Blendtec Fun! (And Peanut Butter Cups!)


**(This is an old post from 2010!! I have no idea why blogger decided to show it as a new 2014 post. Sorry about the mix-up!)**


Warning: I'm a little loopy and stuffy-nosey as I type this. There might be some nonsensical stuff goin' on here. Please ignore! :)

I am so spoiled! Mr. Wing-It wanted to buy me an end-of-our-exhausting-travels present and after much research he decided to buy me a Blendtec! YAY! Do I have the bestest husband or what?! A Blendtec! I am one of the cool kids now! :D

Blendtec Peanut Butter
Perfectly smooth peanut butter

Doesn't that peanut butter look perfect?! My first attempt at making peanut butter with my new toy was kind of a disaster. The end result wasn't really peanut butter, it was more like a peanut paste. Odd. It was my fault because I added some maple syrup to the peanuts before they were *completely* butterized (yeah, that's a word now) and the peanut paste never became smooth. That's cool, I used the peanut paste to make peanut butter blondies (same recipe as the almond butter blondies but with peanut butter... or paste) and they were grrrreat!

Wanna see my Blendtec in action, turning roasted peanuts into peanut butter? Watch this video! Don't ask me why I decided to end it with a curtsey though. Too much Austen, I guess! :P



Awesome stuff! Can't see the video? It's OK, don't feel left out, you can watch it on flickr.

*EDIT: The video is one minute and thirteen seconds, but the actual peanut butter making process took longer! Roughly about eight minutes, including all the stirring that happened in between cycles.

One pound of roasted peanuts made about nine ounces of peanut butter, and I turned some of it into peanut butter cups! These are nonconformist cups, because the filling is not the traditional one made with powdered sugar, this one is gooey and it's made with maple syrup.

Take it off!

Nonconformist Peanut Butter Cups (makes 12 mini cups)

2 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp full fat coconut milk
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt (or more if you like it sweet *and* salty)
2 tbsp ground almonds
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

(You will also need 12 candy cups or mini cupcake liners)

1. In a small mixing bowl combine the peanut butter, coconut milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Mix well and thoroughly stir in the salt and the ground almonds. Set aside.

2. In a dry glass bowl, microwave the chocolate chips on medium power for 45 seconds. Stir the chips around a bit and microwave again, on medium power for 30 more seconds. Stir and repeat until the chippers are completely melted.

3. Separate your candy cups or mini cupcake liners and use a butter knife (or any small knife with a rounded point) to coat the bottoms and sides of all the cups with the melted chocolate. A generous layer is best to keep the peanut butter cups from breaking. Freeze for five minutes or until the chocolate is hard and solid. *

4. Fill each cup with the peanut butter filling, but don't fill them all the way up to the top, leave a couple of millimeters for the chocolate topping. The filling should be quite sticky.

5. Top all the little cuppies with the rest of the melted chocolate. Spread the chocolate so that all the cups are nice and brown on top. You might need to reheat the chocolate if it's not soft anymore. Just 30 seconds in the microwave on medium power should do it. Freeze or refrigerate the cuppies until firm. I froze mine because I *wanted* them right away! :D

* I placed the cups in a mini muffin pan so they would have a nice even shape, but that's just my OCD talking.

Gooey Peanut Butter Filling
Nonconformist gooey filling

A few pictures of the peanut-butter-cup-making process:

Peanut butter cups - bottom layer
This is the bottom chocolate layer, already cold.

Peanut butter cups - filling
Peanut butter filling. Sorry about the awful picture.

Peanut butter cups - top layer
Chocolate topping with a swirly top

My new toy also makes super smooth hummus! Although the first time I used it to make hummus it was also a disaster. That's what I get for trying to follow the recipe that came with the recipe book! I forgot to wing it! :D

Blendtec Hummus
Perfectly smooth hummus. Yes, I eat hummus with potato chips.

The Blendtec is fairly easy to clean, which is always a plus! I use a long brush to wash it and unless I make something super sticky (like peanut butter!) cleaning it is no big deal. This thing has some serious power, and it gets very loud! Not loud enough for me to complain about it, especially because it doesn't need to run very long to destroy whatever you throw in there. And it makes smooth smoothies, unlike my old rinky-dink blender that made chunkies instead. And I have made elebenty batches of dairy-free milk. Oat milk, white rice milk, brown rice milk, millet milk...

Millet Milk
Millet milk. I don't drink plain milk of any kind. This picture is a sham!

And as if I weren't spoiled enough, the mailman just delivered an awesome package from Alisa of One Frugal Foodie (and Go Dairy Free!) Oh yes, Alisa had an awesome giveaway and I was the lucky winner of four cookbooks! Four!! The contents of my bounty: My Sweet Vegan, Vegan Brunch, The Urban Vegan, and Ani's Raw Food Kitchen! Whoooo! Thank you again, Alisa! I am psyched!!

