Peanut Butter Cups

I have a candy mold in the shape of Reese's peanut butter cups, so I thought I'd try to make a version of them that I would actually eat. I remember that flavor fondly as a child. I've always loved peanut butter, but it isn't raw. Sometimes you can find peanuts that declare themselves to be raw, but they are most certainly blanched to get the skins off, so I have yet to find a truly raw peanut. Normally I'd substitute almond butter, but I really wanted the sharper taste of peanut butter for nostalgia. So the chocolate in these candies is raw, but the filling is not. To make myself feel better about using peanut butter, I added maca and lacuma powders to the filling.

Maca powder is grown in the Andes and helps to balance hormones, specifically supporting the endocrine system. It is said to support the adrenals, pancreatic, pituitary and thyroid gland and has a reputation as an energizer and libido enhancer. I generally think the reason for its reputation is that balanced hormones make us feel energized in all areas of our lives.

Actually I have a funny story to tell you about buying pounds of maca when I was in Peru. Maca is rather expensive in the U.S. but quite cheap in its homeland. I was buying unroasted maca at a local Peruvian market. I was going from vendor to vendor buying up what I could. I could hear men talking in Spanish, pointing, and laughing at me.  They started to follow me in a friendly manner, smiling at me and winking. I smiled back and continued to gather my maca. If what they say about maca is true, you can only guess what these men were thinking of me. It was all quite funny and friendly, and I came home with a two year supply of my favorite supplement. All of that maca powder probably still cost me less then one jar in the U.S., so I didn't mind the laughter. It was well worth it to me.

Lacuma is also from Peru. It comes from a fruit that is dried and pulverized into powder. It contains many nutrients, including beta-carotene, iron, zinc, vitamin B3, calcium and protein. It has a maple flavor but is low on the glycemic index. It a great alternative sweetener because, unlike many sweeteners, it still has nutritional value. It, too, has a reputation for increasing fertility, but I can't say much about that. I can say that I like the flavor, and I like the option to blend it with agave so I don't have to use as much of the latter.

I used the chocolate recipe posted in earlier posts but am including the filling recipe here.

Peanut Butter Filling for Peanut Butter Cups:

1/2 c. unsweetened peanut butter
1 T. lacuma powder
1 t. maca powder (use more if you like the taste)
2 T. agave
1 t. vanilla 
2 to 3 T. water to thin filling
dash of sea salt