A Lovin' Spoonful

I have been asked several times about how to use coconut butter (or manna).  A lot of people enjoy eating it by itself or as a dip for fruit, but others don't care for the taste or perhaps the texture isn't appealing.  Have you purchased a jar and it just sits in the pantry unused?  Well, in this recipe, you can use pre-made coconut butter or make your own.  It's so easy and the addition of rich, dark chocolate will definitely make eating coconut butter one of your favorite treats from now on!  There is a commercially available product that is similar called Cocoa Bliss by Artisana, but they use agave nectar as a sweetener.  Although agave is touted as a natural, healthful sweetener, it is anything but healthy!  It is about 90% fructose, making it higher in fructose than the dreaded high fructose corn syrup we are all trying to avoid.  If you have a blood sugar disregulation problem, stay away from agave nectar because it will overburden your liver (a problem diabetics already have).  My recipe is just as creamy, rich and full of good, healthy fat, but without the sugar.  I warn you: This chocolatey goodness is SO delicious, you'll want to portion it out.  The net carbs per 1 TB serving is a mere 2 grams, but it is a nutrient and calorie dense food, so spoon out a serving, then close the container, walk away and enjoy it.  I serve it in a very small bowl I purchased from Pier 1 for $1, use a tiny, demitasse spoon and eat it in little bites, savoring every one.  It is a spoonful of chocolate love!

A Lovin' Spoonful

Makes 24 servings (1 TB each)

3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut (or use 1 cup softened coconut butter or manna)

1/2 cup coconut oil

2 ounces raw cocoa butter (or substitute 2 more TB coconut butter)

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

15-20 drops Vanilla Creme liquid stevia drops (or to taste, I use Sweet Leaf brand)

1.  Place the shredded coconut into a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy.  This may take a few minutes.  If necessary, stop the blender and scrape down the sides and continue blending.  After a few minutes the coconut will turn into a creamy liquid. (If using pre-made coconut butter, skip this step.)

2.  Add the coconut oil, cocoa butter and cocoa powder to the liquified coconut and blend.  Add the stevia drops and blend again until completely smooth.  Pour into a glass container with a tight fitting lid.  To hasten the hardening process, you may place the mixture in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.  Remove from refrigerator and store at room temperature.  (If you keep it in the fridge, it will harden into a brick!)  

3.  Suggested uses: Eat by the spoonful, serve over a few berries (as pictured), use as a spread or dip, stir a spoonful into your coffee (heavenly!), melt by microwaving for a few seconds then spooning into mini muffin liners and refrigerating to make candies...and anything else you can think of!

Nutritional Information per 1 TB serving: 136 calories, 3.7 g carbohydrate (1.9 g dietary fiber, 0.4 g sugar), 13.7 g total fat (11.4 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 0 g cholesterol, 4 mg sodium, 2.3 mg calcium, 27 mg potassium, 1 g protein.  Net carbs per serving: 1.8 grams

Recipe by Kathy Sheehan, copyright 2014