As the holiday rush starts to creep in, I’m doing my best to fight it and keep everything calm. This week featured a whirlwind of events from parties to last-minute Christmas shopping to getting all those Christmas cards ordered and in the mail. I try to steal a few moments for reflection, thinking about the meaning of what I’m doing. I sit on the couch with the kids for some hugs and enjoy the cooking and baking that goes with the season.
Each year I make dozens of homemade confections, put them in pretty boxes and deliver them to the neighbors. This year I wanted to include some fudge without corn syrup, sweetened condensed milk, or refined sugars. I found a coconut fudge recipe in the new book Make it Paleo; I recently purchased a copy and found many simple grain-free recipes (A great book!).
The recipe requires a sturdy blender (like a VitaMix) or a food processor. Coconut whizzes in the blender for about 10 minutes, until it turns into coconut butter. You then stir the butter with a few more ingredients, pour it all into a dish and chill until firm. The fudge is subtly sweet, has a nice cocoa flavor, and a hint of almond. An uncomplicated fudge for a busy holiday season.
Serves: Makes about 16 pieces.
Adapted from Make it Paleo .
Save RecipeIngredients
- 3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 6 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
- 16 almonds (optional)
Instructions
- Place coconut in the bowl of a food processor or a Vitamix. Process for 10-15 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl every few minutes, until coconut becomes a smooth butter (it will look like a thick liquid). Pour coconut butter into a mixing bowl and stir in cocoa powder, maple syrup, vanilla, almond extract and sea salt. Pour into an 8 x 8-inch baking dish that has been lined with parchment paper (mixture will be very thick). Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours until firm. Invert baking dish onto a cutting board, peel parchment off of the fudge and cut into squares. Press an almond into each square if desired.
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