Healthy Chocolate Bars

Only 3 ingredients!

Nope. That is NOT a typo.

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The words ‘chocolate’ and ‘healthy’ really do belong in the same sentence.

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You’re welcome, world.

Over the past few months, I’ve noticed variations of this recipe popping up all over the vegan/vegetarian blogosphere, so I knew it HAD to be good.

This chocolate is healthier than your typical chocolate because the recipe doesn’t call for regular cane sugar and uses stevia instead, so it’s sugar-free! It also uses a healthy fat, virgin coconut oil, which has become increasingly popular now that those in the health and fitness world are touting its benefits.

The latest research on coconut oil shows it has the ability to lower overall cholesterol, LDL (“bad” cholesterol), lipoprotein(a), and triglyceride levels while raising HDL (“good” cholesterol). This research is rather interesting because coconut oil used to be considered bad for you because of  its high saturated fat content (coconut oil is 92% saturated fat and butter is roughly 64%). Much of this fat, however, comes from medium-chain triglycerides which are metabolized very quickly by the liver and are less likely to be stored as fat (longer chain triglycerides take a longer time to be digested by the body, and have a better chance of being absorbed as fat). And, while much of this is still undergoing research, some tests have shown that adding coconut oil to your diet can actually increase fat-burning, decrease belly fat, and may have the ability to raise your metabolic rate if consumed regularly. Coconut oil is also said to benefit digestion and has anti-fungal properties.

Pretty cool, huh?

(Please note: research is still new and limited when it comes to human studies, so I always urge and welcome you to do your own research as well. You don’t just have to take my word for it! But, I have done LOTS of research and I am a lover of coconut oil!)

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Now, back to the chocolate-making!

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When I got home from the gym last night I was feeling WAY too tired to get creative in the kitchen. So, I decided it was the perfect time to test this fun and easy recipe out.

As you can see from the picture at the top of the page, the prep is pretty simple.

All you need is:

  • 1/2 cup of raw cocoa powder
  • 4 tablespoons of virgin coconut oil (melted)
  • 2 teaspoons powder stevia (Feel free to add more or less depending upon how bitter/sweet you like your chocolate–and although I have not tried it myself, I’m sure you can use another powder sweetener, but it won’t be sugar-free. Also, keep in mind, if you use a liquid sweetener the chocolate will not harden as well…but who doesn’t love fudge!)
  • Optional: add in some dried fruit, peppermint extract, coconut…GO CRAZY!

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Next, you have just ONE step!

Mix all the ingredients together!

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Then, pour the chocolate sauce it into a tupperware container (thinly coated with a natural cooking spray so your chocolate doesn’t stick) and leave it in the freezer until hardened.

Once completely set, pop out the chocolate and eat it whole, like a chocolate bar, or break it up into little pieces to make chocolate chips! :)

Easy as pie! Or chocolate that is…

Actually, making these chocolate bars was such a quick and simple process (it took me three minutes!) I wondered if I should even bother to make it a post at all, because there’s not much else to say…

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Oh wait…there is one more thing to say.

YUM :)

 

Healthfully yours,

Ashley Michelle

 

Sources:

CNN

Livestrong

Dr. Oz

Livestrong 

 

 


One comment on “Healthy Chocolate Bars

  1. Pingback: Chocolate-Coconut Truffle Cookies | Pretty Fit Life

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