This is probably one of my favorite recipes that I will have posted to date. I do love all the other recipes; they are a part of my life and who I am and what I love to eat. With food, I generally think of things that go good together and make a dish that more often than not turns out to be amazing (That’s what my husband says). But this one recipe in particular, may it be because I don’t consider myself a baker or maybe because it didn’t take me one time but about 10 times at this point to get it perfect and somewhere that I felt good enough to publish (not that the other ten times they weren’t good I just wanted perfection), or whatever the case I love it and I’m proud of it!

I love coconut so although I must’ve eaten about 30 of these in the past 2 months, I’m glad because I actually lost weight and have a new found love for coconut and it’s healthy reputation.  Growing up here in Italy one of my favorite candy bars, were the famous Bounty bars made with shredded coconut and covered in chocolate. Yum. Then along came Ferrero chocolate company with it’s Raffaello chocolate with an almond in the center and covered with nothing but coconut itself.
Well, I stopped eating all these chocolates about maybe 8 years ago, occasionally indulging in one but don’t really have that love for them anymore because they are just too sweet and of course full of “other ingredients” that I can’t really even spell out.
All of these delicious products eventually become something I never craved or think of because they just aren’t part of the healthy woman that I am or became. I much rather indulge in things that are home-made and fresh. Don’t get me wrong occasionally a friend or someone will offer me one and I’m not saying I would never stick one of these in my mouth but I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy them, especially because now I have this recipe and the ingredients and flavor in these are so much more rewarding.

Also I am not saying that you are going to lose weight if you eat these. I love to work out and eat healthy foods and I guess that the combination of working out and the adding this healthy fat have really worked out for me and I couldn’t be happier.  It was a coincidence and a welcome at that.

Coconut has really been exploding over the world these past few years as a good for you fat, and how you should cook with it and use it as a fat substitution and try to incorporate it in your everyday diet (information we all knew just forgot about it). Just like nuts they are a healthy fat and you should eat them everyday. Be careful though that doesn’t give you a hall pass to go crazy, you still need moderation, after all that is the secret to being your best self ever! But do make them for New Years and serve them, your friend will go crazy. Or when you have a girls get together you can serve these as a little dessert this way you keep your waistline in check but your belly happy and indulged.

I should mention though the one that has really eaten about 100 of these is my husband, he loves them. Since I’ve know him and been married to him which is 9 years; he always eats a chocolate after dinner, but since these he will not buy chocolate and eats one of these every night and looks forward to them like a cute little puppy that he is, (in a mans body of course!) For him (seeing that he’s a chocolate lover ) I cover in dark chocolate, but I like to leave mine plain. So you choose how you want yours. If you want them plain just don’t dip them in the chocolate. I make this batch once a week and store it in a cookie tight container and they maintain wonderfully. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Makes about 15 balls

2 cups of Coconut, shredded

1 cup of Almond flour*

2 Egg whites

4 tbsp. Honey

3 tbsp. Flax oil**

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

½ tsp. Salt

1 bar Dark chocolate

Preheat the over at 350°F (or 180°C).

Mix all ingredients besides chocolate in bowl. If you have an ice cream scoop use it, it will save you all the tedious work. If not (like myself) wet your hands and grab a spoonful of the mix and compact balls together patiently. (They will sometimes fall apart, just restart the ball, they are really light so this is bound to happen.)

They will turn out just takes time, don’t worry about them being too perfect.

Place balls one by one on the baking sheet or cookie tray and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden. Remove allowing to cool down.

If Chocolate coating them:
Get your chocolate bar and break into pieces, place in a ceramic or glass bowl and melt at Bagno Maria a.k.a Bains-Marie (which means to place in a small pot of water, over medium heat, place a smaller bowl or pot inside it and gently allow ingredient to melt); if not place bowl in microwave and melt about 2-3 minutes. Mix until smooth with a spoon and one by one dip the balls in, gently roll them around in the chocolate and then place on wax paper (or use the same baking paper you cooked them in). Allow to harden.
You can leave them at room temperature for about 2 hours, or place them in the fridge for half hour and they’re done.

*You can omit the almond flour and either replace with oat four or coconut flour itself**You can replace the Flax oil with coconut oil, or linseed oil, grape seed oil; I liked mine best with the flax oil.