Easy Vegan Chocolate Coconut Balls for Passover
I'm pretty sure the world is divided into two camps.
People who can't stand coconut, and people who can't get enough of it.
I'm firmly in the second camp.
I love just about everything this wonderful coconut has to offer.
A curry made with coconut milk? Now you've got my attention.
A fruit smoothie with coconut milk takes me straight back to Thailand.
And coconut desserts get my mouth watering before I've even taken a bite. These chocolate coconut balls, for example.
Maybe that's why I see Passover as the perfect excuse to snack my way through every kosher-for-Passover cookie I can find.
I'll admit it: I really do love all those Passover cookies.
(And don't even get me started on peanut cookies or wine cookies.)
These days, there's a whole world of coconut products out there: coconut flour, canned coconut milk, coconut milk beverages, coconut sugar, and the list goes on.
They have nutritional benefits, but there are drawbacks, too—especially the saturated fat in coconut.
If you're sensitive to gluten, here's some good news: coconut flour and other pure coconut products are naturally gluten-free. They don't contain gluten, the protein found in wheat.
About the Recipe
For the base, I used coconut flour that I found in the organic section of my supermarket. You can also use finely ground shredded coconut, though the texture will be a little different.
To bind the flour—which doesn't need baking or cooking—I used coconut cream with 20% fat. A lower-fat coconut cream won't firm up completely, but I think it's still worth a try.
I coated the balls in dark chocolate because, well, chocolate. You can skip the coating if you'd like. But I think you'd be missing out.
Nutrition Information
Provided by Noam Behar (an Israeli clinical dietitian and fitness trainer):
One chocolate coconut ball, weighing 14 g (0.5 oz), from a batch of 40 contains:
60 calories
1 g protein
6 g carbohydrates
3 g fat
Chocolate Coconut Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut flour 200 g (7 oz)
- 1/2 cup high-fat coconut cream 100 g (3.5 oz)
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar or your favorite sweetener
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 200 g (7 oz) dark chocolate
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or any neutral-flavored vegetable oil
Instructions
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Combine the coconut flour, coconut cream, coconut sugar, and lemon juice in a deep bowl and mix well.
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If the coconut cream is solid, gently melt it in the microwave or in a bowl set over a pot of boiling water.
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Refrigerate the bowl for at least 1 hour, until the mixture firms up.
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After about 1 hour, use your hands to roll the mixture into small balls and place them on a wire rack.
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Melt the chocolate, then stir in the coconut oil until the chocolate is smooth and pourable.
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If the coconut oil is solid, melt it in the microwave or in a bowl set over boiling water.
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Pour the melted chocolate over the coconut balls and refrigerate until ready to serve.
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If you'd like, decorate each ball with a little shredded coconut, melted vegan white chocolate, or raw cacao nibs.
