Creepy Cocoa Coconut Candies

The recipe should make approximately 24 tablespoons of mixture, and 2 tablespoons gives a good-sized candy. The trick (pun intended!) is to use the right sized candy mould for approximately 2 tablespoons and also to divide the mixture up equally, which would give you 12 candies. I give the counts for the entire recipe below so if you should need to divide the mixture differently, you can work out the counts per portion from the full counts.

Virgin coconut oil is available online and at some health food stores. It is solid at cold temperatures and liquid at room temperature and above, so candies made with it need to be kept in the refrigerator or freezer until just before you want to eat them.

Despite coconut and other tropical oils' past "bad press," it is now becoming clear that including VCO in your diet gives many health benefits, especially when combined with a low-carbohydrate diet. According to published reports, VCO helps to speed up the metabolism, which can help with weight loss; it supports the hormone system, including the thyroid and adrenal glands, has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial qualities and has even been shown to have anti-carcinogenic effects.

Creepy Cocoa Coconut Candies

Makes 12 candies

Ingredients:
3/4 cup virgin coconut oil
7 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons Splenda (sucralose)
1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
1 1/2 cups ground nuts (eg, almonds, walnuts, pecans or a mixture)

Directions:
1. Melt the virgin coconut oil in a small metal saucepan or bowl on the stovetop.

2. When the VCO has melted, take it off the heat and stir in the cocoa, Splenda and coffee granules. Add the ground nuts, mixing well to break up any clusters of ground nuts to encourage an even texture.

3. Use this mixture to fill your candy moulds, approximately 2 tablespoons per mould. Leave the moulds in the refrigerator or freezer to set, and keep in the freezer until needed.

Per serving (one candy): 4.5g carbs, 2g fiber, 3g protein, 19g fat, 0mg cholesterol, 0.5mg sodium, 195 calories