'Tis the Season
For years I braced myself for the holidays. How would I navigate the Pillsbury bake off that graced the “Fat Friday” breakfast table at school? How would I tell my mother I no longer cared for the breakfast casserole made with eggs, cheese, sausage, and, you got it—that trusty can of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup?
And what about all the candy and Christmas cookies—colorful little mounds of butter, sugar, refined flour, pretzels, crackers, rice krispies, green die #3, or, in the case of Grandma’s chocolate cookies—pure lard?
Take a good look at the ingredients in the cookies you’re making. If you’re going to indulge, make it a good one! Discard margarine (I won’t even begin to tell how it’s made.) and go for the butter. Better still, try a new treat made from real food. I’m loving my chocolate truffles. Guess what I’m bringing to the annual cookie exchange?
15-Minute Dark Chocolate Truffles
Adapted from George Mateljan's World's Healthiest Foods
½ cup pitted prunes
¼ cup pitted dates
3 tablespoons almond butter
1 tablespoon high quality maple syrup
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
½ cup finely grated unsweetened coconut
In a food processor, drop the prunes and dates through the feedhole one by one. Scrape the processor bowl and run until the
prune and date mixture is smooth.
Add remaining ingredients, including the coconut. Run until smooth and scrape
the bowl as needed.
Roll into tiny little balls.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Enjoy!
Tags: chocolate, healthy, raw, treats, truffles
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kay Van Hoesen on -
YUM! How is it possible that something this delicious sounding with coconut and cocoa and almond butter and maple syrup is healthy? I'll take your word for it. Where and when is the cookie exchange? Sign me up!
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Permalink Reply by Sue Ann Gleason on -
You may be wondering why I use coconut oil and coconut butter in so many of my recipes. In short, it's amazingly nutritious. It’s there to provide you with a medium chain triglyceride called lauric acid. The fat in coconut can actually help boost metabolism and keep you skinny according to some experts. Lauric acid breaks down through the liverinto monolaurin, a powerful antiviral, antibacterial agent in our bloodstream that boosts the immune system.
Coconut is metabolized so fast that the fat is more readily burned off for energy, rather than sticking around as belly fat. Coconut butter has also been shown to adjust your healthy cholesterol balance. It helps lower the LDL (bad stuff) and raise the HDL (good stuff).
Now doesn't that sound like a Christmas treat you can joyfully sink your teeth into? Oh, and did I mention its skin enhancing properties? ;)
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Permalink Reply by Bonnie L. Casey on -
Since I read this, I excavated that half bag of coconut from my freezer and started sprinkling it over fruit chunks, like oranges or pineapple. It's always a treat to find out something delicious is good for you!
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Permalink Reply by Sue Ann Gleason on
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I'm with you on that, Bonnie. I put it in my smoothies and even eat a little teaspoon of the really good stuff every now and then!
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Permalink Reply by Kay Van Hoesen on
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What a tip! I'm making a trip to Sam's Club for a restaurant-size bag of coconut.
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