With fall flavors making their grand debut, we’re all about finding ways to transform sugary seasonal sweets into healthy treats. And, these healthy pumpkin spice almond butter cups truly are pumpkin spice and everything nice. No sneaky sugars, artificial flavors, or hidden ingredients. Just seven wholesome foods made to taste as indulgent as candy! But unlike candy, these healthy pumpkin spice almond butter cups are naturally sweetened, full of protein, and loaded with superfood ingredients. No need to choose between your fitness goals or your fall cravings — you can have both.
Pumpkin Spice Almond Butter Cups Ingredients
Pumpkin Spice
Nicknamed pumpkin pie spice, this seasonal flavoring packs in both nutrition and taste. In fact, it’s the main ingredient in most pumpkin-flavored dishes, as it enhances the fall flavor without adding excess calories or sugar!
And, there’s more. This spice blend (made with spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves) offers a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory boost.
Almond Butter
To give these healthy fall-flavored almond butter cups a protein-rich boost, we opted for almond butter as our nut butter of choice. Almond butter contains more than 6 grams of plant-based protein per serving, making it a satiating choice. Plus, it’s full of fiber and other nutrients like vitamin E, iron, and potassium!
Not a fan of almond butter? Not to worry, any nut or seed butter can be used in its place!
Honey
We used honey as our all-natural sweetener of choice for these delicious and healthy pumpkin spice almond butter cups. Thanks to its rich antioxidant levels, digestive enzymes, and vitamins and minerals, honey is a nutritious alternative to processed sugar.
Cocoa Powder
Most chocolate treats are made with artificial cocoa or dairy-filled chocolate. But, not this dessert! Unsweetened cocoa powder not only keeps sugar low but it also provides an antioxidant boost.
Coconut Oil
This fatty acid acts as a natural “binder” since coconut oil becomes solid when chilled. This means no preservatives and stabilizers are necessary! Just wholesome ingredients to help form the chocolate mixture of these healthy pumpkin spice almond butter cups.
Flavors
To bring out the indulgent chocolate and vanilla flavors, we added unsweetened chocolate chips and vanilla bean extract (or vanilla bean powder) to this recipe. To keep it low sugar, avoid chocolate chips full sugar. Instead, choose an unsweetened variety.
Pumpkin Spice Almond Butter Cups
Ingredients:
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup almond butter
Step #1: Gather & Prep Ingredients
Start by gathering your ingredients, then lining a muffin tin with liners and set aside.
Step #2: Mix & Melt the Chocolate
Next, prepare the chocolate base. Add the coconut oil, chocolate chips, and raw honey to a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir until the mixture starts to melt.
Once mixed, add the pumpkin spice, cocoa powder, and vanilla and whisk well.
Step #3: Prepare the First Layer of the Pumpkin Almond Butter Cups
Add about one tablespoon of the melted chocolate mixture to each lined muffin tin. Top with a dollop of almond butter and set in the freezer for 10 minutes.
Step #4: Cover the Pumpkin Almond Butter with Chocolate
Pour enough of the melted chocolate mixture to cover the dollop of almond butter and place back in the freezer to set for another 15-20 minutes.
Step #5: Sprinkle with Sea Salt and Enjoy!
Sprinkle with sea salt with the option to add extra pumpkin spice. Store the almond butter cups in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to enjoy!
The Nutritious and Tasty Upgrade for Fall Candy Favorites
Now that you know how easy healthy fall treats can be, you never have to sacrifice your fitness goals for your sweet tooth again! Ready to get started? Simply grab your seven ingredients (most of which you likely have on hand!), and let’s get baking.
