candy Archives -

Bunny Bark {Only 2-Ingredients}

on April 8, 2017June 29, 2021 By Kelley

This melt-in-your-mouth candy, affectionately called Bunny Bark, is made from only 2 simple ingredients, and is ready in just a few minutes! Naturally sweetened, Bunny Bark, will be a popular (healthy) stand-in for traditional Easter candy!

Easter is almost here and the Easter candy is out in full force everywhere I look! Cadbury Eggs, chocolate bunnies, peeps of all colors and shapes, speckled chocolate eggs, peanut butter eggs, and of course those ever popular colorful jelly beans! Do you have a favorite Easter candy??

I don’t know if I could pick just one. I definitely had a Cadbury Egg phase where I would try (usually unsuccessfully) to eat the yellow part of the sugary yolk last. I was convinced it tasted different and better than the rest, but now that I am older and wiser, I’m not so sure that is the case… Anyway, let’s just say it was a super messy endeavor!

I also loved those big fat jellybeans- the super-sized ones. I would eat all the red ones and leave the yellow and orange ones for my sisters lol.

I also was the oldest of 3 girls (sorry dad!) and my stride length and height gave me a definite advantage on the playing field of Easter egg hunting. Usually my parents would make me fork over the extra eggs in an effort “to be fair,” which I never understood, I mean, wasn’t it a contest? It is called an Easter Egg HUNT after all.

Now, this year, I am the one doing the Easter egg hiding, and I am looking forward to watching my lo run around and find all the eggs. I even bought a few eggs early to start his training. I want him to be in tip top Easter egg hunting shape. haha just kidding. (kind of)

But what I will do is fill the eggs with fun things like stickers, healthy fruit snacks, and toys. I am trying my best to keep an overload of sugar out of our diets, and that is so hard to avoid these days if you don’t pay attention. Easter can still be just as much fun, and can bring you and your children joy, without the sugar overload!

This Bunny Bark will be a great way to satisfy that Easter candy craving without producing a serious sugar coma. Don’t be intimidated, because it is seriously the easiest to make with only 2 ingredients!

And its so colorful and festive! Indulge with no guilt!

Bunny Bark

1 cup coconut butter
1/4 cup creamed honey ((regular honey will work, but the bark will have more of a yellow hue))
natural food coloring ((optional))

Combine and melt the coconut butter and honey in a saucepan over low heat. Stir vigorously until smooth.
If using food coloring (or a teaspoon of fruit juice is another option), separate the melted mixture into several bowl, add food coloring of choice and mix.
Pour the colored mixture onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and spread with a rubber spatula.
Let it cool in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes then break into pieces with a knife or your hands. Store in the fridge.

Dessert

Dark Chocolate Coconut Cream Cups

on July 19, 2016August 13, 2021 By Kelley

These creamy, rich, and chocolatey Coconut Cream Cups are the ultimate decandent (and secretly healthy!!) treat. Pop one of these into your mouth and the rich chocolate melts away to reveal silky, smooth, snowy, and sweet coconut cream. They are easy-peasy to make, and be sure to make extra, for they won’t last long!

Oh, chocolate. My true love.

Ode to chocolate:

Creamy, smooth and sweet.

Your rich flavor makes my heart skip a beat.

Sends tingles down from my head to my feet.

You make it so hard not to eat!

I mean, what is it about chocolate that makes it SO GOOD, and SO ADDICTIVE!? Really!? It really should come with a warning label that reads something like this: “If you are eating this for the first time, be warned, that you may never be the same again and find yourself craving chocolate for the rest of your life.” lol.

Cricket and I love to make healthy treats, so we can indulge in the good stuff, without all the guilt. Although Cricket can’t eat chocolate, because she is a dog, I always make her some thing special when I’m making a treat for myself. So today I made her some bacon jerky while I made these easy chocolate coconut cups all for myself! Oooh- maybe I should have made chocolate covered bacon cups?? Maybe next time….

So many flavors go great with chocolate. The best ones I can think of are peanut butter, almond butter (see my Chocolate Almond Butter Cups), and coconut! I always loved Mounds candy bars when I was a little girl, and now I can recreate that amazing flavor combination without having to leave my kitchen. Even better, the ingredients used to make THESE Coconut Cream Cups are healthy, all-natural, and good for you! Hip-hip Hoorah!

Chocolate Coconut Cream Cups

1 1/4 cups dark chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life brand
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut butter

Melt the chocolate chips plus 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat.
Grease the mini muffin tin with a little bit of coconut oil.
Pour a teaspoon of melted chocolate into each compartment. Chill in the fridge or freezer for 10 minutes.
Melt the coconut butter, maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat.
Once melted mix in the shredded coconut, and remove from heat.
Spoon a heaping teaspoon of coconut cream mixture into each compartment (on top of the chilled chocolate layer).
Spoon the remaining chocolate on top of the coconut cream layer and chill in the fridge until set, about 1/2 hour in the fridge or 10-15 minutes in the freezer.
Carefully pop the cups out of the tray using a fork or butter knife.

Peanut Butter Speckled Eggs with Coconut Nests

on March 23, 2016August 13, 2021 By Kelley

Easter is almost here, but do not fear, you can make your own {healthy} candy this year! These Peanut Butter Speckled Eggs are cute and delicious and they even come with their own edible coconut nest. Everyone can partake in Easter candy indulging because they are gluten and grain-free, dairy-free, paleo, vegan, and refined sugar-free.
Easter is just around the corner which means Spring is officially here! Can I getta cheer?? I love Spring. It’s the return of warm weather, chirping birds, long walks outdoors, minus the freezing your toochie off part, and Easter.

