Chocolate / Carob Coconut Nests (special diet options)
Easter is coming and that means that so is -- chocolate!! And a lot of it. Well, there is also a deeper meaning to Easter, but we can cover that in another post.
I remember searching throughout the house for my Easter basket filled with more chocolate than I should have been eating. And I especially was looking forward to the hollowed out egg with my name written on it. Yes, my mom's love language was giving gifts, and one of her favorite gifts to give was food. Not a good combination, if you know what I mean.
So here I am, off of sugar (blamed partially on too many Easter goodies in the past), but I would still like to enjoy sweets now and then. And so would my kids. And you too, I imagine!
Here is a way to enjoy chocolate and coconut and have some fun in the kitchen this Easter.
I used to make something like this in my heavy sugar days, but they were made with peanut butter, chinese noodles and marshmallow and were filled with little Cadbury chocolate eggs.
I promise that this version will be much easier on your blood sugar levels :-).
This is a remake of a recipe from Affairs of Living, a site that is dedicated to special diets. I had to tweak it a bit to make the nests hold together, but the resulting product was a success!
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup coconut butter (purchase it or make your own)
- 2 tablespoons cocoa or carob powder
- 20 drops liquid stevia (I used chocolate flavor) or 2 tablespoons liquid sweetener of choice. If you have them both available, I would use 1/2 of each for better results.
- Several varieties of my Easter Fudge for making eggs (you may, of course, use any little "egg-type" decorations that you choose).
- Note: If you will be using Easter Fudge to make "eggs," make the fudge ahead of time so that you will have the "eggs" ready for Step 5 of the Method.
Instructions
- Place coconut butter in the top of a double boiler, or soften in a pan over very low heat. If using a double boiler, turn the heat up until the water boils, then turn it down to a simmer. Heat the coconut butter until smooth.
- Remove from heat. Stir in sweetener(s) and chocolate or carob.
- Add shredded coconut.
- Mold approximately 2 tablespoons of the mixture into a ball. Flatten partially and make a small indentation in the middle (where the "eggs" will rest). Note: I just placed mine on a small plate. You can place them in a small container that will fit nicely in the refrigerator for setting and you may wish to line it with parchment. I did not find this to be necessary.
- Place the "eggs" in the indentation with slight pressure so that they will stick when the nests harden.
- Place the nests in the refrigerator to cool for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. These do not need to be stored in the refrigerator, but if you use the Easter fudge for "eggs", they will get soft if not kept refrigerated.
- Get ready for a big smile from the recipient!
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
What's your favorite Easter treat?
She is just adorable and who can resist those awesome Chocolate Carob Coconut Birds Nests. Hope you have a fabulous Celebration Week End and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
These look amazing! Can't wait to make these for Easter 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing.
Thanks, Halle! Hope you're well and that you have a wonderful Easter!
Hi Adrienne!
What a great post! Thanks for sharing it at Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays. I was going to share it for tomorrow's link-up...I don't see a link back to SIT, though. Did I miss it?
Hugs,
Amy
Amy,
Oh my goodness, your blog is now listed first 🙂
Thanks for the heads up and for the compliment!
- Adrienne
What munchkin wouldn't love these! Adorable 🙂 Thanks for linking to the Hearth and Soul Hop!
These look wonderful! What a fantastic healthy Easter treat. Thank you so much for linking up to Feed Me Tweet Me Follow Me Home. I have followed you on Twitter. The linky is up again for this week so do hope you will join in with Feed Me Tweet Me again this week if you haven't already! Happy Easter!!
Oh these are fantastic and your son looks so happy! Please share this with us on our Easter Rebirth Bloghop! I love them 🙂
An absolute cute innovation 🙂 Super fun food ! Thanks for sharing this with Hearth and Soul Hop
These are so cute and so creative! If I had kids, I would totally make these for them!
Adults like treats too :-). By the way, I just checked out your blog. Nice! I'd love to check it out more for photography tips. Do you have a camera that you would recommend for blog photography? I am in the market.
These look so adorable, and I love the picture of your son!!
Looks like he is excited for it! 🙂 hehehe... how cute. Visiting!
Adin B
Yum! I'm interested in Stevia.....might have to get some to try since I've banished Splenda from the house. 🙂 Do you use sucanat? If so, what is the difference for you?
I posted a Birds Nest Cookie this week on my site....but it's not at all healthy. lol
Hi Stacy!
I highly recommend NuNaturals Stevia if you are looking for stevia powder. For this recipe I used the liquid stevia. They come in a lot of great flavors. They are a new thing in our household and we really like them. My kids even like the Root Beer flavor in plain water (I am sure it would be amazing in carbonated :-)).
I used to use Sucanat and we really liked it. But we are mainly off of sugar now so we just use it occasionally. The difference is that stevia is difficult to sort out baking with - sucanat is pretty much a 1:1 substitution. It tastes really good and has a nice texture when used w/ oatmeal, etc.
Let me know if that helps.
Your recipe is something I would have indulged in in my sugar-eating days :-).
Getting ready for the easter! Looks delectable! Mine is up.
Looks so delish!
Come and have a coffee with me at Spice Up Your Life, have a good weekend!
sounds great and thanks for sharing it just in time...will love to do it by next week! happy Friday and happy Cambodian New Year! 🙂
How awesome is that? Great great post you have here!
my Food Trip Friday post
cute and yum! i'm planning a home-made easter candy recipe round up post next week. may I link to this recipe?
Do you need me to stop by your blog to link up? Otherwise, of course you may!!