How do you make those chocolate peanut butter cups?

Carob peanut butter balls

They are actually carob peanut butter balls, and before I tell you what I put in them, let me give props to American Gra-Frutti, who make the Roasted Carob Coconut Drops that inspired me so much, I had to try to make them at home!  I found the A. Gra-Frutti drops at a Whole Foods in Atlanta and fell in love.  They are spectacular, gluten-free, dairy free, vegan and are sweetened with raw, organic agave.  They’re available all through Atlanta and also through mail order (according to the Agrafrutti.com website, which has all sorts of gluten-free goodies on it, and seems like a responsibly-run company, at least from my quick persusal of the site!).  I think they (or many other products on this site) would make great gifts, too!

Here is my version:

1 cup Chatfield’s carob powder
1/2 cup of raw, unrefined coconut oil (I used 1 part International Harvest’s Coconut oil and 1 part Artisana coconut butter)
2 Tbs raw honey
1/4 cup Go Hunza raw, unsweetened coconut flakes (I chopped them more finely in my Vitamix before adding)
1/4 cup Maranatha organic no-stir creamy peanut butter (I wish I read the label on this one before getting it – it has sugar added)

NOTE: It really helps if the coconut oil/butter and honey are warm, like they are on a hot day, and if the peanut butter is cold, and the natural kind (that gets kind of hard when it’s in the fridge).

Mix the carob, coconut oil/butter and honey together until uniformly blended.  You can use a food processor, but since I did this on a very warm day, the coconut and honey were nearly liquid, so it was easy enough to do with a spoon.  Then, fold in the coconut flakes until evenly distributed.   Put a quarter-sized sphere of the carob mixture in your hand in a ball.  Press a small amount of peanut butter (about 1/8 tsp) into it and press the carob mixture around the peanut butter to cover it.  Roll into a ball.  Refrigerate until solid.  Serve cold.  This recipe makes about 20 of these delicious treats.

ANOTHER NOTE: If you are nut-free, a good substitute for the peanut butter would be sunbutter.