When I was young my mom used to make my sisters and I Easter Bonnets. Now, these weren’t just any Easter bonnets, no no… They were huge wide brimmed straw hats that appeared they had been swallowed by a bouquet of silk flowers. Huge. Colorful. Silk. Flowers. EVERYWHERE. Complete with pink ribbons tied in a big bow under our chins. We looked adorable until we passed the age of 5 and then adorable became un-cool and we would no longer stand for it. Looking back I admire my mom putting in so much time dressing us up. Now I know where I get it from….

You know I love to dress my beloved pup, Cricket, up for all the holidays, and sometimes I do it for no reason at all. Well, I made her the official Easter Bunny this year, with EXTRA big ears. Notice the LOOK she gives me in this pic…. “Yeah, yeah, this is ridiculous! Hurry up and take the photo mom!” Haha. She is such a good sport. I just can’t help exploit her because her cuteness is just too much to handle sometimes.

So back to Easter, I mean the candy. Easter’s all about ‘da sugar, right!? These Peanut Butter Speckled Eggs will satisfy all your Easter candy cravings and they just look so darn cute in their little coconut nests. These yummy delights are so easy to make, heck you probably have all the ingredients in your home already!
Happy Bunny Day 🙂

Peanut Butter Speckled Eggs with Coconut Nests

SPECKLED EGGS:

1/2 cup of natural peanut butter (or cashew butter or almond butter)
2 tablespoons cane sugar (coconut sugar will work too)
2-4 tablespoons of almond flour or coconut flour (if using coconut flour use less)
1/3 cup chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand)
Optional: sprinkles

COCONUT NESTS:

3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (I used the large chunky flakes, but regular-sized flakes are fine)
2/3 cup coconut butter
1 1/2 tablespoons of cane sugar (can use coconut sugar but nests will not be as white in color)

To Make the Eggs:
Blend the sugar in a high speed blender for a few seconds to make a fine powder.
Mix the powdered sugar with the peanut butter.
If your peanut butter or nut butter is very sticky and wet add a tablespoon of almond flour or coconut flour so you can form an egg shape with the dough.
If you make 1 tablespoon-sized eggs you will yield 8-10 eggs.
Place them on a parchment-lined plate and then freeze them for one hour.
Melt the chocolate chips over low heat in a small saucepan.
Remove the peanut butter eggs from the freezer and use a spoon to dip them into the melted chocolate, give them a roll to coat, and place them back on the parchment-lined plate and cover with sprinkles.
Place in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to enjoy them!
To Make the Nests:
Melt the coconut butter over low heat in a small saucepan.
Blend the sugar to make a fine powder.
Combine the coconut butter with the coconut flakes and sugar and mix well.
Chill the mixture for about 10-15 minutes in the freezer to allow the coconut butter to solidify somewhat.
Place a small square of parchment paper into 4 small bowls/ramekins.
Press the chilled coconut mixture into each bowl (with the parchment paper between the coconut and the bowl). Use your fingers to firmly compress the coconut mixture into the bowl to make a nest shape.
Freeze the nests for about 1 hour, then remove them from the bowls and store in fridge or freezer until you serve them.
*Note: if you coconut mixture is not sticking together well just add more coconut butter. This is the “glue” that holds it together.

Maple Almond Butter and Chocolate Cups

on March 5, 2016August 13, 2021 By Kelley 7 Comments

These tasty melt-in-your-mouth cups are for all you Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup lovers out there. The super creamy almond butter pairs perfectly with the rich dark chocolate shell making a flavor explosion that will satisfy your deepest chocolate desires. Best of all they are GOOD for YOU! Dairy-free, paleo, gluten-free and grain free. They are super easy to make with just 4 simple ingredients!

I know it’s not October, not even close, but I often find myself thinking about Halloween. I think about what costume Cricket should wear, that of course has to be compatible with mine. Like Shaggy and Scooby Doo or Bo Peep and her one black (and white) sheep. (The later actually would be a throw back to my younger years circa 6 years old when I was Bo Peep and my younger sisters served as my “flock” of sheep.lol.) Cricket often looks like a baby lamb when she’s sleeping all curled up in a ball. 🙂

If you guys have any other ideas I’d love for you to share them, please! I only have, well let’s see 9 months! Lol. So besides the costumes, what’s the next best part of Halloween? Yes, I think I heard you say “Peanut Butter Cups?” Yes! You’re right. The biggest goal of Halloween, besides finding an epic costume of you and your dog, is to hoard as many peanut butter cups as possible… and then eat every single last one.

I discovered a fantastic way to make my own almond butter cups, which upstage peanut butter cups, really! They are super simple and easy to make and they are actually good for you! The almond butter is creamy, nutty and has a hint of maple. The dark chocolate blankets the gooey middle perfectly and melts in your mouth upon contact.

There is a simple hack to get these cup-shaped chocolates…. a mini cupcake tin. It makes the perfectly sized Maple Almond Butter Cups! They pop right out and then POP them right into your mouth. Swoon!

If you love these, which I am sure you will, try these Peppermint Crunch Cups….

Maple Almond Butter and Chocolate Cups

1 1/4 cups chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand)
2 tablespoon coconut oil plus 1 teaspoon for greasing muffin tin
3/4 cup almond butter
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Melt the chocolate chips plus 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat.
Grease the mini muffin tin with coconut oil.
Pour a teaspoon of melted chocolate into each compartment. Chill in the fridge or freezer for 10 minutes.
Melt the almond butter, maple syrup, and 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat.
Spoon a heaping teaspoon of almond butter mixture into each compartment.
Spoon the remaining chocolate on top of the almond butter layer and chill in the fridge until set, about 1/2 hour in the fridge or 10-15 minutes in the freezer.
Carefully pop the cups out of the tray using a fork or butter knife.