Copycat Coco-Roons

Have you had Coco-Roons? They are a delicious, refined-sugar-free, raw coconut macaroon treat.  But they are pricey! They run about $8-$12 for a bag of 8 cookies.  So I decided to set out to make my own. And, in all humility, my copycat recipe is pretty darn close! I'd say the only difference is that mine tasted more fresh (because they were!). 

Coco-roons come in a variety of flavors: Brownie, Cacao Nib, Lemon Pie, Vanilla, Vanilla Maple, and Apple Pie. I will share the base recipe for these Copycat Coco-roons, and some ideas of how you can customize them to the flavor of your choice!

Pictured here are brownie and vanilla flavored Copycat Coco-Roons.  With just 6 ingredients and no baking involved, these whip up in a jiffy! They are also peanut, tree-nut, dairy, and wheat free!  Tell your MSPI and GF friends!

Copycat Coco-Roons

Makes 10-12

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut oil

3 tablespoons real maple syrup

1/2 cup coconut (or almond) flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Directions:

1. Line a small cookie sheet with wax paper. 

2. Place the coconut oil in a medium, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 10-20 seconds, just barely melting the oil so it can be stirred smooth.

3. Stir the maples syrup into the oil. Add the flour, vanilla, and salt. Stir in the shredded coconut. Batter will be thick.

4. Using a small cookie scoop, place rounded spoonfuls on the wax paper. Refrigerate to set. Store in an air-tight container. Refrigeration is optional. 

Optional Add-Ins:

• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder (cut back flour by 3 tablespoons)
• Lemon zest and lemon extract to taste
• Cacao-nibs
• Orange zest and orange extract to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 3-4 tablespoons diced dried apples

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Crio Bru Truffles

These rich, chocolatey no-bake truffles are full of healthy, energizing, guilt-free ingredients, and they whip up in a jiffy!  As the sole sweetener in these morsels, dates compliment the chocolate and nut flavors beautifully. 

One of my favorite healthy ways to get my chocolate fix is drinking Crio Bru. If you haven't tried it, you should! It is a drink made from brewing ground, roasted cacao beans. It is full of antioxidants and important minerals, gives me a natural boost of energy, but it doesn't have the addictive high-caffeine-content that coffee does. 

After I brew my Crio, I like to save the damp grounds to use in recipes. They add rich chocolate flavor, fiber, and all of the health benefits of the brewed drink!

My entire family loved these truffles. I had to hide them in the freezer so my husband was sure to get some before they disappeared!

Crio Bru Truffles

Makes 18-20 

Ingredients

1/2 cup Crio Bru grounds (previously brewed and well-drained, but damp)

1 cup of raw pecans, walnuts, or cashews

1/4 cup coconut oil, softened

10 Medjool dates, pitted

4 tablespoons cocoa powder, divided

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

1. Line a small cookie sheet with wax paper. Measure 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder into a small bowl, and set aside. 

2. In a medium food processor or blender, process damp Crio Bru grounds and nuts until finely chopped. Add coconut oil, dates, 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder and sea salt. Pulse on high 5-10 seconds at a time, scraping the bowl as needed, until all ingredients are well incorporated. 

3. Using a medium cookie scoop (or your fingers), form 1.5 inch balls. Roll the balls in the bowl of cocoa powder, then set on the wax paper.  Once all the dough is used, place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for 30 min to 1 hour to set.  Tasting is allowed. :)

No Refined Sugar Protein Brownies

My husband and I extended our January No Sugar Challenge to February...And YOU get to benefit! I am sharing another healthy treat. This one will satisfy your chocolate sweet tooth, and it packs a good protein punch!  Double WIN!

The main response we get when we tell anyone we are avoiding refined sugars and flours is "WHY???" I admit had to ponder this to give a genuine answer. 

In January, my "why" was to clean up my diet after all the holiday junk I consumed at the end of last year.  My husband and I extended it into February because we have loved the way we feel.  We allow ourselves one "cheat day" each week, but it's not a "binge day." Usually it means we eat something like waffles or chocolate chips (or both, together!). We don't go eat a dozen doughnuts and negate all the good we have done through the week!

