Cashew-Peanut Butter Cups (vegan & gluten-free)

Hey hey hey!

I am not typically a recipe creator.  I so admire all of you that do create your own wonderful recipes though because I certainly love making them!  It's a hobby of mine to skim through recipes and try them out.  Desserts are some of my favorites.  

I decided to be a little adventurous the other day.  I had a jar of cashew butter sitting in the refrigerator that I wanted to do something with.  I was finishing up my salad at lunch and thinking about dessert (as I often do) and peanut butter cups came to mind.

The Gardein Seven Grain Crispy Tenders are AMAZING!  I had a side of Vegenaise/BBQ sauce mixture for this salad.

I've made them with just peanut butter and I've made them with peanut butter and almond butter, but never with cashew butter.  Time to give it a try!  Turns out, it's a splendid combination.

The cashew butter just scrumptiously compliments the peanut butter.  I had to share the recipe for you to enjoy and because I don't want to forget what I did.  Great healthy fats and protein packed into this dessert, or mid morning snack, or late night snack, whenever the craving hits you.  They are also 100% vegan and gluten-free.  Another super cool thing is they take no more than 15 minutes to make.  That's my kind of treat.  

Makes six large servings:

1st layer: 

1/3 cup peanut butter

1/3 cup cashew butter

1 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tbsp. coconut oil

1/2 cup brown rice krispies

2nd layer:

1/4 cup cacao powder

1/8 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup vanilla almond milk

1. Line muffin tin with six liners.

2. Melt all the ingredients in first layer over medium-low heat and divide among the six cups.

3. Melt all the ingredients in second layer over medium-low heat and pour on top of peanut butter/cashew portion in each cup.  Spread with spatula if needed.  I don't go crazy trying to make them look perfect.

4. Place tray in freezer for an hour.  Note:  I keep mine in the freezer and then let thaw for 10 minutes before eating each time.

5. Indulge!

Tell me if you try these! I so hope you do because they are worth it.  

Do you like to create new recipes?