I always think that the best thing about baking is when you can get your hands a little messy before you reach your beautiful, finished product. Today I’ll be sharing one of my all-time favorite recipes. I call them Claire’s Coconut Balls in a Cinch because, get this, they only have FOUR ingredients. That’s right, you didn’t misread me, four ingredients. Do I have your attention now?
Let’s get started. The first ingredient I want to talk about is the Raw Cacao Powder. Some of you might be wondering if it really matters if you use cocoa powder? To that I say, do whatever you feel is best. Those that know me well know that I try to sneak in a little bit of healthiness even with my indulgences, and these coconut balls are no exception. Raw Cacao Powder contains Magnesium, Calcium, Zinc, Copper, Potassium and Manganese. Sometimes these elements can be broken down if the powder is roasted, which is the process that manufacturers use to turn Cacao powder into Coca powder. Just like in our Chocolate Bliss Pie, these dessert balls are a great way to sneak some vitamins to your little ones, hubby or friends if they’re picky!
It probably won’t surprise you to hear that these Coconut Balls are chalk full of just that, coconut! Coconut flakes, coconut sugar and coconut oil make up the rest of this recipe, so it’s strictly for coconut lovers. Let me say again, if you don’t enjoy the flavor of coconut, these balls are not for you, but please do check out our other delectable dessert repines like our Chocolate Bliss Pie. Another benefit of coconut is that it contributes to heart health! Seriously, there’s no guilt necessary with these.
Did I mention that these are virtually no bake? Scratch that, they ARE no bake. All they take is a little bit of time heating up on your cooktop. I love cooking with coconut oil. Because it is a solid at room temperature, it makes for less mess and no drip. In this recipe I also suggest spreading it on your cooking sheet before you place down the parchment paper to set the coconut balls on. This will help to keep the parchment paper secure to the cooking sheet, ensuring that the coconut balls don’t stick after refrigerating. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. We combine the Coconut Sugar, Coconut Oil and Cacao powder in medium sized saucepan. This is necessary to melt the oil and help the sugar and powder to dissolve to create the base of our coconut balls. It’s important to do this step on low heat so that we don’t burn our “dough.”
Once our three main ingredients are combined, transfer it into a mixing bowl and add the Organic Coconut Flakes. Feel free to add a more Coconut Flakes if the consistency seems to liquid-like, or if you just think that it needs more. I encourage you to make this recipe your own!
Now is the best part, it’s time to get messy! Take a regular dessert spoon, spoon out some of the batter into your hand and roll it into a Coconut ball, the size is up to you. I like to make mine bitesized so that they are easy to pop into my mouth in one bite, but this recipe will also work if you want to make yours slightly larger so that they are a multi-bite dessert. Place each rolled up ball onto the baking sheet.
You should leave these in the fridge for about an hour so that they can fully firm up. This gives you the perfect amount of time to get ready for whatever gathering you’re sure to bring this dessert to. Use your best skincare routine, because you’ll want to be glowing when everyone begins complimenting how wonderful of a chef you are!
When you’ve finished getting ready, pull the sheets out of the fridge and arrange them on a decorative platter for aesthetic effect. Store any leftovers in the fridge until you’re ready to sneak them as a midnight snack!
Looking for an abridge version of this recipe? Read below for a short ingredient guide and the full recipe. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this recipe, so please leave us a comment below!
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups Organic Coconut Flakes
1 Cup of Coconut Sugar
½ Cup Coconut Oil
½ Cup of Raw Cocoa Powder
DIRECTIONS:
1. Start by preparing 2 medium size baking sheets by adding a little coconut oil on the base of the baking sheets and spreading. Then place natural parchment paper over the oil so it is sticking to the bottom of the sheet.
2. Put the coconut oil, cocoa powder, coconut sugar in a pan on your cook top and heat them on low heat until they all mix together.
3. Take these ingredients off the heat and place in a mixing bowl. Now add the coconut flakes and mix them all together. You may need to add more coconut flakes until you get a desired consistency (this part is your preference).
4. This is where it gets a little bit messy! Once all of your ingredients are mixed together, take a regular dessert spoon, take a little of the mixture out of the bowl. Place it in the palm of your hand and roll it into a round ball before placing it on your baking sheet. Keep doing this until all of the batter is in small round balls on each sheet.
5. Place these baking sheets in your fridge for at least and hour until they are cold and firm to the touch.
6. Now place these balls on a decorative platter ready to serve to your guests!
If you have any left over just put them in a container and store them in your fridge for future yummy moments where you need a quick healthy chocolate fix.
