Friday, August 28, 2009

Sweet Tip For The Day - Low Carb Chocolate Candy

SEARCH BLOG: LOW CARBOHYDRATES

To give my oldest son a break from my posts about global warming, the economy, and politics... this is a recipe for a healthy, 30-minute low carb chocolate candy for weight conscious and diabetics with a sweet tooth [10 minutes of work and 20 minutes of waiting]:

  • 4 Lindt extra dark 3.5 oz. chocolate bars [85-90% cocoa]
  • 4 oz. unsweetened and shredded coconut
  • 1 cup salted mixed nuts chopped coarsely [I use almonds, walnuts, and pecans that I have heated in cold-pressed coconut oil and sea salt to lightly brown them... also makes a great snack]
  • 1/8 tsp. KAL brand stevia [a VERY CONCENTRATED natural sweetener with no carbs - other brands may have some bitter aftertaste... DON'T OVER-SWEETEN]
  • [optional for non-diabetics] handful of dried cherries or raisins [which do raise the carbs but give you the taste of an old-fashioned "Chunky" bar]
How to:
  • sprinkle stevia on chocolate bars and melt for about 2 min. in 1 quart microwave dish [about 2"x7"x7"]
  • stir softened [but not real hot and bubbling] chocolate and stevia until mixed
  • in a separate bowl, mix the chopped nuts, shredded coconut, and dried fruit [optional] and add to softened chocolate mixing thoroughly
  • on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or a silicone pad, spread the mixture to a square about 1/2" thick... no more than that
  • place in freezer for 15 minutes
  • remove and cut semi-hardened mixture into 1" to 1-1/2" squares using a flat-bladed stiff knife [press down slowly]
  • place cut mixture back in freezer until hardened [about 5 - 10 more minutes]
  • remove frozen mixture, break up into the individually scored pieces, and put in sealed container in refrigerator
Makes 50-100 pieces depending on size. The chocolate does not harden so keeping the pieces cold reduces the melting on your fingers. 1" pieces are nice because you can just pop one in your mouth and don't have to hold a half-eaten piece.


Try not to eat the whole batch in one sitting.

Part of a diet my wife and I used to lose 35 lbs. each.
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