Usually when I post, I take a classic university student meal and turn it healthy. This week I have not been feeling very motivated to eat healthily though. So, I decided to make what I had been craving a little bit healthier. I have been thinking about Reese’s peanut butter cups for about a month now but I never seem to remember to grab them at the store when I am there. I also had the perfect amount of peanut butter to make a small little batch so I figured today was the perfect day for homemade peanut butter chocolate bites. I am in no way saying these are healthy but they are definitely healthier than store-bought Reese’s. Also, the whole point of this project is to find healthier versions of foods I, as a university student, love to eat. So, I figured this fit the bill.

I started by throwing the rest of the peanut butter I had into my blender. This was about half a cup to three-quarters of a cup of peanut butter.

I then added some oats in to help thicken the peanut butter to create a more solid filling. I started with only a small amount of oats and continued to add more as I blended until I reached my desired consistency.

Once I had reached the consistency I wanted with my oats and peanut butter I then added some chia seeds for some extra calcium and iron. I also added some pure maple syrup for some sweetness. I then finished the filling by blending everything together.

Next, I just formed the filling into ball shapes by rolling it around in my hands.

Finally, I melted some dark chocolate and covered each ball in it. Once they were all covered I sprinkled some sea salt on top for some flavour and left them to cool in the fridge for a few hours.

I wanted to add the nutritional facts of a package of Reese’s peanut butter cups. I wish I could show the comparison between the two but as I didn’t measure anything and as I have no clue how to create a nutritional chart I cannot show one. But this chart does show just how much sugar and sodium are in the tiny package of peanut butter cups. I also take notice of the fact that there is caffeine in the packaged version which I do not love, as I usually try to avoid caffeine.

The homemade peanut butter bites I made are much simpler and contain way fewer ingredients, immediately making them healthier. The first three ingredients in Reese’s peanut butter cups are: milk chocolate (made up of: sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, nonfat milk, milk fat, lactose, lecithin, PGPR, and emulsifier), peanuts, and sugar. This did not shock me but did make me rethink all the Reese’s cups I have eaten over the years. These homemade chocolate peanut butter bites I made taste delicious, are super quick to make, and are healthier. I now will probably stop buying Reese’s cups and just start making these whenever I crave that chocolate peanut-buttery goodness.

That is all for this week. Thanks for reading!

All photos were taken by myself.