Trying to Please Non-Vegans on Easter: Homemade Peanut Butter and Cashew Cups

Holiday food pleasing usually isn’t too hard with my mom’s side of the family, like my aunts and grandmother, who are always willing to try new things.

Not so easy to please are my junk food loving brothers.

As we colored Easter eggs this past weekend, they binged on hamburgers, milk fat filled breads and my LEAST favorite, hot dogs. My mission was clear- serve food that even they would AT LEAST try. My youngest brother’s favorite candy of all time is Reese’s peanut butter cups. I’m not a huge fan and I don’t deal with chocolate much, but when I saw this recipe on Oh She Glows for these Mini Homemade Peanut Butter Cups, I knew these would have the best chance of satisfying my brothers. I changed the ingredients a bit and omitted the tofu of course, in which cashews were an easy substitute. Plus, the teeny mason jars I got to buy for them are uber cute and I can’t wait to make other adorable snacks with them.

POST-EASTER…The cups were a huge hit (Jim ate 5 before noon), EXCEPT with the brother I was trying to impress in the first place! I feel vindicated though, because my middle brother’s fiancée (who has their eating habits), really loved them.

*This makes 10 cups, so make sure to have enough jars, or cut the recipe in half

FOR THE CRUST

1 cup crushed graham crackers (about 10 full crackers)

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp vanilla

FOR THE FILLING

1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked for 1 hour (not necessary, but makes them creamier if they’re moist)

3/4 cup natural creamy peanut butter

1 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp almond milk

1/4 tsp sea salt

FOR THE SHELL

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

1 tsp coconut oil

• In a food processor, pulse together all crust ingredients
• Using about 1 1/2 tbsp per jar, press into the bottom
• Rinse processor, then pulse together all filling ingredients
• Pour 2-3 tbsp of filling into jar, ontop of the crust
• Melt chocolate and coconut oil together over medium.high heat and immediately drizzle over filling layer
• Let sit in the freezer for at least 1 hour before serving (they’re best served chilled!)

(Layer 1: Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust)

(Layer 2: Peanut Butter Cashew Filling)

(Mom doing layer 3 since I suck and can’t melt chocolate)

ALL DONE!

(Jim on cup number 4…)

(everyone coloring eggs…youngest & hardest brother to please, TJ, on the far left)

(Bella & Jim coloring eggs)