Ground-nut paste and trash pandas

Whoever decided to pair peanut butter with chocolate is a flavor genius. While Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups combines the two, the classic candy loses its allure, knowing it’s made with milk stolen from the mouth of babes (bovine babes, but still) and all of the darkness that comes with that industry. Happily, there are other alternatives besides popping a semisweet chocolate chip with a dab of ground-nut paste into one’s mouth like a trash panda. Justin’s Nut Butter Cups have been around for years, but they share equipment with dairy-containing products, so Justin’s disclaims they may contain trace amounts of milk. Then there’s Unreal, which markets its dark chocolate peanut- and almond-butter cups—made with organic and sustainable ingredients—as hella vegan. The Dark Chocolate Crispy Peanut Butter Cups contain crunchy bits of quinoa in them, giving them a modern foodie upgrade from crispy rice. Find Unreal—which also makes M&M’s-esque chocolate candies—at Whole Foods, Sprouts and Amazon.