Mini Chocolate Pumpkin Seed Candy Peanut Butter Cups.
Guess what, guess what, guess what?!?!
I made us a healthier alternative to Halloween candy this year!!
I know, me? Queen of butter, sugar and pure chocolate decadence? Hey wait, give me some credit, I do enjoy a healthier treat every now and again. I mean, I am somewhat of a normal person, I like balance. Actually, to be honest, Halloween candy pretty much grosses me out because of the loads upon loads of sugar… and the corn syrup. I am not a corn syrup fan. I mean, I’ll use it if I have too, but I try my best to stay away from it. It’s just so much sugar and so processed. It gives me the creeps. The creeps guys.
I do think I will forever be a Reese’s girl at heart though. It’s the combo of peanut butter and chocolate that I will always love so much. Oh, and Malley’s Milk Chocolate bars. Oh, and I can’t leave out the occasional Snickers at Christmas in mom’s Death By Chocolate. Yep, these three are probably my favorites.
Today though, I took the idea of a Reese’s and layered in some honeyed pumpkin seed candy. It’s almost like caramel, but on the healthier side and with toasted pepitas (SO GOOD) and salted peanuts. It’s a little crunch, plus a little creamy and all things delicious.
On a very random note here, pumpkin seeds kind of remind me of chicken feed. I don’t know why because chicken feed is like tiny little pebbles and looks nothing like cute pumpkin seeds, but still pumpkin seeds seem like they would be good chicken feed. Well actually, I know they are because I have been feeding all my winter squash seeds to the chicks and they love em.
Speaking of the chicks, my dad thinks I need to tell you guys all about our broody mother hen. Oh yeah, a broody hen is as serious as it sounds.
Just kidding, but it was a little bit of a pain for a few days… well, for my dad anyway.
So, if you are wondering what a broody hen is, it’s a female chicken who wants to hatch her eggs. The thing is, our said hen doesn’t have a rooster to help her along with the process, so she just sits and sits and sits, trying to protect eggs that will never actually hatch. It’s her motherly instinct kicking in and now that I am writing about it, it seems a little sad.
When we realized what she was doing, my dad had to pick her up out of her nesting box (where they lay eggs) and separate her. Otherwise she would stop producing eggs for the 21 day brooding period, plus 5 weeks afterward. Let me just say, she was NOT a happy hen. It’s her job to protect her eggs, so you can only imagine how angry she was. AND she was sitting on five eggs for like two days. Five eggs you guys. That is a lot for one hen. She was stealing and hoarding the eggs from the other two hens!
Apparently they will sit on their eggs for the entire 21 days without taking in practically any food or water. This compromises their immune system and they become vulnerable to parasites. They can also lose up to 1/3 of their body weight. Plus, it encourages the other hens to become broody too. Again, leaving no eggs.
Anyway, we had to keep her in an isolated cage for a day and this kept her from wanting to lay eggs because of the cold ground. Hens like to lay on warm bedding, so keeping her isolated on the cold ground freaked her out enough to break her of her broodiness, or motherly ways. Or at least this is what I got from my dad. He said it all in a way that made much more sense, but me relaying stuff is never quite as clear. I am sorry, but just know that we had one pissed off moma chicken… and now Asher is begging for a rooster so the moma chicken can be happy and have lots of baby chicks.
Can you say freak show?
Sooo, now I should maybe tell you a little more about these Pumpkin Seed Candy Peanut Butter Cups, huh?
They are a great little treat for this time of year. You can make them for Halloween or make the as a holiday dessert OR even make them as homemade holiday gifts. They are kind of perfect because you can make them work for pretty much anyone. Or well, almost anyone. Sorry to the people with a peanut allergy, these clearly aren’t for you. But wait, actually you could swap almond butter or cashew butter. Both would be awesome. So see, pretty much everyone can eat these. They can even be made vegan friendly if need be, which makes them perfect for all the upcoming holidays.
And um, if you sprinkling them with a little flaky sea salt it’s the prettiest presentation. Gotta love a pretty chocolate treat!
Ok so, these are fairly simple. Just eight ingredients and only a little hands on time. The most annoying part is lining the cups with chocolate. This is never fun, but you gotta do it. Once that is accomplished the rest is simple.
