Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Coconut Oil Chocolate



I've mentioned before that I have some health issues that I'm working on at the moment.  One of them happens to be a low functioning thyroid.  My doctor is a medical doctor who happens to like to fix the root of the issue, naturally if possible, rather than throwing pills at symptoms.  At my last doctor's visit we were talking about it and I told my doctor  that I had begun adding coconut oil to my diet because I had read that it helps to correct a low functioning thyroid.  She said, "It does.  Good!  Keep doing that!"


I add a spoonful of coconut oil to my coffee or hot tea every morning, but some days that's all of the oil I manage to get in.  I know that I need more than this, so here's my very yummy solution to get more coconut oil into my diet.


This recipe originally comes from Natural Health Strategies.


COCONUT OIL CHOCOLATE


1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. virgin coconut oil
1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. finely grated coconut
1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp. ground almonds or almond meal
2 Tbsp. - 1/4 c. sucanat or other natural sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
large pinch of salt






In a microwave safe bowl or on the stove top, melt the coconut oil with the sugar.  Add the cocoa powder, followed by the coconut and almond meal.  Once that is incorporated, add the salt and vanilla extract.  Stir to combine.






Pour into a clean ice cube tray.  Refrigerate until firm.






Notes:
-Keep these in the refrigerator, as coconut oil melts at 76 degrees F.
-The coconut and almond meal are not necessary, but add wonderful flavor and body.
-You could also add other chopped nuts or dried fruit, if that pleases your fancy.
-I eat two of these chocolate cubes a day for my purposes, but you eat what you like.  :0)


I'm sharing this post at Healthy 2day WednesdaysThese Chicks Cooked Linky PartyFrugal Days - Sustainable WaysSimple Lives ThursdayReal Food 101Monday ManiaTraditional Tuesdays and Your Green Resource.

34 comments:

  1. What an absolutely wonderful recipe!! Thank you for sharing. This will benefit so many of us.
    Goldie

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  2. Hi Pam
    Where do you find a doctor like that? How I'd love to have one around here.
    These chocolates look & sound just delicious!
    Hope you have a wonderful day
    Blessings
    Renata:)

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  3. Thank you, Goldie!

    Renata ~ Just the Good Lord answering prayers. :0)

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  4. YUM! CHOCOLATE and COCONUT! A marriage made in heaven. I am making these! Just need to get some more coconut flour.

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  5. Jen ~ You don't need coconut flour for these - just finely shredded coconut. That might be easier for you!

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  6. I am going to make these for my daughter, she's allergic to milk chocolate, so she never gets any of the yummy holiday candy that people make. This would be perfect for her, I'm sure she'll love it! Thank you.

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  7. WOw...looks really good!
    I think I will try these minus the almond meal. ALL PUFA's are anti thyroid...including yummy almonds. ;)

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  8. I have some coconut oil...I will have to make these for my husband. He has a low functioning thyroid too...and a sweet tooth!

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  9. Casy & FBS ~ Yay! So glad that you found a sweet treat!

    Jenny ~ What is PUFA? I've never heard anything about almonds not being good for your thyroid. Thanks for the heads up. :0)

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  10. PUFAs = polyunsaturated fatty acids
    PUFA are highly unstable and react easily with hydrogen or oxygen...that's why they go rancid so easily. When they are ingested, they create little micro "sparks" in a sense, as they combines with hydrogen or oxygen from the body, that damages the body a little bit at a time, creating minute scar tissue.

    Mixing a saturated fat, like coconut oil, is very protective when it is at least 50% (prevents damage) but is more of a maintenance thing, versus a healing thing.

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  11. I found you through Monday Mania. Funny - I posted a homemade chocolate recipe, too! It's so nice being able to make healthy chocolate, isn't it?

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  12. I made something similar, with CO, tehini paste or peanut butter and molasses (which has lots of minerals).
    I sometimes added in chopped nuts or dried fruit for variety.

    Thanks for posting on Real Food 101.

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  13. Jenny ~ Thanks for the lesson! :)

    Meghan ~ Yes, it is! Thanks for coming by!

    Ruth ~ That sounds really interesting. I've used tehini in hummus before. Do you have a recipe for that on your site? I'd like to give your version a try.

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  14. I just made this and it's delicious. Could not have been easier to whip up, fridge time was quick and the texture was great. Thank you for the idea!

