Dark Chocolate Tahini Cups
Dark Chocolate Tahini Cups, easy homemade chocolate cups with a gooey tahini filling. A sweet and savory treat!
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Love peanut butter cups? Make them with tahini! These DIY dark chocolate cups are filled with maple sweetened tahini for a sweet, savory, chocolate-y plant-based treat.
👩🍳 Kristina’s recipe notes
EASE: Easy, only 25 minutes, simple ingredients
PROS: Decadent, perfect mix of sweet and savory
PREP? Lasts 5 days in fridge
PLAN IT: Make a batch for a week of sweet treats
DIETITIAN NOTES: Only plant-based ingredients, gluten-free
🍫 Ingredients
- Dark chocolate chips: any type of dark chocolate made for baking will work, I like chips because they melt faster
- Tahini: a thicker tahini works best, but any type of tahini will do (see notes)
- Maple syrup: a touch of maple syrup sweetens the tahini filling
- Garnishes: sesame seeds and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt
- Optional ingredients: adding a touch of sesame oil to the melted chocolate adds a lot of flavor and if your tahini is too thin you can add a bit of ground flax seed
- Recommended tools: muffin tin, muffin liners, glass mixing bowls
🥣 How to make (step-by-step photos)
1️⃣ Step One: Prep muffin tin and make tahini filling
First, place muffin liners inside muffin tin and set aside.
Then make the tahini cup filling by adding tahini to a small bowl with maple syrup and mix well to combine.
👉 What should you do if your tahini is very thin? If your tahini is very thin, add ground flax seeds and let sit about 10 minutes until the tahini mixture thickens.
2️⃣ Step Two: Melt chocolate (2 ways)
Place chocolate chips into a medium mixing bowl and add sesame oil (this is optional if you have it, but it adds a lot of flavor).
Then melt the chocolate in one of two ways:
- Microwave method: Melt chocolate by either placing it in the microwave for 15-30 seconds at a time and stirring until smooth.
- Water bath method (in video): Heat the mixing bowl by placing it over a water bath by heating water in a medium pot over medium heat and placing the glass mixing bowl right over the pot. Then stir chocolate chips until they are completely smooth.
3️⃣ Step Three: Fill and freeze cups
There are three steps to make the chocolate cups:
- To make the tahini cups, first place 2 tablespoons of melted chocolate into each muffin, making sure to coat the sides of the muffin liner; then place the muffin tin in the freezer for 10 minutes. When the bottom of the chocolate cup is solid, remove from the freezer.
- Then place 2 teaspoons of the tahini mixture in the center of the cup; freeze another 5 minutes.
- Finally, remove the muffin tin and add 2 more tablespoons dark chocolate on top of the tahini to form the top of the cup. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and flaky sea salt, and freeze 10 more minutes.
4️⃣ Step Four: Remove the cups from muffin liners
To finish, remove the cups from the muffin liners. Then enjoy!
💡 Recipe Tips
- What type of dark chocolate can you use for these cups? I like using dark chocolate chips made for baking because I’ve found that they melt down better than regular chocolate bars or squares, however any type of dark chocolate that you can melt will work. I personally like Enjoy Life brand (not sponsored, just a fan).
- What type of tahini should you use? Any type will do, but if you have find a thicker tahini – and not what some call a “drippy” tahini – then it will thicken up better and won’t melt out of the finished cups. However, you can thicken up a thin tahini by adding ground flax seed (see recipe for notes) or even mixing in a teaspoon or two of flour.
- What garnishes should you use on these cups? Get creative! I used sesame seeds and a flaky sea salt in these photos but you can add fruit, nuts, other seeds, etc.
🧊 How to store and reheat
- Refrigerator storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
- Freezer storage: Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month; to thaw, simply place them in the refrigerator for 24 hours before eating.
👉 More DIY chocolate recipes
Want more plant-based chocolate recipes? Try Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, Salted Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries, and Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars.
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Dark Chocolate Tahini Cups
Equipment
- 1 muffin tin
- 12 muffin liners
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- 1 small mixing bowl
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup tahini
- ½ tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ tablespoon ground flax seeds optional
- 1 ¼ cups dark chocolate chips
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil optional
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds for garnish
- 1 pinch flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Prep muffin tin: Place muffin liners inside muffin tin and set aside.
- Mix tahini filling: Add tahini to a small bowl with maple syrup and mix well to combine. If your tahini is very thin, add ground flax seeds and let sit about 10 minutes until the tahini mixture thickens.⅓ cup tahini, ½ tablespoon maple syrup, ½ tablespoon ground flax seeds
- Melt chocolate: Place chocolate chips into a medium mixing bowl and add sesame oil (this is optional if you have it, but it adds a lot of flavor). Melt chocolate by either placing it in the microwave for 15-30 seconds at a time and stirring until smooth, or heat the mixing bowl by placing it over a water bath by heating water in a medium pot over medium heat and placing the glass mixing bowl right over the pot. Then stir chocolate chips until they are completely smooth.1 ¼ cups dark chocolate chips, ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- Fill and freeze muffin cups: To make the tahini cups, first place 2 tablespoons of melted chocolate into each muffin, making sure to coat the sides of the muffin liner; then place the muffin tin in the freezer for 10 minutes. When the bottom of the chocolate cup is solid, remove from the freezer and place 2 teaspoons of the tahini mixture in the center of the cup; freeze another 5 minutes. Finally, remove the muffin tin and add 2 more tablespoons dark chocolate on top of the tahini to form the top of the cup. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and flaky sea salt, and freeze 10 more minutes.1 tablespoon sesame seeds, 1 pinch flaky sea salt
- Enjoy or store for later: To finish, remove the cups from the muffin liners. Then either enjoy immediately, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to savor.
Nutrition
Notes
