Cacao coconut cups recipe (with peppermint option)

Chances are you’ve heard all about the goodness of coconut oil — but have you given coconut butter a try yet? I am absolutely obsessed with the stuff.  In case you aren’t familiar with it, while coconut oil is purely the oil extracted from the coconut, coconut butter is the whole coconut pureed into a creamy “butter”, just like any smooth nut butter. It’s absolutely divine! This week I did something a little special with it and whipped up these delectable little cacao coconut cups.

The recipe I was inspired by called for these to have a peppermint flavour. I wasn’t sure if I would like that so I decided to add peppermint to half the batch and leave the other half plain. Well, I am pleased to say, both versions are delicious! If you really don’t like peppermint, go without it. If you love it, mint these babies up! Or if you want a little surprise every time you grab one, go half-and-half the way I did. There’s no losing when it comes to these sweet little treats!

Not only are these little cups delicious, but they’re also far more nutritious than your usual dessert. The coconut butter fills you up with healthy fats, the raw cacao is a source of iron, magnesium and antioxidants, and using stevia instead of regular sugar means having these as an after-dinner treat won’t spike your blood sugar. You may not have some of these ingredients on hand usually, but they’re definitely worth adding to your regular shopping list. They’re great staples to have around!

Cacao coconut cups (with peppermint option)

Inspired by Worth Every Chew

Ingredients:

For coconut base:

• 3/4 cup coconut butter, melted
• 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (optional)

For chocolate topping:

• 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup raw cacao powder
• 15 drops liquid stevia (more or less, to taste)

Directions:

1. Combine all coconut base ingredients in a small bowl, including peppermint extract, if using. (Or if you want to do the half-and-half version as I did, in step 2, just spoon out half the mixture into the molds, then add 1/4 teaspoon peppermint to the remaining and spoon that out as well.)
2. With a large spoon, scoop coconut mixture into small silicon molds. Start small and then add more as needed. I ended up with 10 cups but you may end up with more or less depending on the size of your molds. Place the molds in the fridge to set.
3. In a small pot over low heat, add the chocolate topping ingredients and stir until well combined and a liquid has formed. Don’t let this mixture get too hot — just heat it enough for it to be a liquid.
4. Once coconut cups are set, remove the molds from the fridge and place on a flat surface. Pour a small spoonful of chocolate mixture over each coconut cup. Repeat this process until chocolate mixture is done.
5. Return to fridge to cool. Once completely cooled, pop out the cups and store them in a resealable container in the fridge. Enjoy!

Note: This is the handy little silicon tray I made them in. I bought it a while ago and it has served me well!

If you don’t have a silicon mold like this one, I highly recommend getting one. They’re great for healthy little treats like these, homemade chocolate and more!

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