cacao – ShakeUpFit

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Today's post is another recipe. It's day 4 into the New Year and you're probably struggling now with your sweet tooth reminding you that you haven't had anything 'naughty' for a whole week already!!

So a nice easy recipe for you today is my choco spread. Now strangely, I don't like chocolate of any kind but I do make a killer chocolate flavoured recipe that seems to go down a treat.

This recipe is nut based so the feedback I've had is that it tastes like the inside of a Ferrero Rocher so give it a try!! The spread can be had on pancakes, crackers or used in recipes for cookies to make them chocolatey too.

Ingredients
270g Hazelnuts
170ml Maple Syrup
110ml Water
3 heaped tablespoons of Cacao Powder
2 tablespoons of Coconut Milk

Lay the hazelnuts out on a baking tray and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 10 minutes, then take them out and let them cool.

Once they've cooled, throw the hazelnuts and cacao powder in a blender and whizz up until it's as fine as you can get it. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend again until nice and smooth.

From this point it's down to personal preference. If you want it sweeter, add small amounts of maple syrup in, if you want it more chocolatey, add a bit more cacao, if you want it more runny then add a bit more coconut milk. Just remember to add small amounts, blend and taste as you can't take it out once it's in the mix!!

Enjoy and let me know what you have it with!

Ciao for now x

Published by mbennardo in Food Tips, Recipe

Tags: breakfast, cacao, chocolate, hazelnuts, nuts, spread, sweet

This recipe always makes me chuckle as it's well known by my friends that I don't like chocolate, milk, dark, nuts, none of it! Yet I seem to be pretty good at whipping up chocolate substitutes with healthy vegan and gluten free chocolate options. This recipe is a variation on my Energy Balls recipe so give both a go and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

100g medjool dates
25g goji berries
25g cashew nuts
50g almonds
100g shredded/dessicated coconut
3 tablespoons of cacao powder
1.5 tablespoons of coconut oil
1.5 tablespoons of maple syrup
1.5 tablespoons of coconut milk

Put the goji berries, cashews, almonds, coconut and cacao powder in a blender and whizz them up until they are as fine as you want them. If you prefer them chunkier leave them in less time.

Add the dates, coconut oil, coconut milk and maple syrup to the blender and blend again until you get a big doughy sticky mix.

This is where you can tailor the recipe. Taste it and see what you think! If you want them smoother then add small amounts of water until it's as smooth as you want. If you prefer it with a stronger chocolate flavour, add a touch more cacao powder. If you prefer it sweeter add a little more maple syrup. Make sure when you add extra into the recipe you add in tiny amounts, blend and taste again as you can always add more but you can take any out!

Once you're happy with the mix, line a baking tray with baking paper and roll the mix into small balls onto the baking tray. Should make you about 15 choco balls with the quantities above. Put them in the freezer for an hour or so then just store in a container in the fridge until you want to eat them. The best time to eat them seems to be if you take them out of the fridge about 20 minutes before you want to enjoy so they begin to slightly soften.

Ciao for now x