As a girl who is borderline (read: completely) obsessed with chocolate and has a particular affinity for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, I was undeniably skeptical when I first encountered The Blonde Vegan's Raw Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. Frankly, I didn't think that something that 1. I made myself and 2. wasn't completely horrible for my body could taste anywhere near as good as those packaged cups of deliciousness (I love them so much, guys).
But alas, I was (thankfully) wrong and The Blonde Vegan was right -- these things are delicious. However, my penchant for simplicity, hate of the coconut flavor and lack of on-hand ingredients led me to a bit of an adaptation... hence was born the Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Freezer Fudge.
This recipe is almost painfully easy -- four ingredients, all of which can be purchased at the local Trader Joe's, a whisk, and one cookie sheet is all you need. Plus, a little bit of patience to wait until they set up. I know, it's hard -- but you can lick the bowl guilt-free (and free of salmonella fear) in the meantime. The best part? You can rest easy knowing you're not putting anything bad in your body -- no post-indulgence coma and/or regret.
Makes 5-7 pieces, depending on how big you make them.
Ingredients:
-- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (or cacao, but cocoa is a bit easier to find)
-- 1 tablespoon organic peanut or almond butter
-- 3/4-1 tablespoon agave, depending on taste preference (if you don't love the bitterness of dark chocolate as much as I do, lean more towards the whole tablespoon)
-- 2 tablespoons almond milk (I use Blue Diamond Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla)
-- Pinch of ground sea salt
Directions:
1. Whisk to combine cocoa powder, peanut butter, agave and almond milk in a medium-sized bowl. The mixture should be the consistency of a thick batter.
2. Take a large table spoon (or something fancier if you have it, a la a melon baller) and scoop dollops of the mixture onto a cookie sheet. If you have parchment paper, you can put some down to help avoid sticking -- but it's definitely not necessary. The standard portions should make around 5-7 pieces, depending on how large you make them.
3. Optional (but recommended): Grind a pinch of fresh sea salt onto the tops of each of piece.
4. Put the cookie sheet in the freezer and resist touching for 2+ hours. The longer you let it freeze, the more the pieces will set up.
5. Lick spoon, whisk, and/or bowl.
6. Once frozen, use a spatula to lift fudge off the cookie sheet. They will melt relatively quickly, so I recommend keeping them frozen until you are about to eat them. Plus, they taste better cold!
7. Enjoy! (Duh)