Paleo Candy: Chocolate Coconut Fudge with ANYTHING YOU WANT Inside

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I know what you're thinking. Girl couldn't even go two weeks enduring the paleo diet without making some fake candy. What can I say? It was the weekend, I had time on my hands, and I figured pre-making some health-ified desserts for post-meal satisfaction couldn't hurt.

I was only partly right. Unfortunately, my husband is not into nuts (don't get me started...), so I was eating these all alone. And I. Could. Not. Stop.

I tried putting them in the freezer to make them so hard I wouldn't be able to have any instant gratification. Didn't work. I just dug right in and ate them frozen.

This stuff is that good. It's like crack or something (I wouldn't know first hand on that one, I'm just saying, it's addicting).

You can pretty much do whatever add-ins and toppings you want once you get the fudge base right. I went with roughly chopped walnuts and almonds, coconut flakes, and cranberries inside and some almond butter topping on top of half of my batch. I have to say, the dried cranberries were amazing and I wished I had thrown more in. 

Other ideas: any dried fruit (dried cherries? yumz), any nuts (pecans? PISTACHIOS? oh my gosh), fresh fruit (obviously this would limit its shelf life, but I think it would be amazing with some fresh strawberries and raspberries in the summer time), cooked unflavored quinoa (crunchy!)... the possibilities are kind of endless, and I can't wait to see what you guys come up with.

Chocolate Coconut Fudge with ANYTHING YOU WANT Inside

Adapted from: This Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups coconut oil
• 1 cup cacao powder
• 1.5 tbsp stevia or sugar substitute (Note: If your palate is used to natural sweetness as opposed to artificial, you will probably enjoy this treat with even less sweetness. If that's you, start with 1 tbsp and see how it tastes!)
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (OPTIONAL)
• Any add ins you want! Nuts, fruits, etc. 

Directions:

• Melt coconut oil in the microwave (60 seconds, then stir, and nuke for another 30 if not dissolved entirely).
• Stir in cacao, stevia, salt, and cayenne pepper (optional). Whisk until well combined. Taste test to ensure you like the balance, and adjust cacao/stevia/salt balance as you desire.
• Stir in your add-ins, like nuts, syrups, fruits, etc.
• Pour into a cake pan lined with aluminum foil, and fold back the foil to make this the desired thickness you want (you can just fold it and it will stay put!).
• Put in the freezer for 2 hours.
• To serve, let sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes for best texture... but let's be real, it tastes good no matter what (and it never freezes completely, so it won't break your teeth!).

How Halloween Can (Not) Ruin Your Nutrition Plan

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Notice I didn't say diet. I said nutrition plan. Why? Because diet is an bad word, my friends! . People who are on "diets" tend to fail. Diets are temporary (diamonds nutrition plans are forever).

I digressed. Here comes Halloween. Halloween. HALLOWEEN! Everyone hail to the pumpkin song.

FitSugar recently put together a poster of how much of each candy you can have for 100 calories. Check it out...

Image Source

Looking for some healthier alternatives? Check these out...

Eyeball Appetizers

Halloween Web Cookies

Here's hoping you have a wonderful Halloween! Stuck in the spirit and want some more Halloween goodness? Check out my Halloween Costume and tips for Effie Trinket and Seneca Crane, or this Halloween round up!

P.S. Here's a Halloween video for you!

4th of July Red White and Blue Jolly Rancher Suckers

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These suckers are Red, White, and Blue... and they taste a heck of a lot like Jolly Ranchers (because they're made of them!).

When I made these, it was sort of an experiment. Obviously, Jolly Ranchers would melt at a certain temperature -- after all, how else would they have molded each candy into that brick-like shape? The question was how high to turn up the heat.

As it turned out, keeping the heat fairly low (250 degrees) works perfectly, and you only need to bake them for about 5-8 minutes! 

Red White and Blue Jolly Rancher Suckers

Ingredients Per Sucker:

• 1 blue Jolly Rancher
• 1 red Jolly Rancher
• 1 sucker stick
• Aluminum Foil 
• Pam/Oil
• Optional: Coconut Flakes

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
2. Line a cooking pan with aluminum foil (parchment paper will also work). Spray the foil with cooking spray or wipe with vegetable oil.
3. Line up one blue jolly rancher and one red jolly rancher next to each other, leaving room for each set to spread out without melting into another set, and also leaving room for adding the sticks without getting the sticks in other suckers. I did 2 rows with about 5 sets per row, and staggered them so that the sticks would not be in the same place once I put them in.
4. Bake for approximately 5-8 minutes, or until the Jolly Ranchers melt and spread out. 
5. Remove from the oven and carefully place each stick into each sucker, twisting the stick in the still melted candy in order to ensure that it is fully inside the sucker once it dries.
6. To add the white coconut flakes, press small handfulls of flakes onto each sucker before the candy hardens. You only have a few minutes to do this, so work fast!
7. Enjoy!

