The other day I ran into Whole foods for lunch and some groceries.  I was on a mission to shop fast so I could actually sit and eat the salad I had mindfully put together.  As I was leaving, something caught my eye…… I saw these mini chocolate covered figs that somehow found their way into my basket.  As I paid for the seemingly large amount of groceries I had in my half size cart, my mind was so consumed with those chocolates that I realize now I didn’t flinch at the crazy bill!  “They” are right- do not ever shop when you are STARVING because my receipt was proof that I was hungry and wanted to eat everything!

I could hardly wait to open the packaging!  I was consumed with those chocolates.  My mouth, kid you not, was salivating as I was walking to the car.    I was in a rush (no surprise) and multitasking while driving is a no-no, but all I could think about was putting one of those chocolates in my mouth.  They were perfection!  I had a moment all to myself.

I did finally eat my lunch, which didn’t taste as good as those chocolates.  When I got back to the office, I had to share my find with everyone.  One of the Doctors asked,” Did you make these?”  Sadly, I replied,  “no”, but they are clean and so, so good.   Oh how I wish I hadn’t shared them (not really) with everyone there.

So I got to thinking, especially after I saw how much I paid for them ($10) how could I put my spin on this gig?  As a clueless kid I loved Almond Joy candy bars and those mini peanut butter cups!  I would trade my whole Halloween candy bag for just one.

Speaking of Halloween, I am reminded of a little secret or confession I will share with you. We have expressed to Adriana since she was little that there are better choices of candy without artificial colors or flavors.  Her palate is use to real chocolate and sweet treats that are clean.  So for trick or treating we said we would trade out the “not so healthy” candy for better options.  She was completely fine with that concept.  So after our neighborhood festivities she came home, dumped her loot out on the ground, and with the most joyous voice she exclaimed, “Wow look at all this yucky candy!”  We were so thrilled to know at 5 years old she got it!   Those years of intercepting junk and planning ahead paid off!  You can do it too!

Ok, so you didn’t forget the little secret confession did you?  So here it is…. After we exchanged the “yucky” candy out for better choices, Adriana said we should give the “yucky” candy to MeMe (my mother).  I told her I couldn’t bring myself to giving her a sugar high that might just push her over the diabetic edge.  So we decided to just throw out the “yucky” candy. 

However, one tiny little glitch was that something caught my eye (that seems to happen a lot to me) as I am hovering over the garbage pail with that cute little trick or treat bag.  You guessed it, my favorite nostalgic candy in the whole wide world was starring me in the face!!!  Let us just be done with this story, yes guilty as charged on eating my kid’s candy. With a bloated belly after I ate 4 of those disgusting peanut butter cups, I swore never would I be tricked or treated into eating such void sweets!  No guilt here… this is just me because I honestly felt yucky after eating those little suckers, so I choose to waste (or enjoy) my void consumptions on something like a cheesy conventional pizza or ice cream out somewhere.

So now you know the rest of the story…………Almond Coconut Joy cups were created to stop me from stealing my kid’s Halloween candy!

P.S.  I made  these recently again for a going away party for a sweet friend and the ladies loved them but were very concerned if they had a bunch of calories since they tasted so good.  Personally and professionally we do not worry about calories as long as it is coming from a clean source that is nutritious but to ease your minds the good Dr. said your looking at 100 calories or so.  Can you believe it?  So they all had seconds!  I would even eat these for breakfast as they have great protein and are low in sugar.

 

Ingredients:

Coconut Filling:

• 1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil (room temperature)
• 1 cup of raw almond butter (for nut free option use sun butter)
• 1 cup of unsweetened coconut
• 1/4 cup of coconut nectar (low glycemic syrup – Click Here), or real maple syrup
• 1/4 cup of hemp seeds
• 1 teaspoon almond extract (use vanilla for nut free)
• 1/4 cup of raw or roasted/salted almonds (use dried fruit for nut free)

Chocolate Coating:

• 1/2 cup coconut oil (room temperature is fine if hard solid you can gently melt)
• 1/2 cup of unsweetened cacao (different than hot chocolate coco – Click Here)
• 3 tablespoons of coconut nectar or real maple syrup

To make the filling:

In a Vita Mix or Cuisinart, blend coconut oil and butters, unsweetened coconut, coconut nectar, and extract.  The longer you process, the smoother the filling will be.  Put your mixture aside.

To Make The Coating:

Whisk coconut oil, coconut nectar and unsweetened cocoa together till smooth.  If the oil is solidified,  mix ingredients in a small sauce pan on low heat till it is a creamy liquid.

Line a mini (will make 24 mini) or large (will make 12) muffin tin with unbleached liner cups and fill with 1 tablespoon of chocolate coating for large liners.  For mini liners use 1 teaspoon of chocolate.  Next, use 1 teaspoon (for mini’s) to 1 tablespoon (for large) of hempseeds on top of the liquid chocolate for half your cups and the other half use your almonds.

 Lastly, scoop coconut filling into cups while making sure to leave a little space at the top for a thin layer of chocolate coating.  Place them in the freezer for at least 2o minutes and enjoy these guilt free treats.  Return the uneaten ones (if there are any) back in the freezer for those unexpected moments you try to steal your kid’s candy!

 

 

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