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  15. I just tried making this recipe with sucanat but could not get it to dissolve in the oil, so the resulting chocolate wasn't really sweet, and very grainy. The next time I tried it with regular sugar and it came out great, but do you have any tips for getting the sucanat to dissolve? I've never used it before and am interested in substituting it for all my sugar needs!

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    Replies
    1. Sucanat has a much bigger grain than regular table sugar, so it does take much longer to dissolve. My solution is to put the Sucanat in a spice grinder or blender to pulverize the grains. Putting it in a sealed baggie and going over it with a rolling pin might work to break the grains down as well. This should fix that problems for you. I'd love to hear how it turns out for you next time!

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  16. I just posted these on my blog - hope that's ok. They're so good and so easy!

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    1. No problem! Thanks for letting me know. :0)

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  17. Looks like a good recipe! I make something very similar in the crock pot. I melt about equal parts of coconut oil with unsweetened baking chocolate, then add unsweetened coconut, chopped almonds, and stevia to sweeten. I pour mine into greased, tin foil lined baking dish too cool and cut into bite sized squares. :)

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    1. Looks like a great way to make this! Thanks for sharing!

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  18. I'm dealing with Candida, do you think I can still use the unsweetened cocoa powder? I would love to try this recipe, I too, am dealing with a low thyroid and this would be such an easy way to consume the coconut oil. Thank you.

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    1. Unsweetened cocoa powder contains no sugar, so it should be fine. I would skip adding the sugar as a sweetener, though. Maybe you could add something like Stevia? Here's a link to an article about chocolate and candida... http://www.livestrong.com/article/469627-candida-diet-and-chocolate/ I hope this helps!!

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  19. Hiya, these look awesome!! Do you know how long they keep for? I want to make some for xmas gifts, so need to know how far in advance I can make them. Thanks!! :)

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    1. Hi RoKno! They are really yummy! Coconut oil will stay for years because of its antiviral/microbial/bacterial properties. Since they're basically coconut oil and cocoa powder they will last waaaay longer than you'll need them to. :-) You'll just want to make sure they'll stay cold as coconut oil begins to melt at 76 degrees. Have fun with them!

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  20. What kind of Coconut oil do you use?
    I am trying to find a really good healthy coconut oil. I have been dealing with under active thyroid for 35 years now...This sounds Delicious!!!
    Bev

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    1. Some people put a lot of stock into getting only the best. I'm not really sure what that is. Some swear by Tropical Traditions. I, personally, feel that if you're getting organic extra-virgin coconut oil then that's good enough. You can buy it at Whole Foods or other organic stores. Trader Joe's now carries their own store brand at a good price. I think it's something like $5.99 for 16 oz. I have bought it before. But, due to the fact that I use so much of it, both in our home and for my business, I buy the Nutiva brand on subscribe and save. This is exactly what I buy: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003QDRJXY/ref=rcxsubs_mys2_product_title. Amazon has it in smaller amounts for a good price if you can't find it locally. Hope this helps!

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    2. Yes Pam you are saying true. It's good that coconut oil chocolate is so tasty & good for health. I want the tips over skin & store brand for health. If you need the skin care at aging stage then have a look at: http://www.natureshealthypath.com/

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  21. Thanks so much for this! I just discovered your site from pinterest and am repinning EVERYTHING! Chocolate is expensive to buy here in the Philippines but coconut oil and chocolate powder is not. Have you tried coconut sugar or syrup? Tastes like brown sugar and has a low glycemic index. Also you should try this deoderant. I have been using it for the past month and LOVE it! http://media-cache-ak2.pinimg.com/originals/59/b0/9b/59b09b55c0e712a81cbbe207530dfd3f.jpg

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  22. These are great!! Such a good recipe. I'm doing the Whole Life Challenge right now, and the only sweetener we're allowed is stevia. So I used about 4 packets of stevia (Truvia) and 10-12 ground up dates for sweetness, and they're awesome. Also to make the size of it a little smaller and easier to eat, instead of ice cube trays, I made these in mini muffin pans lined with paper wrappers. Its then the perfect amount to satisfy that afternoon sweet tooth attack. Thanks for the great recipe - will be making often!

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  23. By any chance would you have anything for Vitiligo?

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    Replies
    1. Sorry, I have no experience with Vitiligo.

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