Anyone in the room who is a chocoholic, please raise your hand! Folks, I am guilty as charged. Whether it’s a gourmet chocolate and peanut butter candy bar or a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone, I can’t stay away. But I’m always trying to eat healthier, so I’m on the hunt for ways to have my chocolate and eat it, too, so to speak. I don’t think dark chocolate on its own is inherently bad in moderation, but oftentimes it is accompanied by all kinds of oils, sugars, or unrecognizable ingredients. And those who are trying to eat paleo, gluten-free, etc. often have a hard time finding good options. Plus, if you make your own, you can save money! So it really is time we get back to the basics and indulge our chocolate addiction with ridiculously simple no guilt chocolate fix ideas like these. Come along!
1. CHOCOLATE BANANA OATMEAL COOKIES
Don’t judge me if I eat these “cookies” for breakfast. In my opinion, they are perfect any time of day and taste like a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie. And who else always seems to have 2 bananas that are just a bit too ripe hanging around? Throw those guys into this mix and you are good to go. You can use peanut butter (although often it has all kinds of nasty ingredients), so to be even healthier, replace with almond butter. Can you believe – no flour, no eggs!
INGREDIENTS (14 servings)
2 mashed bananas
1 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 tablespoon peanut butter or almond butter
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350F. Mix all ingredients together. Drop scoops of dough onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
2. COCONUT OIL ALMOND JOY
The absolute easiest chocolate fix ever! Hopefully you’re a fan of coconut and almond joys like me, because these are beyond easy to make and satisfy any chocolate craving you might have. These are 3 easy ingredients to always have on hand as well. Life Hack: store fresh nuts in the refrigerator so they don’t go rancid. Use really good cocoa powder, like Ghirardelli unsweetened powder, to take these up a notch. Maple syrup doesn’t have to break the bank – stores like Aldi carry basic brands. But once again, amping it up to something like this fine Canadian maple syrup will taste delicious.
INGREDIENTS (8 servings)
1/4 coconut oil
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons maple syrup
fresh almonds
DIRECTIONS
Mix together ingredients in a bowl and microwave until melted and smooth. Quickly pour into candy molds and top with a whole almond. Refrigerate a few hours or until firm. So easy!
3. HOMEMADE ENERGY BARS
I found this recipe on Paleo Grubs awhile ago and really think it is a great substitute for a snack bar. Hardly any supermarket snack or energy bars don’t have loads of sugar or horrible oils in them. The only ones I regularly buy are LaraBars or RXBars. But if you want to make your own and control all the ingredients, now’s your chance. Variations to your taste are possible and recommended.
INGREDIENTS (12 servings)
1 cup almonds
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup pitted dates
1 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 cup mini dark chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Pulse a few times to break everything up. Then blend continuously until the ingredients have broken down and start to clump together into a ball. Using a spatula to scrape down the sides, turn out the mixture onto a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap. Press into an even square and chill, wrapped, for at least an hour. Cut into desired size of bars, wrapping each bar in plastic wrap to store in the fridge.
That’s it!
So what do you think of our “no guilt chocolate fix” ideas? Will you try any of them? If you do, leave a comment below or tag me on social media @psbonjour. 🙂