If you’ve skimmed through any of my previous blogs, you might notice I often mention my love for coconut oil. I still need to devote an entire blog to why I possess this passion. I love finding ways to include it into my diet. With the month of April having not only Kali’s birthday but my own, after making (and eating) not-so-healthy cakes from our Birthday Bashes, I have a need to find healthy dessert alternatives for myself and my family! This one tastes so good and only consists of three (3) ingredients; Almond Butter, Coconut Oil and a bit of Dark Chocolate. In this example, I happened to have some shredded Coconut that I tossed in, which is optional, giving it a bit more crunch, so possibly four (4) ingredients if you prefer. Still, that’s not a lot of “stuff”! And all this “stuff” is good for you!
I will confess this dessert is a bit strange; it’s nutty! Almond and coconutty! The odd thing is, although I’d like for it to break apart in pieces allowing me to eat it using my hands, because the almond butter and more so the coconut oil make it a bit liquidy, it does require a spoon to eat and enjoy. This is fine, since my entire family likes to just dig into the jar of pure almond butter or peanut butter, get a nice heaping spoon-full and scoop it into a bowl, eating it with a spoon just the same. That’s my dessert sometimes! Kali enjoys almond and peanut butter on a spoon too!
With the health benefits of almond butter, having that alone is a nice snack/dessert. Only using almond butter that is made of just almonds is important! The ingredient: only almonds, ground up to be creamy “butter”. You don’t need added sugar, palm oil or whatever else they decide to unnecessarily throw in there. A bit of salt is ok, but almonds (and peanuts) have a great flavor on their own!
So with this recipe, you’re simply taking what is already a healthy choice and giving it an added extra nutrient boost, coconut oil! Powerful, healthy, healing coconut oil!
To give it that dessert sweetness without having to add sugar, using a good quality piece of dark chocolate is what we do! And, if you didn’t know, the cacao found in dark chocolate also gives it a nutritional boost!
I’m not positive if this qualifies as Paleo due to the dark chocolate being added, but the information regarding if chocolate is Paleo-healthy found at paleoleap is great! If you use the right dark chocolate, it might qualify as Paleo! Not all Dark Chocolates are created equal though. If you click this link here: Best and Worst Dark Chocolates you can read all about what makes a quality dark chocolate. I do love this Intense Dark by Ghirardelli which I broke up and added in and on top. The higher percentage of Cacao is great tasting too if you like that bitter bite!
To begin, I liquify the coconut oil. Coconut Oil’s melting point is 76F, thus it is a solid if below, a liquid if above. Liquid form helps when adding it to recipes like this or smoothies. I don’t heat the oil directly, I use a glass container of hot water then scoop the solid coconut oil into a smaller glass… like this, a tall shot glass! One of these tall boys are equal to 4 tbsp which is equivalent to 1/4 cup (16 tbsp = 8 oz = 1 cup while a tall shot glass = 2 oz = 1/4 cup) It’s the best way I’ve figured out how to liquify coconut oil so I can pour it easily.
Add about 3/4 to 1 cup almond butter to the liquified coconut oil and mix with a blender or mixer. More or less depending on your preference and you can definitely substitute or combine this with peanut butter! This step helps emulsify the coconut oil so it doesn’t become a chunky solid again when you put it in the fridge. Make sure the almond butter is room temperature too so the oil doesn’t solidify when you combine the two.
Add in a half cup or so of shredded coconut if you like. Unsweetened shredded coconut.
Break up the dark chocolate, add a bit to the almond butter and coconut oil mix, but save some to add to the top.
I used a not so attractive plastic container, I wish I had something prettier for this blog. I might update when I make this again… so pour into a pretty or ugly container, and spread/smooth out.
Add chocolate chunks to top. Than place in fridge to keep.
It looks like it would solidify into chunky pieces you could eat with your hands, but it acts like almond or peanut butter does, so grab that spoon and feel like a bodybuilder enjoying a HealthNut Dessert! You feel yourself getting stronger and healthier with the protein and vitamins!?!?! Flex while holding the spoon and take a pic! GNC Model material!
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 0 |
| Servings |
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- 3/4 - 1 cup almond butter peanut butter can certainly be substituted or even added!
- 1/4 cup coconut oil or 4 tbsp ; liquify the oil!
- 1/4 cup quality dark chocolate higher the cocoa content the better! Break into pieces
- 1/4-1/2 cup coconut flakes or shredded coconut highly optional
Ingredients
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- Liquify the coconut oil by adding solid coconut oil to a small glass or tall shot glass. Place into a larger glass container filled with hot water and wait until it is in a complete liquid form.
- Add liquified coconut oil to almond butter to a mixer or blender and combine. Use almond butter that is at room temperature.
- Add half of dark chocolate chunksto almond butter and coconut oil mixture, blend.
- Pour/scoop into a small container and spread/smooth out. Add remainder of chopped dark chocolate to top and place in refrigerator for keeping. Enjoy with a spoon!