For the pumpkin seed candy, I used a combo of honey and coconut sugar. I wanted to keep things on the healthier side, so honey it was. But if you need to make these vegan friendly, use maple syrup. It will be a slightly different taste, but still delish. Here’s the deal with the pumpkin seed candy, my family likes it on the softer, chewier side so I boiled my mixture for only a few minutes, but if you want your candy more, well – candy like (meaning harder and crunchier), just boil yours a little longer. It’s all in the directions and either way, soft, semi soft or hard, you really can’t mess these up. They are easy and so good whatever texture you choose.
You can also use dark, semi-sweet or milk chocolate. I went with dark because again, I wanted these to be healthier, but if you prefer milk chocolate go for it.
The bottom line… just make these, and before Friday.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Mini Pumpkin Seed Candy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups.
By halfbakedharvest
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate, Halloween, peanut butter
I made us a healthier alternative to Halloween candy!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips use vegan chocolate if needed
- 24 teaspoons - about a half cup of creamy peanut butter 1 per chocolate cup
- 1 1/2 cups pepitas shelled pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 cup honey use maple syrup for vegan version
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- flaky sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
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Line a mini muffin pan with with 24 liners.
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Melt 1 1/4 cups of chocolate chips (I do mine in the microwave, heating on full power for 30 seconds intervals, stirring after each interval until melted). Drop 1 teaspoon of chocolate into each liner, then use the back of a small spoon to brush the melted chocolate up the sides of the liner. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
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Once the chocolate is firm, add a teaspoon of creamy peanut butter to each cup. Return to the freezer while you make the pumpkin seed candy.
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Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pepitas and toast, stirring constantly until seeds pop and become slightly golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
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Place coconut sugar and honey in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar, about 3 minutes. Add the pepitas + peanuts and continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes or until the temperature registers between 240 and 285 degrees F. on a candy thermometer. I like my candy on the soft side, so I only boiled mine for 3-4 minutes at 240. Remove from heat, and stir in coconut oil and vanilla extract. Allow the mixture to cool for about 3-4 minutes.
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Grab the chocolate cups and divide the candy among the 24 cups. If you boiled your candy to 285 degrees F. You need to work quickly or the candy will firm up on you.
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Once all the cups are filled, melt the remaining chocolate chips, then cover the candy with chocolate, smoothing with a spoon. If desired sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
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Place in the fridge until the chocolate is firm, about 20 minutes. These are fine if left out at room temperature for a few hours (they may soften a bit) but I like them best stored in the fridge.
And with that, I am done.
The candied pumpkin seeds on top of this are a genius addition! Loving this girl!
Thanks so much, Katrina!
What a genius idea! Peanut butter cups are my weakness in life–love that there’s an added crunch. Gonna have to try this.
Thanks!!
xx Hailey
Thank you so much, Hailey!
Gorgeous T! Love that first shot!
Thanks Alida! Hope you had a great day! 🙂
So glad to see honey used as the sweetener in these! I notice that you usually lean in the healthy direction, and sometimes you let us know that all the ingredients are healthy except the butter. But you shouldn’t discount this wholesome ingredient, either! Lots of good reason to eat real butter! http://reclaimingyesterday.com/89/
OMG!! You are the best! Thank you for singing the praises of butter!! 🙂
Yum!! I’ll never want a regular peanut butter cup again!
Thanks Laura!
I love homemade peanut butter cups! What a wonderful idea to use honey as the sweetener I am all for sweet treats with a healthy twist!
Thank you so much! Sweet are always good when they a little healthy too!
These look awesome! I really like your shelves too, they accentuate the cuteness of the cups!
Thanks Joshua! Hope you are having a great week!
Great story Tieghan, I didn’t know any of that about the hens! These look ridiculous – in a very good way!
Thanks Kathy!! Glad you enjoyed my hen story!
Seriously, healthy or not, you still make every recipe look so darn pretty!
Awe! Thank you so much, Meg! Hope you are having a great week!
I’m not familiar with coconut oil and not sure if I can find it. Can a different oil be substituted?
Hey Emily, you may sub equal amounts unsalted butter. Please let me know if you have anymore questions. Hope you love these!
Oh my gosh these look SPECTACULAR. And I can’t get over how beautiful these photos are. Just stunning — you do Halloween right, lady!