Don't be jealous, you can also have an awesome new cookbook, and the best thing is that you can have it right now! Alisa has created an amazing eCookbook with 125 recipes and over 100 photos - all donated by lots of stellar food bloggers and cookbook authors! Oh yeah, and it's free! This communal gem is called Smart School Time Recipes: The Breakfast, Snack, and Lunchbox Cookbook for Healthy Kids and Adults and you can download it here! Not all the recipes are vegan, but most recipes can be veganized these days. I will be doing a cookbook spotlight for this awesomeness very soon! :)

PS: Is anybody interested in a millet milk post/recipe, complete with creamy aerolatte foam and all? Or maybe a brown rice milk? Or both? :)


Comments

  1. Congratulations on your new blender. I know just how you feel because I just got a new (well, reconditioned) Vitamix. I tried it out today and made horrible soup. But it was my fault. Then I made ice cream that was a smoothie instead. I know I'll get the hang of it in no time. Right? The power is just awesome.

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    1. Hahaha Andrea, you made me laugh. I think we've all made icecream into smoothies at some point! Good luck!

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  2. Holy you-know-what, that's AMAZING. My husband and I just ogled your video and I am now plotting ways to get a Blendtec of my very own! The cuppies look delicious!

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  3. wow, your video and photos look professional! The blog looks great, you must be having fun after your travels.

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  4. Yum! I dream of having a Blendtec one day. I am very interested in your recipes for millet milk and brown rice milk- please do share them!

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  5. I just drooled a little on my keyboard over your peanut butter. I still haven't done that myself, although that is what I was most excited to try with my Vitamix. Laziness will do that to you, I suppose.

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  6. I have blender envy now! Watching you make that peanut butter was AWESOME! It's just like magic! And I've been meaning to make peanut butter cups for the loooongest time but I'm frightened because I just know I'd make a piggy of myself and scoff them all. Must make some for presents and give them away QUICKLY!

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  7. You made your own peanut butter AND peanut butter cups? You are officially my hero.

    I can't get over how well your BlendTec blended those peanuts up. I wish my blender worked as well as that! It would probably take me an hour to make peanut butter.

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  8. Congrats on the new toy! (But you were always one of the cool kids, Blendtec or not). :)

    I love the nonconformist PB cups! I made the same mistake with almonds and ended up with paste when I added agave too soon--waa! But it was fun to just eat it as a candy or spread it on rice cakes.

    And of course I would LOVE your millet milk recipe! That sounds amazing! Now I'm off to watch your video. . .

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  9. Andrea - Thank you! And congratulations on your new Vitamix! I'm sure you'll get the hang of it soon. My first Blendtec hummus was almost inedible, my first oat milk was a goopy mess, but I'm getting better at using it! :)

    Jennifer - I hope you can get one!! I am going to contact Blendtec to see if they want me to host a giveaway. I have never seen a Blendtec giveaway, only Vitamix ones, but who knows. It couldn't hurt to ask! :)

    Lisa - Thank you! It's really nice to have a kitchen again, and all the comforts of home! I'm getting too old for this traveling business! :P

    Arielmaya - Will do! So far my favorite has been the brown rice milk, with the millet milk being a close second. I will make a batch of each for my next post and I will also show how well they get all whippy with the aerolatte! :)

    Katie - *gasp* Procrastinator! You must! It's so awesome to make your own peanut butter! I will never buy it again from now on. It cost me a buck and seventy cents to make my own peanut butter. YAY! :D

    Jeni - You could always freeze them if you don't want to scoff them all... or you could just scoff them all! :D Don't tell anyone, but it really was magic. My magic wand just wasn't in the shot! :D

    Kiersten - Aww, thank you! My old blender was such a useless slowpoke! I wish these power blenders were a little less expensive. *sigh*

    Ricki - We were both in a hurry to sweeten up the goods! Hee hee! Aww, thank you! If cool means awkward and weird, then yes! :P

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  10. oooh, a gooey PB center, that is non-conformist and such a great idea!

    Thanks for the mention of everything! Hope you really enjoy the books :)

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  11. Can I tell you how much I love that you called these peanut butter cups non-conformist! These look SENSATIONAL!

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  12. A blendtec, how awesome! I'm swooning over those peanut butter cups. Be still my chocolate & peanut butter loving heart!

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  13. I love my blendtec! It is so awesome. Your pb cups look pretty amazing too!

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  14. This Wing-It video might go down in history as being one of the cutest videos ever!

    I have a Vita-Mix and love it equally as much as you seem to love your Blendtec! They really are game-changers, aren't they?

    I'd personally love the millet milk recipe. I hadn't even thought of that as a possibility. What's next...quinoa milk?

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  15. It wont let me watch the video, but I'll take your word for it! I am glad you are lovin yout Blendtec! Isn't it such a great investment? I need to make those peanut butter cups, like, immediately!

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  16. Alisa - No, thank YOU! I am already enjoying the cookbooks and trying to figure out what to make first. It will probably be something from My Sweet Vegan, because my sweet tooth rules my brain! :D

    Jennifer - I love weird recipe titles! There's also the Mutant Flourless Cookies, and the Improper Cottage pie. I just can't be normal! :D

    Jes - I know! It's the ultimate foodie gift! I am eating a pb cup as we speak... ya' want? :P

    Radioactivegan - (I love that name!) Blendtec lovers unite! I am curious to see how it compares with the Vitamix. Not curious enough to buy one though!

