Day 213: Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free Almond Joy

If you've been reading along, you may have noticed, I had a sugar-free, gluten-free tea party last Saturday. There were lots of goodies to eat: raw applesauce pie, cookies, biscuits, and one of my personal favorites...Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free Almond Joy Cups -- a treat I learned to make from the delicious cookbook Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free Baking and Desserts.

The recipe was easy to make and wonderfully yummy...especially considering I can't/don't eat good things like chocolate anymore. To make things even easier, I tweaked it a bit, to employ the help of my Vitamix (much easier than mixing it by hand).  Even my husband, who absolutely HATES most of my concoctions, gives it the thumbs up. If you are looking for something chocolatey, healthy, and Lyme-friendly, I hope you'll give it a go.

ALMOND JOY CUPS
A sugar-free, Almond Joy-type candy made with coconut oil, carob, almonds, and agave.

1 1/2 Cups extra-virgin coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup organic raw almond butter
3 droppers Liquid Stevia Vanilla Creme
3 droppers Liquid Stevia Chocolate
4 tablespoons light agave
1 tablespoon gluten-free vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup roasted carob powder
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut

Line mini-cupcake trays with paper liners; set aside.
Or, use candy molds/mini-cupcake trays without liners.

In medium bowl, place melted coconut oil and almond butter. Stir until blended. Whisk in liquid stevia, agave, and vanilla. Add cinnamon and stir until it is evenly blended. Slowly stir in carob a tablespoon at a time (HINT: once melted coconut oil, almond butter, Stevia, agave, vanilla, and cinnamon were blended, I dumped into the Vitamix with carob powder to combine....way easier than doing it by spoonfuls).

The mixture should still be slightly runny.

Add almond meal, hemp seeds, and coconut. Stir.

Spoon into prepared mini-cupcake trays (making sure to get hemp seeds, coconut, and almond in each cup). Pour in mixture to halfway full. Chill in freezer for 15 minutes. When the candies are set, pop out and store in a freezer-safe container. Keep frozen. Enjoy!!!

Altered Today: Sharing my favorites, solutions for cravings

Comments

[Alyson]

I wish we lived closer together! I would like to try one of these! Mmmm....chocolate.

[Alter Everything]

Me too! I would love to make some for you. They're really good. Hopefully one of us will win the lottery soon and you, Melissa, and I a few other people I love can get together and have our own day of deliciousness.

[Melissa]

I would love a day of deliciousness with you two! I miss chocolate so much! Thanks for the recipe Kathy. :)

[Angel Tagudin]

I have to say, until this recipe, there hasn't been a chocolate substitute that could even remotely pass as the real deal... But this almond joy substitute is really good. I have a choice between these and the ACTUAL semi-sweet morsels we have high up in the forbidden part of our pantry, and I actually prefer the sugar free gluten free version.

I recommend freezing these if you want to match the mouthfeel of chocolate. Room temperature, these things go soft quickly.

[Laina]

That looks so good! I just need to find some stevia and karob powder around here. Still searching.

[Toni]

Those were EXCELLENT! Thank you for sharing the recipe! After the party I tried the recipe for the black bean fudge. Using 4 TB agave, very scant scooplet of stevia, and about a tsp of peppermind extract those little babies were wonderful! Can you say Girl Scout Thin Mint?? Yum!

I found the recipe on one of the links for the Mad Hatter Tea Party - but can't find it now.... could you repost, please?

[Alter Everything]

I have the feeling it was probably this one... http://christensenka.squarespace.com/imported-20100106014405/2009/12/21/gluten-free-holiday-recipes-dairy-free-black-bean-fudge-glut.html. Let me know if I'm wrong. Now you are making me want to revisit. I didn't love the BB Fudge when I made it, but maybe the peppermint makes a difference???