Cocoa Crack -- Phase 3 Recipe

With Valentines Day right around the corner I felt some good Phase 3 compliant Chocolate recipes would be fun to post. The cocoa crack recipe can be made without adding the shredded coconut or almonds and used to dip strawberries in. You can sprinkle the coconut or chopped nuts OVER the chocolate dipped berry while it is still wet to make them beautiful and even more tasty. Make sure to dry your strawberries really well before dipping or your chocolate will seize up. That means it will get hard and no longer be usable.

Here is my original Cocoa Crack Recipe

Cocoa Crack
3/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 - 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (experiment with the amount you like based on how dark/bitter you like your chocolate)
1/4 - 1/2 cup truvia, xylitol or several drops of stevia to taste. I've also found that 1-2 droppers full of stevia glycerite is a great way to sweeten the crack without adding a bitter stevia taste.
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
slivered/sliced almonds (optional)
shredded coconut (optional)

Place first three ingredients into a sauce pan on low heat. Mix while coconut is
melting. When it is melted pour the chocolate mixture into a 9 X 9 pan that is
lined with parchment paper or wax paper. If desired sprinkle on almonds and/or
coconut. Place pan in the freezer until set. Once set crack/break it into pieces
and store in a baggie in the freezer or refrigerator. Note, I have noticed that
the truvia doesn't always dissolve real well. I have a friend who grinds the
truvia in a coffee grinder and finds it dissolves better. I like the "crunchy"
effect the truvia gives so don't mess with that step.

If you do well with nuts you would LOVE this creamy nutty coconut crack recipe. It resembles "peanut butter cups". But with healthy coconut oil and almond butter rather than hydrogenated oils and sugar laden peanut butter.

Coconut Almond Crack
1 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup almond butter
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 - 1/2 tsp sea salt (ONLY if your almond butter is NOT salted)
2 droppers full of stevia glycerite or 1/4- 1/2 cup truvia or xylitol, start with 1/4 cup and taste it. Add more if needed. I used the stevia glycerite.
sliced or slivered almonds (optional)
shredded coconut (optional)

Melt the coconut oil in a pan over med/low heat. Remove from the heat and add the almond butter, cocoa powder, and sweetener. Stir until all ingredients are combined well. Pour into a parchment paper lined 9 X 9 pan. Sprinkle over the chocolate nuts and coconut. Place in a freezer or refrigerator to set up. When set break into pieces and place in a freezer zip type bag and store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Cooks Note: If you want to be fancy or make sure to limit your portion size, you can purchase mini muffin papers to make your crack in. Just line up the muffin papers on a cookie sheet and dollop your melted crack into each cup. You can even have fun by adding different fillers to each one. For example. You could make an almond joy one that would have a whole almond and a sprinkle of coconut. Or a recess peanut butter cup, by putting a bit of chocolate in the bottom of the paper, allow it to harden, then bring it back out, put a little blob of almond butter, then drizzle with more cocoa crack and allow to harden. You can make Pecan candies but putting a pecan half in the chocolate, or macadamia nut delights by adding a mac nut to the middle of our chocolate candy. When you are in phase 4 you could even use dried fruit like cranberries or raisins.