    Vegyogini - Aww, thank you! Was it the curtsey? I almost edited it out because it was so quirky! :D One recipe for millet milk, coming right up! Oooh quinoa milk! I'll try that next time I need to make a new batch of milk, which will probably be tomorrow.

    Carissa - Boo! It won't let me watch it either, I have to watch it directly through flickr for some silly reason. A super blender is the best investment for a foodie! :)

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  17. I love the video (and music!). And those PB cups look KILLERRR...oh my, that gooey filling! It almost looks like pecan pie filling, ::swoon:: Congrats on the Blendtec, and those 4 new cookbooks! I have all of them, and I can vouch that each one is awesome.

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  18. I don't drink plain milk of any kind either so I love the sham. Chocolate soy milk though, that I can do.

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  19. Yum, those peanut butter cups look fantastic! I have a blender envy also. :o) Some one recommended a Blendtec to me today. I am going to have to check it out, because I so need a new one!

    Congrats on your new cookbooks. I need to check those out! You have a great blog...love it!

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  20. Now I'm feeling very hungry, and very inadequate about my blender! ("will my blender blend?" No, no it wont. Not properly anyway). Oh to have a blender that fulfils it's one and only reason for being! *sigh*

    Mr Wing-It rocks! What a sweet gift! :D

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  21. Everything looks great! I love my Blend-tec, too. I haven't made nut butter yet, but coincidentally, my husband asked just last night if we could start making our own nut butters. I've been looking at bulk places online to purchase some. Do you buy yours in any particular place?

    Funny - when I saw your milk picture, I automatically thought, "I don't know how people drink full cups of milk (even non-dairy) milk!" I just can't. Then I read your caption.

    I enjoyed your video.

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  22. Amber Shea - Isn't that song fun? You gotta love Elvis! I'm having recipe overload and I can't figure out what to make first from my new cookbooks! Help! :D

    Kelly - Plain milk is so unappealing. Yuck! I do like the *look* of a white glass of milk and a plate of perfect chocolate cookies, I just don't want to drink the milk! :P

    Michelle - Thank you! I did ask the Blendtec guys if they would like me to host a giveaway for them, but I have never seen any Blendtec giveaways so I might just be dreaming here. Fingers crossed!

    Wabbit - Stupid appliances and electronics that won't fulfil their only purpose in life! Oy! Maybe you should pester the Veggiesaurus! It will be Catmas time soon! :D

    Jenny - Yes! Definitely do it! I buy my nuts in bulk from the regular grocery store, but these peanuts were pre-packaged peanuts that were on sale. It's so hard to find roasted peanuts without any cornstarch or maltodextrin in them though. Good luck making your own nut butters! It's fun! Oh, and our plain-milk haters club seems to keep growing! :D

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  23. Oh man, where to start...honestly, everything I have made from the Urban Vegan cookbook has been stellar. It may be my favorite of the four. The rosemary olive bread was really amazing.
    From My Sweet Vegan, you've gotta try the mocha devastation cake! So sinful...so delicious.

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  24. Thanks for the suggestions! Wow, that cake looks so friggin' good! I'm not even a big fan of mocha stuff and I still want that cake! :P

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  25. Nonconformist they may be, but your peanut butter cups look better than any I've ever seen! I've been dying to get a blendtec or vitamix forever... maybe someday! Than I can make my nut butters looks just as smooth as yours.

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  26. Thank you, Jodye! I hope you can buy a super blender some day, they are such a good investment! My counter thingie says that I have used my blender exactly 100 times, and I have only had it for a few weeks! :D

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  27. Hope you enjoy all of those books, but especially mine! ;)

    And I've gotta say, your chocolates look so perfectly tempered, I'm just a little bit jealous. I still struggle with that!

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  28. Thanks, Hannah! I am enjoying my books very much, and my sweet tooth keeps drawing me toward yours! :)

    Chocolate can be so pesky! The only reason why I can forgive its peskiness is because it's so yummy.

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  29. Those peanut butter cups made me drool! Too bad I am staying away from sugar for awhile or I would be in the kitchen making these right now!

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  30. Squee! So glad you're back. I've been missing your awesome foodage.

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  31. You have much will-power! I would have a hard time staying away from sugar! I'm such a junkie! :P

    Squeee right back at you! It's been so good to be back! Are you ready for Halloweegan? It's almost time! :D

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  32. I love how uniform the pb cups came out! I am super horrible at making candy of any kind. It comes out misshapen every time. Haha.

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  33. Your gooey filling actually looks better than the "real thing". And I LOVE the real thing, so that's saying a lot.

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  34. I made the peanut butter cups tonight and they came tres yummy! I made them in mini cupcake liners but I needed to double the recipe for some reason. I think the chocolate needs to be thinned out a bit as well.

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  35. Hello there! I just found your blog via a link on Oh She Glows and I *love* it! Will definitely be subscribing to read more. These peanut butter cups look scrumptious!

    Leia

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  36. I'm not sure why it showed up in my rss this morning either, but I'm glad it did, because those look amazing.

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    1. Freaky stuff! Go home, Blogger, you're drunk! :)

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