Mousse-filled Edible Chocolate Cups

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They had edible chocolate bowls at my High School prom. I remember my mind being blown. It seemed so gourmet. So fancy. So... difficult to make

Go figure... it's not all that difficult. It takes about 15 minutes and a package of balloons! But don't tell your friends how easy it was ;-)

For this recipe, I filled the edible white chocolate cups with dark chocolate mousse. Don't let that box you in! Get creative with this one. Instead of mousse, here are some other fun options for filling: 

• berries (or cooled off balsamic honey berries, using this method)
• mint-flavored-whipped cream (use the whipped frosting recipe from this York Peppermint Patty Cupcake Recipe)
• banana ice cream
• pie filling
• whipped cream (and sliced strawberries, a la this post!)

Anyone else have some good ideas for filling consideration?!

Prep time: 15
Ingredients:

• 1 pack Almond Bark (white) or White Chocolate
• 1 pack Balloons
• 1 box Jello Chocolate Mousse Mix
• 1 cup Skim Milk

'Cooking' Directions:

1. Blow up small balloons and set aside.
2. Heat almond bark or white chocolate in the microwave for 90 seconds. Stir, then continue to heat in 15 second intervals, stirring in between, until the chocolate seems almost melted. Take it out and stir until it is smooth.
3. Carefully, dip balloons in chocolate and slowly move around to get a clean line of chocolate. Remove and set on a sheet of parchment paper. Continue until chocolate has been used up.
4. Set chocolate covered balloons aside.
5. Combine chocolate mousse mix with 1 cup of skim milk and mix, using an electric mixer, on low for 30 seconds, then on high for 4 minutes.
6. Set mousse in the fridge to cool for 2 hours.
7. Using a fork or toothpick, pop the balloons. This is the fun part, people! Stab those things! Most of the balloons will lift right out after being popped, but some need a bit more finesse. Be gentle with them!
8. Spoon or pipe chocolate mousse into edible chocolate cups.

Mom, Can We Go Back to the Candy Shop?! PLEEASE?

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Oops, I did it again.

It's hard to stop. It's just too fun. Too easy. And it makes people sooo happy! 

Candy, boys and girls! CANDY!

Hyper? Maybe...

Since I discovered my inner Willy Wonka here, I've been aching to do it all again... and so I did.

Using a mini cupcake/muffin pan, line with mini cupcake papers. Then melt your candy and get mixing...

Chocolate peanut butter "Reeses" candy: Spoon 1 layer of melted "Peanut Butter" flavored candy (by Wilton) into papers. Smooth and let freeze. Add 1 layer of melted bittersweet chocolate chips. Smooth and freeze.

White chocolate peanut butter "Reeses" candy: Spoon 1 layer of melted "Peanut Butter" flavored candy (by Wilton) into papers. Smooth and let freeze. Add 1 layer of melted white candy (by Wilton). Smooth and freeze.

White chocolate macadamia nut candy: Spoon melted white chocolate candies into papers and smooth. Add chopped macadamia nuts. Freeze.

Chocolate peanut butter with Almond candy: Spoon 1 layer of melted "Peanut Butter" flavored candy (by Wilton) into papers. Smooth and let freeze. Add 1 layer of melted bittersweet chocolate chips and smooth. Add almond. Freeze.

Chocolate and almonds candy: Spoon melted bittersweet chocolate chips into papers and smooth. Add almonds. Freeze.

Bottom layer of "Reeses" candies

Top layer of white chocolate "Reeses" candies

:)

I'll Take You To The Candy Shop

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Are you wearing a bib? Prepare to drool. You were warned!

Drooling yet? Thought so! Just like Mr. Wonka, what we've got ourselves here is a scrum-diddly-umptious candy.  

But how does (s)he do it?! Mr. Wonka was a little secretive about his recipes... but I'm not!

What You Need:

I made these chocolate beauties using... 

• melted chocolate, 
• melted white chocolate, 
• peppermint candies, 
• and a rose mold (not the one seen in the picture - but found at Hobby Lobby).

What You Need To Do:

• Melt the chocolate (regular or white - really just depends on your personal preference) in 30 second intervals. Use a thin, microwaveable bowl (that means not your thick, ceramic bowl - it will scorch the chocolate and that's just no fun). 
• Once the chocolate looks semi-melted, take it out and start stirring. Melted chocolate doesn't always change shape once it gets soft, so if you don't do this, you'll overheat them because they don't look melted.
• If you're adding peppermint (or granola? graham cracker? get creative!), dump it in the bowl and fold/stir it in.
• Spoon into molds.
• Freeze for 5 minutes.
• Take the mold out, flip it upside down and pop out your candy (just like an ice tray)!

Yes, you may call me Willy Wonka.