Coconut Butter Cups v. Peanut Butter Cups: A Layer-by-Layer Comparison

At first glance, Eating Evolved’s chocolate-covered coconut butter cups might resemble the popular peanut butter cups you grew up with—but the similarities end there.

Look no further than Eating Evolved’s guiding belief that chocolate is food, not candy and you get an idea of the driving force behind its products. The company is dedicated to preserving chocolate’s status as an antioxidant-rich superfood—not the sugar-filled and artificial ingredient-packed version that’s commonly found in supermarket aisles.

Still not convinced that something that looks like candy—and tastes as good as candy—could be anything other than candy? Let’s take a layer-by-layer comparison of these two products:

Layer #1: The packaging

Dairy-free, soy-free, cane sugar-free, vegan, Paleo—they’re all listed right on the front of Eating Evolved’s wrapper, signaling this is no ordinary treat. To understand what you’re getting in those conventional peanut butter cups, you have to flip the package over and examine the ingredients. It’s a long list (compared to Eating Evolved’s five ingredients) and some—we’re looking at you, tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ)—aren’t readily recognizable and probably require a call to the company if you have any allergies or specific nutrition concerns.

Layer #2: The chocolate

All chocolate is not created equal, and cacao percentage is the easiest way to gauge the quality and health benefits you can expect from your chocolate. Dark chocolate is considered to have more nutritional value than milk chocolate because it’s less processed. Dark chocolate with a cacao percentage of 70 percent or above is a general guideline used by health-conscious consumers looking for an antioxidant-rich chocolate bar that delivers more superfood than sugar.

The decadent coating on Eating Evolved’s coconut butter cups is made with the company’s signature 72 percent dark chocolate that’s lightly sweetened with coconut sugar. Conventional peanut butter cups are covered in milk chocolate, which tends to have a cacao percentage of 11 percent or lower and is heavily sweetened with sugar. One package containing two peanut butter cups contains 22 grams of sugar, while Eating Evolved’s two-cup package contains 8 grams.

Layer #3: The filling

It’s finally time to take a bite and get to the good stuff: the gooey filling! Conventional chocolate and peanut butter cups are obviously filled with peanut butter, which contains heart-healthy fats and delivers a respectable dose of plant-based protein. Eating Evolved’s chocolate-covered cups are filled with rich coconut butter. How does it differ from coconut oil? They share many of the same nutritional benefits, but coconut oil is extracted from coconut meat, while coconut butter is pureed into a creamy spread from the meat itself (and retains more fiber).

While it’s hard to compete with the classic sweet-and-salty chocolate and peanut butter pairing, Eating Evolved makes a convincing argument for its coconut butter cup—the first and only of its kind. It pairs two superfoods (chocolate and coconut) without any additives or preservatives for a truly decadent, but still health-conscious treat. The cups are offered in four different flavors:

Classic
Banana cream
Caramel and sea salt
Mint cream

Which is your favorite?

Photo credit: Alicia Cho