White Chocolate Macaroon Bites – Happy Valentines Day

The prettiness of Valentines and all it’s pinks and ruby reds always inspires me to be creative especially when I have the camera in my hand.  Today I unearthed some of my pretties and had fun playing with them to bring you some inspiration.  And of course there’s a tasty recipe to go with it!  Don’t we all love a wee treat that’s simple to make and pretty healthy yet just a little naughty.

These bite size macaroons are simply divine all on their own especially since they are made with naturally white raw cacao butter.  We can all pretend that cacao is super healthy for us and full of antioxidants, which it does contain, but it also has it’s flip side which is full of caffeine, a chemical.  So it’s hard to say it’s totally healthy but I will say that it isn’t full of additives, preservatives and refined sugar so it’s a whole lot better than most every other chocolate that’s out there.  As for the coconut it’s definitely healthy all the way, yay!  It is rich in plant proteins, is an excellent dietary fiber and is high in manganese.  Coconut is rich in saturated fats which most think is risky for ones health.  However, on the contrary coconut oil is lower in calories than other fats and does not deplete the body’s reserves of antioxidants as some other oils do.  Most oils have been processed allowing the molecules to oxidize and contribute free radicals in the body which then require antioxidants to eliminate them.  A list of valuable benefits from coconut oil is here.  I’ve sweetened with mineral rich maple syrup which is still a sugar (with some mineral benefits at least) and Yes it is acidic but I’ve cut back on the amount by using liquid stevia to bump up the sweet factor for this very special Valentines Day treat!  Sugar is sugar, no matter the source.  No sugar is really healthy at all especially if you are not well so avoid maple syrup altogether if you have serious symptoms, otherwise use it in extreme moderation as a treat and just use stevia to sweeten instead.  You can play with the sweetness as you may like it less so.  In this case cut back on the maple syrup.

It’s fun to make these up and share them so you might like to pick up some cute snack bags to package them in or some cute little cup cake or chocolate liners to pretty them up.  This recipe doubles easily so you can make up a big batch and give some away as prezzies!

They are most firm when chilled but are fine at room temp if you are careful with them.  If you plan to wrap and share them, perhaps add 1/4 cup more cacao butter to make them a tad firmer.  Otherwise keep them in the fridge to avoid too much crumbling, they are deeelish when chilled any ways!

White Chocolate Coconut Macaroon Bites
Yield: Approx 24 mini bites
1 cup cacao butter, grated
1/2 tsp alcohol free pure vanilla
2 tsp coconut oil
3 tbsp maple syrup
6-8 drop stevia
1 1/2 cups dried unsweetened fine shred coconut
Method
Over very, very low heat melt grated cacao butter. Remove from heat as soon as it is melted.  If very hot, allow to cool somewhat.  Then stir in all remaining ingredients one by one until combined.  Spoon approx 1 1/2 tablespoons into mini muffin tins or mini fluted tart tins, press in firmly with end of wooden spoon or finger tips and freeze for 20 mins to set.  Pop out of tin with point of a sharp knife.  Garnish with a berry or just enjoy straight up!  Store in refrigerator, serve cold or at room temperature.

These were a cinch to pat down, then freeze for 20 mins and pop out with the tip of thin knife.

These kind of reminded me of those one bite brownies (the ones that were hard to stop at one bite) but this is the healthy version of something rather addictive.

Well… I hope you have a marvelous Valentine’s Day with the special people in your life.  If nothing else, pamper yourself this weekend with some self love; a warm bath, maybe some gentle yoga stretches, a hot cup of tea and a good magazine.  I recently found this lovely online one that you might enjoy.Now back I go… to my studio, brain storming more recipes and concocting flavours for my alkaline cook book.  Busy busy busy! but fun fun fun!

See you here again soon:)

Julie