Sure, we're still technically enjoying summer, but let's be honest: fall fashion, pumpkin spice lattes, and yes, even Halloween, are all on the brain. Because once you survive the rush of back-to-school season, it's all about figuring out your kid's Halloween costume (and yours). And as soon as the holiday is at the center of your mind, so is candy.
For me, it's one candy specifically: Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Those things are so damn good, but they are loaded with sugar. Just one cup has eight grams, and you know I'm having at least two—they are meant to be enjoyed as a pair (if you have the restraint to put one aside, please tell me your secrets). That means you're downing at least 16 grams in one little snack, when the American Heart Association recommends women consume no more than 25 grams throughout the entire day. If that doesn't seem like a big deal to you, just look at all the sneaky ways sugar worms itself into your diet.
So when Caitlin Boyle of Healthy Tipping Point shared this recipe for a homemade peanut butter cup, I was intrigued. But it wasn't just any old recipe—I'm not that easily motivated to hit the kitchen—no, this one was special. Why? It slashed that eight grams of sugar down to a mere 1.6.
The secret ingredient: coconut oil. I know, I know—you already know the stuff slashes the calories in rice by half, and it works wonders on your beauty routine. But who knew that blending it with cocoa powder, peanut butter, and just a touch of natural sweetener (in this case, honey) could be so simple, healthy, and delicious? Not I, my friends. Not I. Just to make sure I wasn't dreaming, I plugged the recipe into MyFitnessPal's Recipe Nutrition Calculator.
You have to divide those numbers by 10, since Caitlin says the recipe makes 10 chocolates. Sure, it has slightly more calories than a Reese's cup, but with the drastically decreased sugar count and the fact that the ingredients are much healthier (oh hey, I see that TBHQ preservative in Reese's), I'm okay with it.
You can grab Caitlin's full recipe here—just be sure to come back and thank us after.
