“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”
~ Charles M. Schulz
While the world is abuzz with excitement at the birth of the Kate and William’s new baby boy, here we are celebrating by eating macaroons and drinking tea. Welcome, Little Prince. We shall blog about you tomorrow…
In the meantime, recipe!
In our household we call these little treasures yummy ‘uglies’. They may not be the prettiest treats, but the taste more than makes up for it. Walnut and dark chocolate is a heavenly combination, made even better with coconut, and they are quick to whip up.
A variation of a macaroon, these Bites are gluten-free and can also be sugar-free, so they are great for diabetics and people with food intolerances or following a paleo diet.
Ingredients:
3 cups of unsweetened desiccated coconut; 2 eggs; 3/4 cup of sugar or natvia (or other sweetener of your choice; 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts; 1/2 cup of roughly chopped dark chocolate.
Method:
Preheat your oven to moderate (160 degree celcius fan-forced or 180 degree oven – 350 degrees fahrenheit).
Line a baking tray/cookie sheet with baking paper.
Measure the coconut and sugar into a large mixing bowl. Dump in the walnuts and chocolate.
Break the eggs in and mix thoroughly. Leave stand for five minutes.
Using a soup spoon or similar, dip the spoon into a mug of water (so the mixture doesn’t stick) and then press the palm of your other hand down on the spoon to firm up the mix. Drop onto the baking tray. Repeat until all the mixture is used, dipping spoon in water frequently to avoid sticking.
It doesn’t matter if your Bites look a little messy and rustic. That’s part of their charm. If you want to get fancy, place a little bit of walnut on the top of each Bite. (As you can see, I wasn’t bothered. If the Queen had been coming to afternoon tea I would have made the effort though!)
Place into the hot oven and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on the tray for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack until completely cool.
Although… if you eat them while they’re still warm the chocolate inside will still be gooey and extra delicious. Fit for Royalty, and excellent for afternoon tea. 🙂
Those look so yummy. Do you think you could use almond flour instead of coconut????
It’s not only royalty who would appreciate these. I made a batch and they were polished off very quickly by workmen – thank you, from me and from them! 🙂
Aren’t you a treasure to spoil your workmen, Lorna! Glad they were appreciated. Much love to you xx
Ugly cakes look good . Look forward to tomorrow’s post about our new prince , bless him , Princess Di would have been proud
Cherry xx
Hooray for young Prince George. I’m sure Princess Di is watching on and helping all she can. xoxo
Scrumptious Nicole. When I can see(lol) I will be making macaroons and “ugly bites”. Chocolate does make everything seem better. Perhaps a TLC bag for my son too. 😊❤
What a kind mumma you are ❤❤❤
I’m literally gawking at your sweet desserts! I love walnuts and coconut together! However, is there a substitution for eggs? x
Oh, they look delightful! I can’t eat walnut nor coconut or I’d make them at once!
Well I shall eat some for you, because that’s what friends do!
😀 a perfect solution! Thank you, friend.
These look amazing, Nicole! I wish you were closer so we could cook and bake together!
I wish that too, Daisy. Oh well, one day! 😀 xx
One day! 🙂
Oh my goodness!!! Bacon heaven in my mailbox. Did I say I love you? I LOVE YOU. Thank you sooooo much xoxo
These loook heavenly! And easy, too! I love simple yet delicious recipes like this one. Thanks for sharing, Nicole! 😀
You’re very welcome! xoxo