocoa mixture warm on the stovetop over low heat.
7. Remove the pan from the freezer, and place about 1 teaspoon of nut butter in each liner.
8. Remove the pan from the freezer, and place about 1 teaspoon of nut butter in each liner.
9. Drizzle the remaining warm cocoa mixture on top of each chocolate-nut butter cup, dividing evenly.
10. Top with a sprinkle of sea salt and cacao nibs.
11. Place in the freezer and let harden for at least 1 hour.
12. Remove from the freezer and serve!
13. Store in the freezer or fridge for up to three months. Please note that these may melt if they are out at room temperature for too long, due to the coconut oil.

Note: If you don’t have a muffin pan, don’t fret! We’ve also made versions of this in the bottom of a loaf pan, swirled dollops of nut butter throughout, and cut them into bars. You could also do this in a mini muffin pan for bite-sized treats!