Vegan PB Cups

Here are the ingredients to make vegan PB cups.  (note: I tried to make "almost raw" PB cups with raw chocolate but overcooked it which basically just made it vegan. You can substitute coco butter for raw cacao butter and powdered chocolate for the cocao powder but it won't be the same and you'll have to adjust the sugar unless you buy a dark or unsweetened kind )

First prepare the baking cups for molding and filling once the chocolate is ready
For the PB filling:

• Cacao butter (approx. 1/2 cup)
• 2 cups of Marnatha Organic PB (no salt)
• 1/2 cup agave nectar (the clear kind is best)
• 4 tbsp powdered sucanat (unrefined cane sugar), finely ground (use a coffee grinder or Magic Bullet)
• 2 tbsp cacao nibs
• 3/4 tsp. Sea Salt

1. Cut cacao butter into small chunks and melt (in a double boiler over very low heat- no more than 100 degrees)
2. While the Cacao butter is melting combine all other ingredients in a bowl
3. Add melted cacao butter and mix well
4. Place mixture in a piping bag (or ziplock) and set aside mixture in the fridge to set and begin chocolate preparation

 Raw Chocolate

• 31/2 cups cacao butter, melted
• 4 vanilla beans (scraped insides only)
• 1 cup , + 3 tbsp powdered sucanat (again finely ground)
• 1/3 cup agave syrup
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 22 oz cacao powder (weight)

1. Blend melted cacao butter and vanilla bean in a blend until vanilla is broken down and mixture is warm
2. Pour 2 cups vanilla butter in food processor (reserve remaining 11/2 cups in blender). Add 1/2 of the cacao powder to the vanilla butter and process about 1 minute
3. (stop processing) Add salt and powdered sucanat (resume processing 1 minute)
4. Turn on blender (with remaining portion of vanilla butter) while running add agave and blend until well comebined
5. Add agave mixture to processor (1 minute)
6. Stop processing and add remaining cacao powder and process for another 2 minutes scraping the sides with a spatula
7. At this point you can temper the chocolate or just leave it raw (which is where I got a little mixed up, I think I had over processed it and then proceeded to temper but it all worked out in the end. It still tasted good, I just lost most of the nutritional benefits... oh well next time).  It will need to be refrigerated if you do not temper.
8. Pour and set cup bottoms. I used a spoon to scoop out small amounts of chocoalte and then my pinky to swirl it around and make the bottom layer of the cup.  Play around with it to see what works best for you.
9. Once cups are set pipe in the PB filling
10. Cover the filling to finish the cups
11. Set finished PB cups in fridge or freezer to set.  I recommend keeping them in the fridge until you're ready to eat them.

These cups will keep for about 2 weeks in the fridge (or longer if the chocolate is not raw).