Sunday, July 28, 2013

zoned and sugar free chocolate haystacks

This chocolate is a wonderful zone treat for those that can't tolerate store bought sugar free chocolates.  It's not meant to be very sweet.  Just enough to satisfy that chocolate craving.  Be careful adding the stevia because it can get bitter quickly.  Taste as you go and adjust to suite yourself.  I have also used agave instead of the stevia.  If you use it or a sweetener with added carbohydrates, then you need to add (as a side) some protein with it to balance the added carbs.  Always eat this with a zoned meal or a zoned snack.  Like other sugar free sweets, the sweet taste will pretrigger insulin.  If you eat it by itself, you may end up with an insulin spike and blood sugar drop.  Two things you are trying to avoid by eating in the zone.

 

1/2 square Bakers Unsweetened chocolate (for darker chocolate use 1 square)

1/4 Cup almond or coconut butter (not oil) I prefer coconut but it adds saturated fat.  Almond is better for you.

3-5 drops of stevia liquid

unsweetened coconut or sliced almonds or both, a good hand full.  Freeze for a few hours before using.

 

1.      Line a small cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2.      Remove the lid, and microwave the jar of almond or coconut butter just enough to stir it well then measure out 1/4 cup.

3.      Heat the chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave, just until melted.   The square will hold its shape so you need to touch it after 30 sec to see how melted it is.  Then try another 10-30 seconds.  Go slow, you want it melted but not terribly hot.

4.      Mix in the nut butter and stevia.  Taste after 3 drops and after each drop after that.  Too much and it will be bitter. 

5.      Mix in some of the coconut or almonds or both.  The chocolate sauce will be thin, but when the cold nuts are mixed in, it thickens and you should be able to drop it onto the parchment paper easily.  You can make haystacks by mounding it, or just coated nut crunch by spreading it out. 

6.      Refrigerate the filled cookie sheet until hard.   Break into pieces and store in a plastic container in the refrigerator. 

 

 

In the pictures below, the coconut wasn't frozen so the chocolate was very runny.  The almonds were frozen so they clump nicely.

No comments:

Post a Comment