Coconut Desserts & Sweets Recipes

Chewy Crispy Rice Bites

This is a great snack.

It’s chewy, crunchy and buttery with a pleasantly mild sweetness, as well as being naturally gluten and dairy free.

You can play around with this recipe a bit, but make it “as is” first. The almond butter can be swapped and/or combined with other nut butters, like peanut, coconut cream concentrate, or coconut peanut butter. But my favorite is almond. It’s so creamy and buttery!

Other mix-ins are great as well: chocolate, nuts, dried fruit, more coconut, less brown rice cereal, a little coconut oil – have fun with it! This recipe isn’t super fussy.

But the best thing is that you could be stuffing your face with these tasty little bites in under 10 minutes.

Make them now.

Enjoy!

Sarah

Chewy Crispy Rice Bites

Chewy Crispy Rice Balls

Prepared by Sarah Shilhavy, Photo by Jeremiah Shilhavy

Yield: approximately 2 dozen small balls
Preparation Time: 5 minutes

1/2 cup almond butter (or other nut butter of choice)
1/3 cup brown rice syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups brown rice cereal
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Mix the almond butter and brown rice syrup together in a medium saucepan. Stir and heat until melted and bubbly; approximately 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and add vanilla extract. Add remaining ingredients and stir well.

Roll into small balls with oiled or wet hands to prevent sticking and chill in the refrigerator or freezer.

Eat!

Recipe courtesy Sarah Shilhavy

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Chocolate and Vanilla Macaroons

photo by recipe author

Servings: 12 large cookies

2 cups unsweetened, shredded dried coconut
3 tablespoons carob powder (you can use cacao instead, this just mellows out the cost)
3 tablespoons cacao powder
5 tablespoons maple syrup (if using all cacao, use 6 tbsp)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons melted coconut oil
2 tablespoons arrowroot flour
Pinch of salt
Dried shredded coconut for decoration

Vanilla version:

2 cups unsweetened dried coconut, shredded
6 tablespoons coconut flour or almond flour
6 tablespoons maple syrup
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons melted coconut oil
2 tablespoons arrowroot flour
Pinch of salt
Toasted coconut for decoration

Choose which version you want to make and combine ingredients for chocolate or vanilla macaroons in a bowl.

Spoon dough and shape into small round discs or spoon “mounds” like traditional macaroons on parchment on a baking sheet sprinkle or press in coconut.

Let firm up in freezer. Makes 12 large macaroon cookies.

Recipe submitted by Jaclyn, Guelph, ON

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Favorite No Bake Apple Pie

photo by recipe author

Servings: 12
Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Date/Seed Crust:

1 3/4 cups sunflower seeds
1 cup Medjool dates, no pits
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon coconut oil

Apple Pie Filling:

6 organic Fuji apples, cut into very thin slices
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 cup organic raisins
1 tablespoon lemon juice or juice of small lemon
1/3 cup Medjool dates, no pits
2 small pears or 1 extra large pear
1 tablespoon Coconut Cream Concentrate

Process the sunflower seeds until ground well. Remove 1/3 cup of the ground seeds and sprinkle around the bottom of a large deep dish pie plate. Add the dates, salt and coconut oil to the remaining ground seeds and process well.

Shape into a ball and roll the dough flat, then use your hands to press the dough up the sides of the plate.

Place the apples into a large bowl. Stir the cinnamon, raisins and lemon juice into the apple slices. Blend the dates, pears and coconut cream concentrate well in a blender. Add this puree to the apples and stir well to incorporate.

Store the bowl of apple slices in the fridge until ready to serve. Store the pie crust in the fridge as well. When ready to serve, fill the crust with the apple mixture and cut into 12 slices. Enjoy!

Recipe submitted by Linda, Woodland, WA

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Maple-Cinnamon Coconut Cookies

Maple Cinnamon Coconut Cookies

photo by recipe author

Servings: 20 cookies
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cookies:

2 cups shredded coconut (I re-hydrated mine by soaking for a few hours because it was really hard, if you have softer coconut you probably don’t need to soak)
6 tablespoons coconut flour
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup (for truly raw, you could raw honey)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or dried vanilla bean powder)
4 tablespoons melted coconut oil

Maple-Cinnamon Icing:

1/4 cup packed dates
2 tablespoons maple syrup (or raw honey)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons coconut oil
Water to thin

Combine all ingredients for cookies. Roll into balls, place on a wax-paper lined flat surface and press into a round cookie shape.

Combine ingredients for glaze in a food processor. Pipe onto cookies. Top with nuts if desired. Freeze until hardened.

Recipe submitted by Jaclyn, Guelph, ON

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CoCo Almond Freezer Bites

photo by recipe author

These are bite size treats that not only taste wonderful, but spread the consumption of VCO out throughout the day. I limit myself to about 5-8 per day.

Servings: 15
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Dark cocoa almonds
1 cup Gold Label virgin coconut oil
Cinnamon, optional

Using a candy mold tray or ice cube tray, place 1-3 cocoa almonds in each compartment.

Melt coconut oil gently over low heat. Pour melted Gold Label VCO over the entire tray of cocoa almonds (sprinkle of cinnamon is optional).

Place mold/tray on cookie sheet and refrigerate or put in freezer until firm.

Gently break CoCo Almond Bites out of the tray and store in plastic baggie in freezer.

Recipe submitted by Lisa, Lino Lakes, MN

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No Bake Chocolate Dipped Macaroons

photo by recipe author

Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 1 hour

1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup cashews
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon coconut oil

Combine coconut and cashews in a food processor and process until ground. Add maple syrup, vanilla, and melted coconut oil pulse until well combined. Press into a small pan and freeze 30 minutes.

Once firmed up pull out of the freezer and cut into shapes. (I used hearts) In a small bowl melt chocolate chips with cayenne and coconut oil until smooth. Dip one end of the macaroon in the chocolate and sprinkle with more coconut shreds. Keep refrigerated.

Recipe submitted by Kate, Lexington, KY

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Lemon Coconut Energy Bites

photo by recipe author

Preparation Time: about 20 minutes
Servings: 10 bites

1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup cashews
6 dates
1/4 cup almond butter
1 tablespoon coconut cream concentrate
1 tablespoon lemon extract
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 teaspoon maca powder
optional toppings: unsweetened shredded coconut, lemon zest

In a food processor grind up your almonds and cashews until they make a grainy, flour-like consistency. Add in the dates and blend. Next, add in the rest of the ingredients (except optional toppings) and blend until the dough begins forming a ball.

Roll the mixture into 1/2 inch balls. If you are using toppings, spread them out on a flat plate and roll the balls in the toppings coating them completely and serve.

Recipe submitted by Julie, Burlington, MA

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