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Happy Easter, friends! Well, almost that is. Resurrection Day is just a few weeks away and I wanted to share a recipe for one of my favorite Easter treats- Healthier Reese's Eggs! These cute little egg-shaped goodies are filled with healthy, protein-packed ingredients like peanut butter, flax meal, and collagen protein, while still maintaining the delicious flavor of a Reese's cup. Each egg contains a whopping 12g of protein, which is pretty good for a dessert!
Reese's Cups have been one of my favorite desserts since I was a kid- I really don't think there is a more suitable pair than the combination of chocolate and peanut butter. But I am always looking for ways to make common treats healthier and more nutrient dense, so this seemed like a good way to do that! You get all the goodness of a chocolate-peanut butter dessert but with the added benefits of fiber from the flax meal and protein from the collagen powder. Plus this recipe uses only whole-food ingredients and no added preservatives or flavors. It's a win-win!
Ingredients
Peanut Butter: This one is a staple in our household. Although we do have many allergies between the two of us, peanuts are thankfully not one of them. We try to choose organic peanut butter when possible since peanuts are a crop that is traditionally heavily sprayed with pesticides. This peanut butter is my go to brand- it’s organic and peanuts are the only ingredient! No additives like sugar and palm oil. But for this recipe any peanut butter or other type of nut butter that you like will do just fine!
Flax Meal: Ground flax is a great addition to this dessert because it adds some texture, heartiness, protein, and fiber. Flax is also a good source of several vitamins and minerals and thankfully doesn't really change the flavor. I like the Bob's Red Mill brand, which is also organic!
Coconut Flour: Coconut flour is good for this recipe because it is mealy and contributes well to the texture of the peanut butter "dough". Once again, Bob's Red Mill is my go-to brand. You could also use almond flour to achieve the same texture effect! You may need additional almond flour to get the right consistency. I would avoid using other flours as they will not bind the dough together as well.
Maple Syrup: Pure maple syrup is a great sweetener for this recipe. I don't like things too sweet so just a couple tablespoons is all you need! We usually grab the Whole Foods brand.
Collagen Protein: We go through a lot of collagen protein in our house. Collagen is derived from cows and is an excellent source of clean protein that is great for repairing your gut lining and improving skin texture. There are numerous other benefits I won't get into now, but it works perfectly in this recipe because it absorbs right into the peanut butter and doesn't change the flavor or texture- just adds a great health & protein boost! My favorite collagen protein is from Perfect Supplements. This is not sponsored and I don't have a code for you, but maybe one day! Their collagen is carefully sourced from pasture-raised cows and is glyphosate-free!
Chocolate Chips: I love a good semi-sweet chocolate chip. For this purpose they melt very smoothly and are easy to dip the eggs into. Enjoy Life is my favorite brand since they are allergen-friendly. And don’t ask me why because I couldn’t tell you, but I prefer the mini chips over the regular sized ones! They just objectively taste better even though the ingredients are exactly the same. I don’t make the rules.
Flaky Sea Salt: This is my baking secret right here- I put flaky sea salt on almost EVERYTHING sweet that I make. It brings out so much flavor in treats and baked goods, and the delightful little crunch of the salt flakes makes your dessert feel much fancier! I just get the Maldon sea salt flakes because they are cheap and easy to find at most grocery stores. Even with as much as I use it, one box of sea salt flakes usually lasts me a year or more!
Process
The process for making the eggs is pretty simple thankfully. You just mix together the peanut butter, flax meal, coconut flour, maple syrup, and collagen protein until everything is well combined in a sticky "dough". Then you refrigerate the dough for a bit, mold it into 8 egg shapes, and freeze until solid. Remove them from the freezer, coat each egg in melted chocolate, sprinkle with flaky sea salt (always a must), let them set in the fridge, and enjoy!
These treats are a great dessert to make for a family Easter dinner or an egg-hunt brunch. The kids will think they are getting some yummy candy to munch on even though it's secretly healthy, and the adults will be able to indulge in a nostalgic treat from their past! They will keep in the fridge for up to a week, but they often do not last that long before being eaten ;)
Below is the recipe for my healthier Reese's Eggs:
Recipe: Healthier Reese's Eggs
Tools/Ingredients
2/3 cup drippy peanut butter (room temperature; if PB is salt free add 1/2t salt)
2T ground flax meal
2T coconut flour (or almond flour)
1/4 cup collagen protein
2T maple syrup
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Flaky sea salt as needed
Instructions
In a mixing bowl, combine the room temperature peanut butter, ground flax, coconut flour, collagen protein, and maple syrup into a workable dough.
Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour to make it more workable, but longer is fine.
Divide the dough into 8 chunks of roughly the same size. You could divide the dough into 16 chunks and make mini eggs!
Roll each chunk into a ball in the palms of your hands until smooth, then flatten into a puck and shape into an egg (or a circle or any other shape you choose).
Place each egg onto a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper (the baking sheet must fit in your freezer).
Place the baking sheet in your freezer until the eggs are set and hard (at least 3 hours, or overnight is good too). Freezing the dough shapes allows them to be coated in melted chocolate more easily without disintegrating.
When the eggs are frozen but before removing them from the freezer, melt the chocolate chips in a bowl by microwaving in 15 second intervals until melted and smooth.
Remove eggs from the freezer. Submerge each egg in the melted chocolate and place back on parchment paper to set.
Sprinkle with flaky sea salt after each dunk or the chocolate will harden too quickly.
Feel free to decorate with additional melted chocolate or sprinkles.
Place eggs back in the fridge to fully set chocolate for another 30 minutes or so.
Enjoy!
Leave a comment below if you decide to make these! Hopefully they will add a little extra sweetness to your Easter celebrations this year :)
"He is not here, for He has risen, as He said." Matthew 28:6
YUM! These are so adorable and look delish!! Can’t wait to make some! 😊