High Protein Peanut Butter Cups

So, funny story about me and peanut butter... I always hated it, my whole life.  I know it's, like, everyone's favorite thing, but I just never liked it!  I gave my Reese's cups away after trick-or-treating, I chose tuna over pb&j, and I preferred my apple slices on their own.  But when I was pregnant with my first child, I craved peanut butter SO BAD!  We were buying those huge, Costco-sized tubs of it on a regular basis, and I ate it every chance I got.  And ever since then, I've loved peanut butter!  It's like that pregnancy converted me, and y'all know what they say about the fervor of a convert...

I think we all know the BEST way to eat peanut butter is with chocolate, amirite?  No more trading away Reese's cups for me - I'm gonna hoard those beauties all for myself (and maybe even steal the kids', too)!  But, since I'm trying my best to eat healthier & stick to my high protein/low carb regimen, I wondered if I could maybe make a healthier version for myself.  I make peanut butter balls at the holidays, so the process was easily tweaked to make a healthier filling, and these High Protein Peanut Butter Cups were born.  These delicious treats have all the flavor of a Reese's, but with way less sugar and triple the protein!

INGREDIENTS

-2 tbsp whey protein (I used chocolate, but vanilla would work)

-1/4 Cup PB2 powdered peanut butter

-1/4 Cup skim milk

-3 tbsp creamy peanut butter

-1 Cup chocolate chips (I used Hershey's special dark, but you do you, boo)

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, combine the protein powder, the PB2, and the skim milk, and stir until smooth.  Add the peanut butter and mix to combine into one smooth filling.  Set aside.  Melt the chocolate chips however you like - in the microwave, using a double boiler, in a small pot on the stove, whatever.  Pour a small layer of melted chocolate into each of 8 silicone cupcake molds & freeze until chocolate is solid.  When they're ready, add a spoonful of the filling to each cup and smooth it down, making sure you leave an edge for the chocolate coating to surround it.  Top the cups with the rest of the melted chocolate, then freeze them again til they're completely solid.  You want to store them in the freezer, too :)