Low Carb Dark Chocolate Almond Joy Bites with Sea Salt

This low carb thing has been pretty easy for the most part, mostly because I never did really crave carbs. I crave cheese, and protein. Might be why this LCHF thing is such a good fit for me 🙂

There have been a few spots that have been more challenging, like eating out, which is tough especially if you are like me and prefer to eat out at nice places that offer foods I wouldn’t make at home. Sure I could get a bunless burger, a sure thing, but frankly I can make a burger at home.

Chinese is out, Thai isn’t too bad but often has sugar to balance out the spice, sushi I’m missing – though sashimi is alright – rice is a non-starter. At better restaurants I have found that the grains are often integrated into the dish and I don’t imagine chef’s are too thrilled about trying to deconstruct a well thought out dish. Sigh.

Maybe I’m just not good at asking for what I need. Yet.

Another challenge has been the holiday season, only because it is a time of entertaining. Choosing dishes that are going to work for me and also for others is a bit harder. Only a bit, but still. Sweets have been the hardest as I’m not a huge fan of artificial sweeteners and they are a must if you are going to stay below 20g of carbs for a whole day. Even fruit is pretty much out of the question, with the exception of berries.

So, I’ve been scouring websites looking for something that appeals, that was either low carb already, or that I could convert. I specifically needed a sweet that I could bring to a potluck at my ladies investment club Christmas dinner. I needed something small, since someone else is also bringing sweets. I chose to bring dessert so that I could ensure that I would be able to have some. The rest of the meal will be easy enough to eat around the carbs.

I found these easy Almond Joy like treats on a Facebook post and decided that they looked delicious and simple enough to convert. I like simple. I like pretty too and these fit the bill.

First trick – making low carb sweetened condensed milk (you could always make them with the regular canned variety if you don’t care about the carbs). Back to the interwebs. I found a few possibilities but settled on this one, as Carolyn Ketchum is an experienced low carb blogger whose recipes all look fabulous. The recipe required that I stay in the kitchen for quite a while to stir the mix, but it was not difficult and it turned out really great. File that one.

Side note: I do find it interesting that so many low carb sites are very treat heavy. Not sure if that is just because that’s what people are looking for? Are we truly so addicted to our sugar that we are constantly looking to replace our treats? I know I’m not. Usually I’m more interested in what we are going to eat for dinner…

Once the milk was made I was good to go and the rest of this recipe was very quick. I combined some steps from the original which asked one to chill the coconut balls for 15 minutes, then press an almond into them and re-roll, then chill again before dipping in chocolate. I figured the chilling and re-rolling was silly and so I just rolled, pressed the almond in and then chilled before coating. Two steps removed – bonus! I also chose unsweetened coconut over sweetened. I can’t even imagine how sweet these would be with sweetened coconut! They are perfect with unsweetened. I did not use a sugar free chocolate as it is really hard to find here but instead chose my new favourite, the President’s Choice 85% cocoa chocolate bars. They do have sugar in them but are the lowest carb I’ve found and they have a nice smooth texture that I like. A little bit goes a long way.

These turned out really well, despite the fact that I originally forgot the salt for the top so had to remelt some chocolate and drizzle the tops a second time to get the salt to stick. Worth the effort as the contrast is perfect.

Let’s see what the ladies think.

Dark Chocolate Almond Joy Bites with Sea Salt

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Gluten Free, LCHF, Low Carb

Author: www.miasdailydish.com

Almond Joy inspired dark chocolate heaven.

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Ingredients

• 1 14 ounce bag flaked unsweetened coconut
• 1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk or 14 oz of a homemade low carb version
• 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole almonds toasted
• 8-12 ounces dark chocolate finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. coconut oil
• Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions

Procedure

1. In a bowl combine the shredded coconut, condensed milk and vanilla extract. Stir together.
2. Line two sheet trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Using slightly wetted hands, scoop out the mixture and roll into even balls, about 1 1/4" round. Press an almond into the top and roll again to even out the shape.
3. Once all of the balls are rolled out, place in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to help firm them up.
4. In a double boiler combine the chopped chocolate and coconut oil. Melt and keep warm.
5. Remove the chilled balls from the fridge and dip them into the melted chocolate. You can use a fork to lift them out and shake off excess chocolate.
6. While they are still wet sprinkle with the sea salt and place them back on the sheet tray.
7. Let them firm up for about an hour in the fridge.
8. Enjoy cold, room temperature or even frozen.