Salted Almond Coconut Chocolate Candy Bites

I recently had the pleasure of finally meeting the face behind one of my favorite brands, Nikki of Nikki's Coconut Butter, at Paleo F(x) in Austin. She's one awesome boss lady and one of the sweetest people I've ever had the pleasure meeting! It certainly was a happy coincidence that I was just vacationing in Austin with my BFF and decided to stop by the expo at Paleo F(x). So glad we did! 

Since changing my diet one that's Paleo/gluten free, I've found ways to satisfy my sweet tooth with Nikki's coconut butter. All the flavors are soy, dairy, egg, and gluten free. The newest flavor, Cashew Cookie Butter, is also sugar free, for those that are watching their sugar intake. It's also one of my personal favorites, next to the Mint Chocolate Chip (yum!). Being creative in the kitchen is a great outlet for me, when I'm stressing, I like to have fun in the kitchen whipping up something fun and delicious. So, when I'm in the mood for something a little sweet (I'm normally a salty, chips and dip, kinda girl), I like incorporating a little Nikki's coconut butter. It's got all the sweetness I need and the recipes I'm going to share with you include little to no added sugars (except for those already found in the coconut butter or fruits, YAY!). Coconut Butter has so many potential uses and I'm going to try to create all the recipes I can to show you just how versatile it can be!

Now for the Salted Almond Coconut Chocolate Candy Bites. Think of these as a more "grown-up" version of Almond Joy Candies. The extra step of salting and roasting the almonds really take these to the next level. 

Salted Almond Coconut Chocolate Candy Bites

What you'll need:

1/2 cup raw almonds

1 tbsp kosher salt + 1 cup boiling water

2 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut

1/4 cup Nikki's Vanilla Cake Batter, melted

3 tbsp coconut cream (from canned coconut milk)

1-2 tbsp honey, warmed 

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp kosher salt

4 oz good quality dark chocolate + 1/4 cup Nikki's Dark Chocolate Fudge Coconut Butter

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 300F. In a bowl, add the raw almonds and 1 tbsp kosher salt, add the boiling water and allow the almonds to brine for at least 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, drain the almonds and pat dry. Bake at 300F for 20 minutes. 
2. Remove and allow almonds to cool slightly. In a food processor, combine the almonds, shredded coconut, Vanilla Cake Batter, coconut cream, honey, vanilla, and kosher salt. Pulse until mixture starts to form a ball/or comes together but not enough to turn into a smooth puree. 
3. Using a small cookie scoop, or your hands, form the coconut mixture into uniform shapes. Set aside and melt together the dark chocolate and Nikkis Dark Chocolate Fudge. Dip each coconut ball into the chocolate. Allow to harden in the fridge before consuming. Store in the fridge or freezer in an airtight container.