I’m addicted to cocoa bites. It’s taking a superhuman effort to resist scoffing entire batches in one go. And I’m sharing this adaptation of a delicious no-bake recipe I found on Food for the Soul so you too can take part in cocoa madness!!! We can nibble on Heavenly cocoa bites (aka Slices of heaven) as we reassure each other they’re healthy (woohoo!) with sunflower seeds, honey, golden berries, cranberries, cocoa, almonds, coconut oil and ginger! It’s the perfect solution for post-Easter CWS (Chocolate Withdrawal Syndrome). Go on, please join me! 🙂
As you can see from the next photo, these treats are so easy to make I had time to play with my food and make a food art mess! Notice the message ‘subtly’ persuading you to make and eat these cocoa bites! Brainwashing video later (GO TO KITCHEN – MAKE COCOA BITES NOW).
Now being from the UK I looked at Zeba’s original recipe and thought ‘Oh oh! How much is a cup?’ I don’t have to convert everything do I?’ (Do you look at my recipes and think Aaargh, not those blasted grams again!?) The tablespoons and teaspoons are fine – yes, we have spoons too where I’m from. They just have funny British accents.
A British tablespoon
Then I thought, well this kind of recipe can handle improvisation so I’ll use a European grandma-like ‘handful’ system. Other changes I made was adding ginger but less honey and no shredded coconut, plus I had no pumpkin seeds. And I was running out of coconut oil so used less! Luckily I was still happy from eating an earlier batch of cocoa bites so didn’t panic. It was a case of KEEP CALM AND USE WHATEVER YOU HAVE! You’re welcome to follow the same system. 🙂
Oh, and the brackets around (organic) and (raw) are there if you have the non-organic and non-raw stuff, like I did for batch number one. Still delicious. For batch number two I used organic then discovered the honey was surprisingly sweeter and the coconut oil taste stronger! So my advice is put in less honey and coconut oil at first, add everything else then check at the end if you need to add more honey or coconut. It depends on your ingredients and personal taste.
HEAVENLY COCOA BITES (if you make knobbly shapes)
or SLICES OF HEAVEN (in a tray then sliced)
Recipe
Wet stuff (stir to combine)
- 6 tablespoons (organic) almond butter (I imagine peanut butter works but is stronger tasting and less healthy)
- 1 and a half to 2 and a half tbsp (organic) coconut oil
- 1 to 1 and a half tbsp (raw organic) honey (to taste – you might like more)
- Half tsp pure vanilla extract (essence)
Dry stuff (whisk to combine)
- 2 tbsp (raw) unsweetened cocoa powder
- Good pinch of salt (fleur de sel or sea salt)
1. Stir to combine the wet and dry stuff in a medium bowl.
2. Add these ingredients (adapt the suggested quantities to suit your taste) and stir well:
- sliced almonds (three handfuls)
- dried cranberries mixed with golden berries, finely chopped (two handfuls)
- sunflower seeds (one handful)
- 1 to 1 and a half ball(s) stem ginger, finely chopped – optional and to taste (or a little grated fresh ginger)
Stir well to combine and do a taste check
3. If you’re happy with your mixture, spoon and flatten with the back of a metal spoon into a chocolate mould, tray or loaf tin. You can press almond flakes on top of the loaf tin batch.
4. Store in the fridge a few hours before unmoulding and cutting then eating (yes, test earlier if you like). It will keep in tupperware for weeks in the fridge or 3 days in my case. But it starts melting if kept out of the fridge.
Heavenly cocoa bites – or knobbly ducks!
5. Please visit Zeba at Food for the Soul to check out her original slices of heaven WONDERFUL RECIPE which is in cups and will give you more ideas for ingredients. Thank you Zeba!!! 🙂
WARNING: SELF-RESTRAINT WILL NEED TO BE EXERCISED!
COCOA BITES WILL NOT SELF-DESTRUCT IF LEFT ALONE IN THE FRIDGE!
Help yourself to a heavenly cocoa bite or slice!
Hope you enjoyed these little pieces of heaven! I bid you a happy and cocoa-induced ecstatic farewell sweet reader! And wish you great general happiness this week, a nice floaty soft happiness achieved with or without cocoa!!! 🙂 x
lili's cakes 
these look super delicious!!
https://aspoonfulofnature.wordpress.com/
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Thank you! 🙂
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Ah, don’t tempt me with all those cocoa bites! It’s killing me! I am making those bars as I do not have all those lovely moulds.
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Hi Sridevi! Excellent that we’ll both be munching those cocoa bites or bars!! Remember – they’re good for us!! 🙂 P.S. never mind the moulds – stomachs don’t usually notice things like that…
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Ohhh! These are so full of healthy goodness!! So delicious!!
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Thank you very much Jhuls! Yes, they are!!! Are you tempted then?! 🙂
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Oh dear, when Mrs Dookes sees this…. It’s going to get messy! 🙂
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🙂 Hee hee.. Don’t worry Dookes, in all the cocoa euphoria no-one is going to mind! 🙂
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Oooooo, this is wonderful Lili. Love those mini bundt pans. I need to buy some almond butter and coconut oil… So many recipes call for the latter, I’ll need to buy that pronto. I’m always looking for “healthy” chocolate recipes (ha ha), but this does look like it is right up my alley. Bookmarked it and will be making them very very soon.
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Thank you Loretta! And I love my mini bundt pan too! 🙂 Yes, um these seem relatively ‘healthy’ – who knows any more?! But so far so good – no side effects! 🙂 Have just started using coconut oil … I think Angie’s little cupcakes had some and I’m thinking of making them too… Very exciting to know you’ll be munching on these cocoa bites too!!! Enjoy! 🙂
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wow, lovely…and love the pictures. can’t wait to try out the different recipes. Thanks Lili 🙂
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You’re welcome Zeba!! I’m so happy you like the recipe and pictures!! 🙂 And I just really want to thank you again for the original recipe on your blog which is so inspiring! You have some lovely healthy recipes and your Chocolate and raspberry tarts and Mango tarts look amazing! 🙂
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They look great…and yes I DO think aaaurgh blasted grams. Also what’s a “golden berry” when it’s at home? (you see what I did there? I can speak SOME British)
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Happy you like the cocoa bites and thank you! Also for confirming my half-formed doubts about my annoying grams! 🙂 If you click on golden berry or look in ingredients I wrote a short intro to these ‘wonder’ berries!!! Actually they’re tart and tasty. I discovered them one week ago! There’s one in the photo under the ‘Y’ in Yum!
And I like your use of British .. made me feel right at home (with the golden berry)… thanks for making me laugh again! 🙂
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Well, there’s me told! I didn’t even notice that the ‘golden berries’ was a link. Thanks!
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No worries! Let me know what you think if you ever try them! They’re optional though in this recipe…
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so happy to have discovered your gorge blog. These look delectable. Being from Oz I use cup measures and do admit I grumble when I see a recipe in grams 😉 Having said that some of the recipes I blog are in grams and it is much more accurate.
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Thank you!!! Very happy you like the blog, despite those grams! 🙂 Will look into adding some conversions at times for recipes that can take it. That’s useful feedback – I’ll keep the trickier stuff only in grams.. And might very possibly do the conversion from cups for your yummy macadamia maple squares!!! 🙂
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These look so amazing, I might have to try them!
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Thank you so much!!! Yes, please do – you’ll have no regrets! 🙂
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These really looks delicious Lili 🙂 I love, that they are no-bake 😉
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Thank you Linda!!! Happy you like them!! 🙂 And yes, no-bake is nice, fun and relaxing – a nice break sometimes from the oven! 🙂
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