Um??? THANK YOU!! Making my day! 🙂
Really though, you do Hallloween right. I mean, those pumpkins? That caramel? Awesome!
Wow! That candied pumpkin seed layer is winning me over, big time! Love these pb cups! Also, these photos are totally gorgeous!
Thank you so much, Kelli!
Amazing recipe! I love the added pepitas.
Thanks so much!
This recipe looks so delicious! I love all the rich flavors…thanks for sharing!
Thanks Jodee! Hope you are having a great week!
I thought I was done with all the squash and pumpkin recipes but these look incredible! Looks like I’ll be making one more this autumn!
Thank you!
love the addition of whole pumpkin seeds!
Thanks so much!
These cups look incredible and I’m giving you a high five for that salty finish!
Thanks Laura!
Yum! I’m not a big fan of candy either (with some of them I can literally feel the sugar on my teeth after eating them; ew!), but I’m a huge fan of M&Ms and peanut butter cups!
I know what you mean!
Thanks!
The melted chocolate! It gets me each and every time! Love that you’re using coconut sugar and honey for these tasty treats. The peanut butter + pumpkin seeds?! Magnificent!
Thanks Julia!
You. Are a miracle worker. Thank goodness I found your blog. I have the largest sweet tooth. Ever. And Reese’s are definitely my weakness. I’d do anything for a Reeses. Can’t wait to try this healthier version! 🙂
HAHA!! Thank you so much, Jennifer! 🙂
Hope you had a great Tuesday!
Annnnnd I need these now!
🙂
Thanks!
ok, so I’m always obsessed with your pictures, but these may be some of my fav yet! love!!
THANK YOU!
I’m in love!!! Dark chocolate is the best and this is perfect!
Thanks Kathleen!
Love love this idea!!
Thanks Ami!
Tieghan! These are absolutely perfect! I can’t wait to make a big batch to share with family and friends this holiday season…on second thoughts, do I have to share?
Good luck with your broody hen. Maybe she needs some of those fake eggs that warm up? Not a farmer, but I think Dad used to use them with our budgerigars 🙂
Haha! Sharing is nice…but when chocolate is involved? Yeah well, things are different then. 🙂
Thanks for the tip on the hens!
OK, that’s it. You’ve officially outdone yourself. I want to reach through the screen for these nuggets of pure happiness.
Thank you so much, Sarah! You are so kind!
OMG Tieghan!! I love you for these.
THANKS! 🙂
These look so amazing, Tieghan! Going on my Christmas candy list. 🙂
Thank you, Julie!
Ooh these look amazing! The pumpkin seed candy is such a genius twist 🙂
Thank you!
Your photos always blow me away! Such an inventive recipe too!
THANK YOU!
I made this tonight and I am sure it is the most exotic thing I have ever made. I loved all the flavors. It was delightful.
So happy you loved this!! Thanks Amy!
I just came across this recipe and can’t wait to make it. I LOVE pepitas and dark chocolate.
I have to laugh abut your broody hen. I too have had several this past summer and I don’t have a roo either. I have been keeping porcelain eggs in the nest boxes since they started laying. A while back I was at my feed store and telling the owner about my broody hen and everything I was doing to stop it short of building another smaller time out cage for them. She said, why don’t you take the porcelain eggs out of the nest boxes? DUH! It worked.
Whoa, now way! That is genius!! Thanks! 🙂
Made these this weekend for Halloween and they were amazing! A hit with both adults and kids. I want to make them again for the holidays. Thanks for the recipe!
Awh yay! sounds so fun!! Thanks for making them Melissa!
Yes! I’ve always loved pumpkin seeds and I don’t know why. There is something in the taste that reminds me of pure earth or dirt, and I was never even known as a kid to eat the earth…anyway, I’ll be making these for a Fourth of July treat. Why wait for Halloween? ?
Haha yes! I hope you love these Hannah! Thank you!
This recipe looks wonderful!!!!
Question regarding the coconut oil. Mine is liquid right now since the weather is warm. Do I use the 3 tablespoons or is the for the solid form. Should I use less?
I want to use more coconut oil in my baking but recipes never seem to define if they used solid form or liquid.
Thank you!
Cathy
I think I would use about 2 liquid tablespoons. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thank you! ?