'Better Butter Cups': Big River Bakehouse puts healthy spin on peanut butter cups
“Could the promise of a healthier peanut butter cup be true?” I thought to myself when Anna Turman told me about her newest Big River Bakehouse product, “Better Butter Cups.”
Big River Bakehouse's peanut butter cups are handmade with 100% raw ingredients, no refined sugar or artificial ingredients.
"These bite-sized treats are just like your favorite childhood candy — without any of the guilt," she promised.
A huge fan of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, I ran over to High Point Grocery to pick up a container of these miniature-size “healthier” candies.
One bite and I thought to myself, “These are pretty good!” Then, I popped a second one in my mouth for good measure. (And maybe a few more after that!)
The best way to describe the flavor is as a dark chocolate peanut butter cup with a super peanut-y filling.
When I tried a Reese’s miniature peanut butter cup just after eating a Better Butter Cup, I was struck by the difference in flavor. All I tasted when I bit into the Reese’s, which is made with milk chocolate, was sugar. When you compare the two side by side, the Better Butter Cup had a much bigger peanut butter punch.
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And, then take one look at the ingredient list. You will instantly know why the Reese’s cup is so sugar-y.
Big River Bakehouse’s handcrafted artisan peanut butter cups have 0 refined sugar and only 35 calories per cup. Plus, I recognized (and could pronounce) every ingredient listed on the package. I could not say the same for the ingredient list of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
What makes the Better Butter Cups 'better'?
Turman, who is the cook behind Big River Bakehouse, follows a Paleo diet at home. These peanut butter cups were inspired by her desire to create a healthier version of a candy she loved.
“I started making these at home about five years ago,” Turman said. “I have a sweet tooth and wanted to create a healthier option using raw ingredients.”
Turman uses unsweetened raw cacao wafers for the chocolate. While she sweetens the chocolate slightly with honey, it still has a bittersweet chocolate taste.
For the peanut butter filling, she uses peanut butter powder as the base.
“Peanut butter powder has less fat and is easier to work with since it doesn’t have all those oils,” she said.
She experimented with the recipe for several months before finalizing the product.
The result is a tasty confection that can be touted as having no refined sugar, all natural ingredients and no preservatives. It also has lower carbs than its traditional counterpart.
More about Big River Bakehouse
Turman, who is a TV digital producer for Fox 13 for her day job, launched Big River Bakehouse in November 2020 with a line of hand-crafted small-batch granola.
She quickly realized making granola was too labor intensive for a one-person operation. So in the spring of this year, she reinvented her company and launched a line of Paleo and gluten-free brownies.
Her “Mudstone Brownies” and “Walnut Brownies” took off in popularity. Each of the brownies comes in a small two-bite size that Turman said “helps with portion control.”
The Better Butter Cups were launched in October.
She hopes to add more Paleo and gluten-free products in the new year.
“Maybe a Paleo cookie will be next,” she said. “When trying to make things low-carb and gluten-free, it takes time to get it right.”
Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.
At a glance
Big River Bakehouse
Online: bigriverbakehouse.com
Stores: High Point Grocery, Memphis Kitchen Co-op, Curb Market, Market Wagon, Memphis Farmers Market
Shipping: Nationwide shipping available online
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Big River Bakehouse puts healthy, Paleo spin on peanut butter cups