We have also upped the ante on our workouts, so these protein brownies especially feel good after a hard bootcamp or trail run!  In fact, my husband came home from a tough snow-camping trip with our son and ate the last three (of the second batch I made)!

No Refined Sugar Protein Brownies

Makes 1 9x13 pan

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut oil, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened  (can use all coconut oil, just double salt)

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup honey

2 eggs

1/2 cup natural peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/2 cup chocolate protein powder

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 9x13 baking dish/pan.

2. In a food processor or electric mixer bowl, beat coconut oil and butter until well combined. Add cocoa powder and honey and beat well. Mix in eggs, peanut butter and protein powder until smooth. 

3. Whisk coconut flour and sea salt together, then stir into main mixture. 

4. Pour into prepared dish, and bake 13-16 minutes, just until top no longer looks wet and edges begin to darken. 

5. Cool completely. These taste best cooled or chilled. I liked them at room temperature, but loved them after they sat in the fridge a while. Store in air-tight container, or wrap individually as an easy to grab protein treat!

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Fudge Mint Morsel Cookies

Cookie exchanges are one of my FAVORITE holiday traditions.  So much food love in one place. When we lived in Iowa, I had some dear friends who hosted a BIG cookie exchange each Christmas season. Their goal was for at least 12 to participate, and everyone brought 12 dozen cookies. So each guest would leave with a dozen each of 12 different kinds of cookies. As a cookie lover, this was the peak of sweet foodie fun for me! 

This year I am taking one of my tried and true treats to a friend's cookie exchange. These used to be called "Bunco Cookies," because I brought them several times to a Bunco group I was in for a few years. I would use chocolate-white chocolate striped chips in and on top of them and they were DIVINE. But those chips are hard to find, so I recently pulled the recipe back out and put regular chocolate chips in the dough, and melted an Andes mint on top when I pulled them out of the oven. WOW! Instant love. 

So whether you are making cookies for a gift exchange, a party, Bunco, or to enjoy with your family, these will be a surefire hit!  Soft, fudgey cookies with lightly crisped edges and a coating of minty chocolate on top.

Fudge Mint Morsel Cookies

Makes 4 dozen

Ingredients

1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 1/4 cups flour (all-purpose or whole wheat work)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 cup chocolate chips

48 Andes Mints, unwrapped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment, silpat or cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

3. Beat butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix well. Gradually stir flour mixture into wet mix.  Stir in chocolate chips. 

4. Drop by heaping, rounded teaspoons (I use a 1/2 oz cookies scoop) onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake 7-8  minutes--no longer. Cookies will be soft when you pull them out.

5. Place 1 Andes mint onto each cookie within 1 minute of pulling them out of the oven. Let them sit 2-3 minutes, then spread the melted Andes with the back of a spoon using a small circular motion. Carefully remove to cool and allow topping to set.  Store in an air-tight container. 

Participating in these link-ups.

Sea Salted Crio Brü Granola Bars

Yep! I've added leftover Crio grounds to another recipe! A couple of posts ago I put them in some delicious no-bake cookies.  Now, you won't BELIEVE how yummy they are in these soft, scrumptious granola bars. 

Crio Brü is a drink made from brewed cacao beans. Each time you make this tasty drink (which brews like coffee in a coffee maker or french press), save the grounds. I save my used grounds in a covered bowl in the fridge. They are so great for baking with that I rarely throw them out! These granola bars are full of yummy chocolate flavor before you drizzle them with melted chocolate chips, and Crio is the sole source of that flavor.  

(By the way, I am NOT being compensated for this post. I sincerely love Crio Brü and enjoy baking with it!)

For this recipe, you'll need to save 1 cup of your previously brewed grounds (which adds up fast because the grounds expand when brewed), pulse them in the food processor or blender for a few seconds, and they are ready to go!

1 cup previously brewed Crio grounds

Pulse in food processor or blender for 15-30 seconds, scraping sides once.

