Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Granola Parfaits. Is there really anything more to say here?
Homemade dairy-free Peanut butter cups. Classic. Delicious. They belong in a parfait.
Whoa…..I’m feeling faint here….would you check these out??
Best peanut butter cups I’ve ever had.
These have a nice soft chocolate exterior, yet they hold their shape….they are almost fudge-like. Even better, zero oil. There are a billion peanut butter cup recipes out there, but the way I created this one is to have a slightly softer exterior than traditional ones, which tend to be on the hard side. Most recipes are simply melted chocolate, but that creates too hard of a shell in my opinion.
This entire recipe, including the homemade peanut butter cups, is just 8 ingredients! Can you believe that? I know you all know that is my concept…but sometimes I really have to work some magic to make it happen with recipes.
Slurp, slurp, slurrrrp…
This dessert parfait is vegan, gluten-free, oil-free and yet it tastes as good as any parfait out there. It is definitely not low-calorie, so a little goes a long way. I literally kept mine in the fridge for a week, just having a bite here and there so I didn’t overdo it.
Make these Peanut Butter Cup Granola Parfaits or just make the granola and and then tell me it wasn’t parfait heaven! Leave me feedback below in the comments letting me know how it turned out. I love to keep permanent track of feedback on my recipes, and on the blog is the best way, so thank you!
If you want to take a pic, be sure to tag me on Instagram with #thevegan8, otherwise I may miss your notification! Happy peanut butter cup granola parfait eating!
Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Parfait
Ingredients
PEANUT BUTTER CUPS (makes 3, plenty for the parfaits)
- 3 tablespoons (48g) creamy natural peanut butter with no additives, other than salt
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt if your peanut butter doesn't have any
- 1/2 heaping cup (100g) cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)
- 2 tablespoons (30g) "lite" canned coconut milk
- 1/2 tablespoon (3g) unsweetened cocoa powder
PEANUT BUTTER CUP GRANOLA
- 2 cups (200g) old fashioned gluten-free rolled oats
- 3 tablespoons (18g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup (64g) creamy natural peanut butter with no additives, other than salt
- 1/2 cup (160g) maple syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (8g) vanilla extract
- 2-3 tablespoons (30-45g) mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 teaspoon salt if your peanut butter doesn't have any
- your favorite dairy-free yogurt
TIME-SAVING TIP
- Make the peanut butter cups the day before you want to serve these.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- To make the homemade peanut butter cups, add the peanut butter, syrup and vanilla (and salt if your peanut butter doesn't have any) to a small bowl and stir until smooth. The syrup and vanilla will cause it to thicken up really quickly, like a cookie dough. Set aside.
- Next, melt the chocolate chips, with the milk, over a double boiler or in the microwave. Start with 30 seconds in the microwave, stir, then another 15 seconds until almost melted. Be very careful about overheating, as the chocolate will harden and be useless or burn. Remove and stir until completely smooth.
- The chocolate will thicken, so move quickly. Pour about a tablespoon into the bottom of 3 liners and smooth out. Place in the fridge to set for about 15 minutes.
- Tip: While the chocolate is chilling, start the granola below.
- Using about 2 teaspoons of the peanut butter filling, roll into little balls and place on top of the chocolates. Slightly flatten them out, leaving about a 1/4 inch gap from the edges for the remaining chocolate. You will likely have a bit extra peanut butter filling, but don't overfill the chocolates.
- Remove the chocolates from the fridge. You may need to slightly rewarm your remaining chocolate. Do so for just a few seconds in the microwave, otherwise too long and the chocolate will seize up. Pour the remaining chocolate (about a tablespoon each) over the tops of the peanut butter, gently smoothing the tops with your spoon.
- To make the granola, preheat the oven to 325°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Add the oats and cocoa powder to a large bowl and stir. In a separate smaller bowl, add the peanut butter, syrup and vanilla and stir until smooth. Pour over the oats. Stir together until combined well. You will not be adding the chocolate chips yet.
- Spread the granola out evenly on the prepared pan about 1/2 inch thick. Bake on the low rack for 15 minutes. Remove, stir around really well and from the bottom so that it can all cook evenly. Add back to the oven and cook 10 more minutes.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle the chocolate chips all over the granola. Stir it around to melt the chocolate. Let cool for 30 minutes and it will crisp up really well.
- Layer glasses with granola, yogurt, broken up peanut butter cups and repeat until full.
Notes
I use certified gluten-free oats from Bob's Red Mill. However, several people with celiac disease or gluten-intolerance still cannot have oats, so be sure to be careful or discuss with your doctor if you are unsure about oats.
O.M.G!!!!! Brandi, this is absolutely DIVINE!!!! By themselves, each ingredient is awesome (and for the cream this is saying a lot for me because I cannot stand coconut….I avoid it like the plague haha), but together?? They are FABULOUS!!!! Even my daughter (who does not like coconut either) LOVED it!! I will definitely be making this again and will reserve this for my once a month treat! What can I say about the PB cups? They are so much better than any store bought ones I have ever tried (and next time I will use a regular size liner over the molds I used this time) including the classic Reese’s cups. Everything is absolutely to die for!! I think next time I will try it with a homemade chocolate pudding (chia or avocado) for a lower fat version, but yeah we are loving this. 😀
Thank you, thank you, thank you for coming up with this recipe!!! You are so AWESOME!!!
I would love to write a review of all the recipes I have tried on my blog if that’s is okay (always linking back to yours of course!)!
Wow Tiffany! Your feedback made my day! I’m super thrilled to hear how much you loved the parfait! This makes me super happy that both you and your daughter loved it and thank you so much for making sooooo many of my recipes and sharing all of them on Instagram! You are a sweetheart!
Oh and yes, link any recipe you want to on your blog, I’d be honored, thank you!
Wow Brandi! You really did work your magic with this one. At first glance, I was thinking nooooo, it couldn’t be only 8 ingredients! But it really is! Amazing….I can’t wait to make this! What a great thing to make when you are craving a Blizzard from Dairy Queen. Thanks!
Awww thank you so much Michaell!! I’m so glad you like them and yes, it took a bit of finessing…but I got the whole shabang at 8 ingredients, haha!
Thank you so much Harriet, they really are the yummiest ones I’ve ever had!!