This a really fun treat.

It’s very quick to make and it’s always a hit. Anyone you give it to will instantly recognize what it is, but they’re in for a surprise when they bite into it. That’s not peanut butter! Although it could be; I changed to almond butter out of necessity, but also because it makes this fairly universal dessert just a tad more posh.

But not so posh that you can only serve it after a fancy dinner. You can serve this equally well after chili or duck breast. Or just serve it as a treat on its own.

And it tastes so good, you’d never know that it’s pretty healthy. Almonds are high in fibre, lower LDL cholesterol (that’s the bad one), anti-inflammatory, and immunity boosting. They help prevent cancer and get you leaner (the chocolate doesn’t though). And look at the other ingredients: not a bad one in the bunch, really.

You could eat these with impunity. The only problem: they’re really rich too. You can probably only eat two, tops, at a time.

Makes 6

• 3/4 cup Almond Butter
• 75g cream cheese (1/4 of a 250g package)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 5 oz semi-sweet chocolate
• 6 paper muffin cups

In a food processor, add the almond butter, cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Wazz until a mixture is formed. Scoop out and place in a poor man’s piping bag [Ed. that’s a ziptop bag, everybody].

In a double boiler, melt the chocolate: Place a bowl on a pot partially filled with water. Heat over medium heat. Put the chocolate in the bowl and let it melt.

While the chocolate melts, place the muffin cups in a muffin tray. Once melted, using a brush or spoon, spread chocolate on the bottom and along the sides of the muffin cups. You want a solid layer on the bottom. You don’t want to see the paper at all. The sides should be of uniform thickness. Go up 1/2 to 3/4 high. Place in the fridge to firm up, five to 10 minutes.

Once the bottoms are firm, take the tray back out. Pipe in the almond butter mixture to each cup. With a small spoon level the almond butter mixture so you have a nice flat top and no big gaps. With the remaining chocolate, cover each cup. You may need a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl for all of the chocolate, but it all fits. They should have a nice generous layer on top. Place in the fridge to firm up the tops, another 10 minutes.

Serve whenever you like. They’re great for sharing and messy.