These bars also have delicious flaked coconut, chia seeds, and oatmeal! So they have a TON of redeeming health value!! My entire family went nuts!  I made two batches: one I iced and one I didn't; ALL were devoured. 

Sea Salted Crio Brü Granola Bars

Makes 12-14 bars

Ingredients

1 cup previously brewed Crio Brü grounds

1/2 cup coconut oil, room temp

1/2 cup honey

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla

2.5 cups quick oats

1/4 cup chia seed

1.5 cups unsweetened flaked coconut

1/2 cup chocolate chips for drizzle (optional)

1 tablespoon coarse sea salt 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9"x13" baking dish with cooking spray. 

2. Place previously brewed Crio Brü grounds in food processor or blender and pulse 15-30 seconds, scraping sides once. Set aside

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat coconut oil, honey and brown sugar until smooth. Add egg and beat well. 

4. Stir in Crio grounds and vanilla. 

5. Stir in oats, chia seed, and flaked coconut. Spread in prepared pan.

6. Bake 30-35 minutes, until sides and bottom begin to brown. Remove from oven and cool. Cut into bars.

7. To make drizzle (optional): Melt chocolate chips by placing in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each, until chocolate is smooth. Spoon into a plastic sandwich bag. Snip off a bottom corner and drizzle over cooled bars. 

8. Sprinkle with sea salt (with or without drizzle). Wrap individually in plastic wrap to store. Store in refrigerator or freezer.

Participating in these link-ups. 

No-Bake Cookies with Crio Bru

Have you tried Crio Bru? If you like chocolate--especially if you like rich, dark chocolate--you will LOVE Crio. I am a huge fan. I drink it several mornings a week.  Crio is a drink made from 100% roasted and ground cocoa beans, and it is brewed like coffee. I brew mine in a french press. My favorite way to drink it is iced with a pack of Truvia sweetener and a shot of creamer.  So delicious!

A beautiful feature of Crio grounds is that they can be re-used in baking.  And after making a few recipes with my used grounds, I never throw them away. They are too deliciously valuable!

I buy my Cri Bru on Amazon, and it is also available in many grocery and health-food stores. I am NOT being compensated for this recipe post--I'm just sharing a product I truly love with my many chocolate-loving readers!

After some questions on social media from readers, I am posting a link to the french press I use. I'm sure there are others that work well out there, but I can personally attest to the ease of use (and ease of cleaning!), as well as the effective brewing ability of this press: 

Now on to how to use the grounds to make your chocolate no-bake cookies over-the-top with rich yumminess!

Here are the used grounds. They should be damp, but not at all juicy. This recipe uses 1 cup of previously-brewed Crio grounds. If you brew daily, you'll have a cup in less than a week.  The grounds expand when they are brewed, so they accumulate pretty fast. I just scoop them into a bowl after each brew and keep them covered in the refrigerator. 

Place your cup of grounds into a food processor/blender. 

Pulse for about 1 minute total, scraping the sides a couple of times. The grounds will still be coarse,  but less rough than they started out.

Now make the chocolate candy base for your no-bake cookies by melting 1 stick of butter, 1 cup of sugar, and 1/3 cup of cocoa powder.  Once melted, stir in the processed Crio grounds.  Bring to a boil and boil hard while stirring for 2 full minutes. This breaks down the sugar so the cookies aren't gritty. Don't boil more than 4 minutes, though, as the sugar will start becoming too hard. 

Remove from heat, and stir in 1 cup peanut (or other nut) butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Stir in 2.5 cups of quick oats.  Similar recipes for no-bake cookies call for 3 cups of oats, but the Crio grounds add fiber and bulk, so these only call for 2.5 cups. 

Drop by heaping tablespoons onto wax paper. Refrigerate or freeze to set. 

I kept these in my freezer for a few days and LOVED grabbing one when I needed a little chocolate treat. My kids discovered them and they were gone shortly after. The chocolate flavor in these are SO incredible! And they have less sugar and more health benefits than most cookies, so you can feel good eating them and sharing them with your family!

