Raw Chocolate Coconut Bites

So the past few weeks I have really tried to get back on track with eating healthy. I am working to start cutting back on the amount of processed foods that we eat and try to eat more cleanly. In the next couple of weeks, I hope to post some healthy options, starting with these raw chocolate coconut bites. My mother-in-law's neighbor brought these to her and she shared some with me after making them herself.

These are great for a late afternoon energy boost or just to curb that sweet tooth and keep you from reaching for that snickers. These taste fabulous and they are great for you. They remind me a lot of a traditional no bake cookie, but without all the sugar and butter that isn't good for you. You can also add in raisins or chopped almonds which taste really great as well. I kept these basic, but I've had them with the raisins before and they add a great texture, and I don't really even like raisins. These are best if you warm them up for about 5 seconds in the microwave. I bet you could even freeze these and just take one or two out of the freezer and nuke it for a bit longer. You can easily make these vegan by using carob chips instead of the chocolate chips. I made half of the recipe listed below and got about 27 bites, so the full recipe should make around 34-36 bites, I'm thinking.

Raw Chocolate Coconut Bites
Source: Mother-in-Law's Neighbor

Yields: About 34-36 bites

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

2 1/2-3 cups oats

1/2 cup honey or agave nectar

1 cup unsweetened coconut

1 cup almond butter or natural peanut butter

1/3 cup raisins (if desired)

1/4 cup chopped almonds (if desired)

Directions:
Melt chocolate chips, honey and nut butter in a double boiler. Remove from heat and add oats. Add just a little oats at a time until mixture comes together (you may not need all of the oats). Add coconut and mix until combined. Add in raisins and chopped almonds, if desired. Stir all together until well mixed. Roll into balls or flatten into cookies. Chill in refrigerator just until set, or you can allow them to set on parchment paper on your counter. Store in an air tight container.