Simple Paleo Almond Joys

This is a recipe that I have grown to love. Ever since eliminating the majority of refined carbs and refined sugars from my diet, this recipe has been my go-to for treats. It fulfills my daily dose of chocolate. It is simple. Below is the recipe base I have created, but read on a bit further and you’ll find my few tips and substitutions.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup coconut flakes
24 almonds

Directions:

1. Combine coconut oil, almond butter, cocoa powder, honey, and vanilla in a small sauce pan.
2. Heat over low heat while whisking constantly. Remove from heat once all the ingredients have combined to form a thick sauce.
3. Using a tablespoon, spoon the paleo fudge into to a mini cupcake pan lined with mini cupcake liners.
4. Disperse the coconut over the tops of the fudge filled cups.
5. Drop an almond on top of each cup.
6. Freeze to eat and then store the remaining cups in the freezer.

Since eliminating most refined sugar from my diet, my taste buds have changed a bit. I enjoy this recipe with a bit less honey than is listed above, and I also add a pinch of salt to the sauce pan as well. At the very bottom of this post, you will also see our oatmeal substitution that can easily turn these treats into a somewhat healthy version of a cow patty.

Start by adding a 1/2 cup of regular coconut oil to a small sauce pan.Ensure you are using regular coconut oil that stays solid at room temperature. Many fractionated coconut oils can be found in liquid form. You will need to use the regular coconut oil to ensure your almond joys harden. The oil is what allows them to keep their form.

Unfractionated coconut oil is also better for your health since it has not been stripped of a few good nutrients you will not find in fractionated coconut oil.

Next add a 1/2 of a cup of almond butter into the sauce pan. Almonds have some great nutritional value in them. If you are looking for a heart healthy food to add to your diet, read up on some of the health benefits of almonds…or many nuts in general.

If you are a Reese’s peanut butter cup fan, try substituting all natural peanut butter for the almond butter. That makes a real tasty treat!

Does anyone else have a hard time going all day without a bite of chocolate? Add a half of a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder into the sauce pan.

Dessert has not been served until there is a little bit of chocolate brought to the table. At least this is one form of somewhat ‘healthy’ chocolate. And, just so you know, iron, manganese, magnesium, zinc, and other healthy properties are found in cocoa powder.

Next up, add a 1/4 of a cup of honey to the sauce pan. Why not sugar you ask? If you read up a little bit on the difference between sugar and honey, you will quickly find that both contain sugar. Yes, they both are a sugary treat. BUT, honey contains a different amount of glucose and fructose…enough so that your body has to work more to break down the honey than sugar. Supposedly you can also find traces of different nutrients that the bees dropped off in the honey too.