Here's the recipe: 

No-Bake Cookies with Crio Bru

Makes 30 cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup previously brewed Crio Bru grounds

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 cup peanut (or other nut) butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups quick oats

Directions:

1. Place previously brewed Crio grounds in a food processor and pulse 1 minute, scraping sides 2 times.  Set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, melt butter with sugar and cocoa powder, stirring until smooth. Add Crio grounds and bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil 2 full minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Stir in quick oats. Immediately drop by heaping tablespoon onto wax paper-lined baking sheets. Place in freezer of fridge to set. 

Participating in these link-ups.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies

These are what I like to refer to as a "sometimes" food with my kids. SOMETIMES I need something sweet. SOMETIMES I need chocolate. SOMETIMES I feel entitled to cheesecake, peanut butter, brownies, and a big glass of milk. Last weekend was a "sometimes." We went on a family backpacking trip for spring break. It was 3 days of seeing God's beautiful grandeur up close. But backpacking food is neither beautiful nor grand. It is edible and sustaining. 

So after we cleaned up and showered and rested for a day (and ate at Five Guys), I made these babies. They are perfect chewy brownies with a fluffy, peanut butter and chocolate cheesecake-ish truffle center, topped off with a drizzle of rich chocolate glaze. 

I ate mine slowly and deliberately, savoring each bite. Then the next day I ate another the same way. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies
Makes 16

Brownie Layer:
1 1/4  cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose or whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Truffle Filling:
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze:
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon coconut oil

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350. Grease a square baking pan (9x9" or 8x8")
2. Make brownie layer by melting chocolate chips and butter (don't boil). Set aside. Beat brown sugar and eggs. Add chocolate mixture a little at a time, beating well until completely mixed. Stir in flour and baking powder. Spread in prepared pan. Bake 30-35 minutes. Cool completely.
3. Make truffle filling by melting chocolate chips over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter. Beat cream cheese in a separate bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in chocolate-peanut butter mixture. Beat in corn syrup and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. Spread over cooled brownies. Place in refrigerator while preparing glaze.
4. Prepare glaze by melting chocolate chips and coconut oil, stirring until smooth. Spoon mixture into a plastic storage bag. Use scissors to snip a small hole in one bottom corner of the bag. Drizzle chocolate over the filling. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before cutting into bars to serve. Makes 16.

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Chocolate Coconut Pie

Next week is a monumental day and time in history. March 15, 2014 at 9:26:53 am, will represent the closest time has come to mirroring the important mathematical figure of Pi.  (Find a fun countdown here.)

As a geek at heart, I am celebrating by sharing pie recipes! This Chocolate Coconut Pie would make anyone--mathematician or not--as happy as a hypotenuse! It was gobbled up by my family faster than you can say dodecahedron! 

You know they old saying: "As easy as pie?'  This pie really lives up to it. No fancy tools or advanced algebra required.  All you need is the ingredients, a bowl, and spoon to prepare this for baking. 

Rich chocolate and coconut are deliciously combined in this perfect way to celebrate Pi(e) Day!

Chocolate Coconut Pie

Makes one 9-inch pie

Ingredients: 

1 unbaked pie crust (I love this Coconut Oil crust from Yesterfood)

1 stick (1/2 cup) salted sweet-cream butter

4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup shredded flake baking coconut

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 325°. Prepare pie crust and place in freezer until filling is ready.

2. Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Stir in cocoa powder and sugar. Cook on low just until well incorporated (no need to boil). Remove from heat, and cool until able to touch.

3. Using a spoon, stir eggs well one at at time into the chocolate mix. Stir in flour and vanilla, then the coconut. 

4. Pour into prepared pie crust. Bake in center of oven 40-50 minutes, until top is crusted and middle has risen. 

5. Cool at least 20 minutes before serving. Serve warm or cold. Store in refrigerator. 

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More great ways to celebrate The Ultimate Pi(e) Day: 

Strawberry Cream Pie

New Fashioned Oatmeal Pie