Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

All my little brother wants for his birthday every single year is homemade peanut butter cups. He issues the usual kingly demand for them mid-January; he knows we will acquiesce and bring him a little box of them on his day.

The secret is that it's really not so extravagant a request because these are so easy to make. (I have always based the cups on the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups recipe in Tanya and Sarah's How It All Vegan, one of the best cookbooks around.)

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

(You need foil muffin liners and a 12-cup muffin tin to start.)

1 cup organic peanut butter (the thicker the better)

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup soy or olive oil margarine (melted)

1/4 cup cane sugar

pinch of sea salt

1 cup vegan dark chocolate chips

1/4 cup soy milk

chopped peanuts or crushed graham crackers (topping)

Put the foil muffin liners into the 12 tins. Mix the first 5 ingredients well and pour the peanut butter mixture evenly into the 12 cups. Heat the chocolate chips and the soy milk until just melted. Let it cool a bit and then spoon it over the prepared cups. Tap or shake the muffin tin so the layers settle. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs or chopped peanuts over the top of the cups. Refrigerate for 6 hours or freeze for 1-2 hours before serving.