One of my all time favorite Halloween candies is Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. But the ingredients in them aren't all that great. Which is why I made my own version: Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cups. These chocolate cups are dairy free, refined sugar free, gluten free and don't contain any preservatives. They are a simple, healthy Reese's alternative, perfect for Halloween.

Is Peanut Butter Paleo?

Now, if you're at all familiar with the Paleo diet, you're probably thinking "these aren't Paleo because peanut butter isn't a Paleo food". Well, I'm here to tell you that you're right. Technically speaking, peanut butter isn't allowed on a strict Paleo diet because it is a legume...not a nut.

Thankfully, peanut butter can be substituted with basically any other nut or seed butter. These chocolate peanut butter cups can be made with almond butter, sunflower seed butter, tahini or any other nut/seed of your liking.

So, why did I use peanut butter if it's not strict Paleo?

Simple. I LOVE peanut butter! I love its creamy texture, naturally sweet flavor and the fact that it pairs well with nearly anything. In my opinion, peanut butter has a place in the Paleo lifestyle so long as it's eaten occasionally. Consuming too much peanut butter makes my face break out and can upset my digestion. But a little here and there seems to be fine. And, I enjoy it.

So, the bottom line: peanuts are not "Paleo" because they are legumes. Therefore, peanut butter isn't allowed on a strict Paleo diet. But, if you tolerate peanuts and use a high quality, organic peanut butter then there's no harm in eating it from time to time. It's all up to you and what you choose to consume 😉

Ingredients in Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cups

Now that we've gotten the "peanut issue" out of the way, let's move on to the other ingredients in these low sugar Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cups. These cups are made with 6 simple ingredients:

peanut butter
pumpkin puree
maple syrup
vanilla extract
pumpkin pie spice
6 oz dark chocolate

The filling is made of peanut butter, pumpkin, maple syrup, vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice (just pumpkin spice works too).

If you're following a keto or low carb diet, then feel free to substitute the maple syrup for a sugar-free sweetener. Or, simply nix this ingredient all together. Also, be sure to use a dark chocolate with a high cocoa content.

How to Make Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cups

First, gather all necessary ingredients. You will need a small sauce pan for melting the chocolate and a small mixing bowl for making the filling. In addition, you will need small cupcake liners or a mini silicone cupcake mold.

Next, melt the chocolate on low heat in a small saucepan, stirring frequently.

Once fully melted, turn off the heat and pour about 1 teaspoon of chocolate into each of the 12 mini cupcake liners (or silicone molds). Place in the freezer for 5-10 minutes for chocolate to set.

While chocolate is setting, combine all remaining ingredients in a small mixing bowl to make the filling. Mix well.

Remove the hardened chocolate from the freezer. Scoop 1 teaspoon of the filling and roll it into a ball. Press it on top of the hardened chocolate so that the filling nearly touches the edges of the paper liner/mold.

Pour remaining melted chocolate on top of filling, coating it entirely. Then, place it back in freezer to set.

This recipe makes 12 miniature Peanut Butter Pumpkin Cups. They are best stored in the fridge or freezer.