Chocolate Covered Coconut Bites (Paleo & Vegan)

From the outside, this blog may look effortless; it certainly isn't. I have a long and checkered past in the culinary disasters department.
Most of them start with the word PALEO and end with DESSERT.
Because sometimes trying to make healthy and paleo-friendly ingredients act (and taste) like evil sugar, wheat flour, etc. just doesn’t work. At all.
Each culinary disaster is such an “event” of epic proportions, I should start taking pictures and give it its own name.
But when a disaster actually occurs, I get so frustrated I want to scream. And I end up dumping everything in the trash as quickly as possible, pretending it never happened.
Deny, deny, deny! That’s my motto.


For instance, yesterday I wanted to make brigadeiros. Actually, a paleo version of brigadeiros.
Brigadeiros are Brazil's most famous and beloved chocolate fudge balls.
They are a simple mixture of condensed milk, sweetened cocoa powder, and butter, cooked to a fudge state, then formed into little balls and rolled in chocolate sprinkles.
With the World Cup in full swing, I thought it was pretty neat to have an authentic Brazilian dessert to nibble on while watching the games.
And I thought I had cracked the paleo version of the traditional Brigadeiros recipe.
I made condensed milk from coconut milk and planned on using maple syrup and coconut oil instead of sugar and butter.
Everything was sailing smoothly until I added the cocoa to the mixture. Then, WHAM! Mayhem happened.
Instead of getting a thick and shiny mixture, I got a Blob.
A growing protoplasm-like alien creature took form in my pan.
For a moment I got scared. What if this thing comes to life and tries to kill me?
So I flushed it down the toilet asap.
Phew, that was close.




The whole experience burned me pretty bad. Hours of hard work in the kitchen gone to waste in seconds.
Still, I shook it off and made something else. This time with no cooking or baking necessary.
Enter Chocolate Covered Coconut Bites.
There's something perfectly wonderful about chocolate and coconut: a decadent perfection.
These bites are easy, homemade chocolates, surprisingly quick to toss together.
They require no bake or cooking time whatsoever and can be whipped up in just minutes.
They taste about ten times better than the stuff you buy in stores. Totally addictive.

If you are a lover of coconut like myself, then I know you will really love these.

So easy to make with just 5 ingredients.
Make certain the shredded coconut is soft and fresh, and not hard and dry. If you find that the coconut is shredded too large, just pulse in the food processor for just a few seconds.
I still don’t know whether I prefer to use honey or maple syrup. Both work great, so it’s really up to you and your tastebuds.
One final note, there’s no subbing coconut oil here. You need to use coconut oil. Period. It’s the only oil that hardens as it cools off and will help the bites holding their shapes.
Now go. It’s time to make some Choc Covered Coconut Bites!


Chocolate Covered Coconut Bites                                                                       Print this recipe!

Ingredients 
Makes 12 balls

1 cup / 3.3 oz / 93 gr shredded coconut (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
3 to 4 tablespoons maple syrup (or raw organic honey)
4 tablespoons virgin coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 oz / 110 gr +70% dark chocolate (I used Dagoba)

Directions

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine shredded coconut, 3 tablespoons of honey (or maple syrup), melted coconut oil and vanilla.
Stir until a thick, sticky paste forms. If it doesn’t, add one more tablespoon of honey (or maple syrup).
Lightly oil your hands, scoop one scant tablespoon of coconut mixture and squeeze it into a ball.
Repeat to make 12 small balls.
The easiest way to shape the balls is to put the mixture in the palm of your hand, squeeze it a couple of times and then rolling it into a ball.
Place coconut balls on the lined baking sheet and transfer to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, until firm.
Place chopped chocolate in a medium size heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the boiling water. Stir with a wooden spoon until chocolate is completely melted. Use pot holders to remove the bowl from over the boiling water. Let mixture sit for a few minutes.
Using a spoon, roll coconut balls in the melted chocolate (one at a time), until completely covered. Scoop the ball out with a fork and let the extra chocolate drip off.
Gently return the chocolate cover balls to the lined baking sheet and refrigerate until chocolate has hardened.
Keep stored in the refrigerator.

Nutrition facts

One chocolate covered coconut bite yields 133 calories, 11 grams of fat, 8 grams of carbs and 1 gram of protein.