Chai-Spiced Almond Butter Cups
No-bake dark chocolate cups filled with chai-spiced almond butter, finished with flaky salt. Soft center, snappy shell, ready after a short chill.
Equipment
- Mini muffin tin
- Mini paper liners
- Heatproof bowl
- Small spatula or teaspoon
Ingredients
For the chocolate shells
- 200 g dark chocolate 60 to 70%, chopped
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil or ghee optional, for a glossier shell
For the chai almond butter filling
- 1/2 cup smooth almond butter 120 g, natural, well stirred
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or powdered jaggery
- 1/2 teaspoon ground green cardamom elaichi
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- pinch freshly ground black pepper
- pinch fine salt
- 1-2 teaspoons milk of choice only if the filling is too stiff to scoop
To finish
- flaky sea salt
- crushed pistachios optional, or a few chai spice dustings
Instructions
Melt the chocolate
- Line a 12-cup mini muffin tin with paper liners.
- Melt the dark chocolate (and coconut oil or ghee, if using) in a heatproof bowl set over barely simmering water, or in the microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring between each. Stop when a few soft pieces remain and stir until smooth. Overheating makes the chocolate seize or bloom later.
Build the bottom shells
- Spoon about 1 teaspoon of melted chocolate into each liner. Use the back of the spoon to push chocolate slightly up the sides so you get a shallow cup, not a flat disc.
- Chill 8 to 10 minutes until the bottoms are set to the touch but not rock-hard.
Mix the chai filling
- In a small bowl, stir almond butter, maple or jaggery, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, black pepper, and salt until evenly speckled with spice. Taste. You should get chai first, then nuttiness. Add a teaspoon of milk only if you cannot scoop it.
- If the filling feels loose or oily, refrigerate 10 minutes until thick and scoopable.
Fill and seal
- Scoop about 1 teaspoon of filling into each chocolate cup. Leave a little rim of chocolate showing so the top layer can seal cleanly. Do not press so hard that the bottom cracks.
- Spoon the remaining melted chocolate over each cup to cover the filling. Tap the tin gently on the counter to settle the tops and pop air bubbles.
- Sprinkle flaky salt (and pistachios, if using) while the chocolate is still wet.
- Chill 30 to 45 minutes until fully set. Peel the liners and serve cool, not ice-cold, so the filling stays soft.
Notes
Spice balance: Start with the amounts above. Cloves get loud fast. If your mix tastes medicinal, you used too much.
Almond butter swap: Peanut butter works one-for-one and tastes closer to a classic cup with a chai twist. Cashew butter is milder and sweeter.
Chocolate choice: 60 to 70% keeps the cups from tasting bitter against the spices. Milk chocolate works for kids; reduce or skip the maple if it is already sweet.
Seized chocolate: If chocolate turns grainy, stir in 1/2 teaspoon warm coconut oil and keep stirring off heat. Prevention is better: dry utensils, low heat.
Storage: Airtight in the fridge up to 1 week, or freeze up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge 15 to 20 minutes before eating so the center softens.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!