I apologize in advance for ruining your diet. I made these for a “healthy” dessert last night when I was craving something chocolatey. Coconut’s a fruit, right? Although individually they are not enough to ruin your diet, not being able to control yourself after eating just one might be. Ice cold balls of chewy coconut sweetened by agave nectar and cocoa powder and health food-ified by creamy peanut butter and rolled oats just in time for summer? No thank you, but YES PLEASE! There are just over 120 calories in each ball, so eat accordingly. But MAKE these. Recipe below.
Secondly, I want to send a HUGE thank you to Gabriella, a London blogger who writes Indulge and Devour, for nominating my little blog for the LIEBSTER BLOG AWARD. Thank you so much, Gabriella; I’m honored! If you guys have a chance to hop over to her blog and peek at her delicious looking recipes and photos, you will NOT be sorry. In Liebster Award fashion, I’m going to nominate 5 other blogs that I enjoy reading as a way for bloggers to “pay it forward” and get new ideas floating around. Many of my favorite blogs are already quite famous, so I hope you guys get a chance to check out these slightly smaller but no less incredible blogs, too. To see other larger blogs that I often read, check out section called “Blogs I’m Reading” on the homepage. Thanks!
Corrie’s Blog– My pal Corrie has an incredibly vast repository of recipes for only having her blog for a year or so. I go to her for desserts, breads and general friendly spunk.
Desert Candy – Mercedes writes about her kitchen adventures as an American who loves the Middle East. Her recipes are authentic, interesting and a great way to discover new grains or ways to stuff a vegetable.
KShar – KShar’s blog is all about cooking Persian food through instructional videos. The truth is, most Persian recipes are much more about taste, smell and the way the food looks on the plate, and it can be hard to get that from a recipe. Instruction is the best way to learn, so please enjoy!
Shrinking the World – My pal Amalia, an incredible flutist living in Jerusalem, shares her favorite music from all over the world.
Cafe Liz – Liz blogs about Kosher vegetarian recipes from her apartment in Tel Aviv. Her recipes are fresh, personal and vast. Most importantly, they draw on traditional Middle Eastern flavors that you can’t miss.
Makes 16 balls; recipe adapted from here.
What you need:
1 1/2 c dried, unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c agave nectar (*next time I might try a little less because although they are deliciously sweet, they would still be good with slightly less sweetener)
1/3 c rolled oats
1/4 c coconut oil; melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tblsp crunchy natural peanut butter
How to do it:
Mix the coconut and cocoa powder together. Then add the agave nectar, oats, coconut oil and vanilla extract. Mix well until the mixture looks somewhat wet. Then add the peanut butter and fully incorporate everything. Place into the fridge for 20 minutes. Use a teaspoon size to make the balls and place on parchment paper. Place in freezer for 20 minutes or until hard. Stuff them in your face and enjoy!
my jerusalem kitchen 