Healthy one-bite chocolates

It’s December, which means I get to share lots of healthier holiday recipes. I know how easy it can be to fall off the gluten-free, sugar-free wagon. Trust me, I’ve been there.

The best way to avoid falling off the healthy wagon, in my experience, is to make sure you have plenty of nutritious treats available so you don’t feel any deprivation.

These days nutritious recipes are so easy to find, and they even taste delicious. I love serving my guests healthy desserts. They’re always pleasantly surprised.

This recipe is full of healthy fats that will benefit your body in many ways. Healthy fats are all the rage these days, and for good reason. Don’t worry; good quality fats won’t make you fat. Get that 1980’s concept out of your head.

We need good fats to absorb fatsoluble vitamins (vitamin A, D, E, K). Research has shown that good fats can lower bad cholesterol and increase the good kind of cholesterol (HDL). Another benefit of healthy fats is the fact that they take longer to break down in the digestive system, which slows the breakdown of carbohydrates into sugar, keeping our blood sugar levels stable for longer.

To boost the fat content in this recipe I used coconut oil. I also used organic peanut butter because my kids love it (and I especially want to feed them healthier treats and good fats), but you could use any nut or seed butter in this recipe. It’s super flexible. I would also encourage you to top these with cashews, pistachios, or cacao nibs. The extra crunch takes these healthy chocolate bites to a whole new level.

One Bite Chocolates

½ cup coconut oil ½ cup almond butter 3 tablespoons maple syrup

2 1/2 tablespoons cacao powder sea salt for sprinkling

1. Liquefy coconut oil over low heat in a small saucepan.

2. Stir in almond butter and mix carefully until combined.

3. Keeping heat on low, add maple syrup. Turn off heat.

4. Whisk in cacao powder and mix well.

5. Pour mixture into a glass jar with a spout and pour into a mini muffin pan

(silicone or you’ll need to use candy cups).

6. Freeze until firm and repeat with a second tray.

Store in the fridge in a tightly sealed container.

Yield 20-24 cups.

Maggie Savage is a holistic nutritionist who blogs about healthy gluten-free living.

Find more of her recipes at www.SheLetThemEatCake.com