These oatmeal peanut butter cups are a healthy and delicious treat. They’re full of protein and they support healthy milk production. They can be whipped up quickly and are a great postpartum snack.
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Peanut Butter Cups
There’s nothing better than the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, especially a chocolate peanut butter cup. Am I right?
This recipe combines my love of chocolate peanut butter cups with the concept of a protein ball.
Not only are these protein peanut butter cups delicious, but they’re healthy too!
The ingredients in this recipe support milk production while breastfeeding and help curb sugar cravings. They’re a great postpartum snack.
I can’t even type this right now, because I want to go make another batch.
They’re so good.
What goes in Protein Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cups?
There are a couple of secret ingredients in this recipe that boost the nutrition in theses peanut butter cups. I should note that these are not a low-calorie food. Here’s what goes in them:
Dark Chocolate – I always knew there were benefits to eating dark chocolate, but I didn’t realize how many benefits until I started researching it recently.
According to a this article,1 dark chocolate protects against cardiovascular disease, heart disease, stroke, cancers, diabetes, and hypertension.
It also helps with the regulation of blood sugar, antioxidant support, DNA repair and more.
This is great news for chocolate lovers like myself.
Natural Peanut Butter – There are 8 grams of protein in two tablespoons of peanut butter. While that is not nearly as much protein as you can get in a steak, peanut butter is one of the best sources of plant protein.
Be sure to use peanut butter that does not contain added sugars. My favorite brand is Adams peanut butter.
Oats – There are a lot of health benefits to eating oats. According to this study,2 oats are a good source of low-cost protein with good nutritional value.
Growing up, my mom taught us that grains and legumes combine to make a complete protein. The peanuts and oats are a great combination to provide a good balance of amino acids.
Oats are also known to boost milk production so they’re a great staple for breastfeeding moms. If you’re looking for more ways to add oats to your diet, try out these strawberry banana oatmeal muffins.
Vanilla Protein Powder – To give these protein oatmeal peanut butter cups a protein boost, I added a scoop of vanilla protein powder.
This is the protein powder I used for this recipe. I think it’s super yummy and it came highly recommended to me. It is a whey isolate protein so it does contain dairy.
For a plant based protein, I highly recommend this Orgain vanilla protein powder. I buy it from Costco, but you can get it at pretty much any grocery store. It is loaded with fruits and veggies and it tastes great!
You can use whatever vanilla flavored protein powder you love.
Honey – While honey is great in this recipe as a natural sweetener, I also love that it is also anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial.
It also just tastes really good with peanut butter.
Coconut Oil – Unrefined virgin coconut oil is a staple in our kitchen and in our home and beauty products.
Like honey, coconut oil has antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.
If you don’t care for the taste of coconut, you can use a refined coconut oil that has a neutral flavor. You’ll want to look for coconut oil that has been steam refined like the Nutiva brand.
Ground Flax Seeds – I love to add flax seeds to my yogurt, oatmeal, and protein balls.
The flax seeds are a great way to boost the nutrition of these peanut butter cups.
They’re an antioxidant, high in fiber, and actually provide some protein. They’re also a good source of healthy fats that moms need.
Flax seeds should always be ground up before consuming. They body is not able to break down and use the flax seeds if they are swallowed whole.
I find it easiest to purchase flax seeds already ground up, but you can use a food processor or coffee grinder to grind them.
You can substitute the flax with chia or hemp seeds.
How to make protein oatmeal peanut butter cups
These peanut butter cups are so easy to make.
- Mix peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil in a bowl.
- Add protein powder and ground flax seeds. Stir to combine. Fold in oats.
- Divide into 9 even balls and press into muffin tin.
- Melt dark chocolate chips over a double boiler. Pour onto the peanut butter cups.
- Chill in fridge or freezer for several hours to harden.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
- You can make these in a regular sized muffin tin or a mini muffin tin, depending on how big you want your peanut butter cups.
Have you tried these protein oatmeal peanut butter cups? Let me know in the comments!
Protein Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cups with Dark Chocolate
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
- 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil, soft (but not melted)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (my scoop is 1/3 cup)
- 2 tablespoon ground flax seeds
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Mix peanut butter, honey, and coconut oil in a bowl.
- Add protein powder and ground flax seeds. Stir to combine. Fold in oats.
- Divide into 9 even balls and press into muffin tin.
- Melt dark chocolate chips over a double boiler. Pour on top the peanut butter cups.
- Chill in fridge or freezer for several hours to harden.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
- You can make these in a regular sized muffin tin or a mini muffin tin, depending on how big you want your peanut butter cups.
Sources
- Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Arvind-Singh-21/post/Do_you_like_dark_Chocolate_Is_it_harmful_to_the_body/attachment/5b648bf74cde265cb653bcb5/AS%3A655588992229380%401533316004363/download/1.pdf
- Nutritional advantages of oats and opportunities for its processing as value added foods – a review https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4325078/#:~:text=Oat%20protein,content%20of%2011%E2%80%9315%20%25.
Quickly, tasty snack. But realistically only ends up about 7g of protein per cup. More of a fat bomb than a protein snack, which is still fine depending on what you’re looking for.