No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Cookies
I was excited to try these, not only because I love dark chocolate, but because I have been craving coconut for the past month or so, but not being a big coconut eater most of the time I haven’t had a lot of chances to have it.
I got organic reduced-fat grated coconut (not shredded) to use for the Dark Chocolate Truffles, and figured that would work for this too but I am not sure it turned out as well as it could have. I used dark chocolate “chips” (they are little rectangles) from Whole Foods and they were delicious (yes, I popped some into my mouth when I opened the package!) and they melted well but 1 cup did not yield enough melted chocolate to make 32 cookies…maybe the shredded coconut instead of grated would have made the overall volume a lot higher!?
After I used about half of the ingredients, I added a few drops of peppermint extract to the rest so I could make some mint dark chocolate coconut cookies. Lesson learned there…the addition of mint was yummy, but a few drops was MORE than enough. The mint cookies are a little overpowering!
These turned out well–kind of like chocolates you’d get in a box, more so than like cookies–but I think using the shredded coconut next time would make them better. And, of course, these are a little more guilt-inducing than the “Babies” since they actually use chocolate (which contains sugar) rather than fruit to make them sweet, so I won’t be making them too often.
These simple but delicious cookies are reminiscent of the no-bake cookies you may have eaten as a child, but without the oatmeal. They’re sure to satisfy your sweet tooth while providing some of the health benefits of both cocoa and coconuts, as long as you’re sure to choose a low-sugar dark chocolate and unsweetened coconut.
Time to table: 30 minutes
Serves: 16
Healing Nutrient Spotlight: Source of iron and fiber
Ingredients:*
- 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
* Choose organic ingredients for optimal nutrition.
Preparation:
Place chocolate chips in top of double boiler or in a stainless steel or glass bowl that will fit on top of a saucepan of water. Heat the water to a slow simmer then place the chocolate chips in the container on top of the hot water. As the chips begin to melt, stir them rapidly to prevent the chocolate from burning. Lift the bowl off the pot of water and stir the coconut into the melted chocolate. Drop the mixture by tablespoonfuls onto an oiled cookie sheet and place into the refrigerator to set up. Makes 32 cookies, 2 per serving.
Source: Cameron Rupprecht
