Now that I am full force keto and have been practicing this diet for a month officially, I have a pretty good idea of the highs and lows of the diet, and the areas I have struggled with along the way. It’s been quite a journey, and I think my body is finally fully adjusted to the lifestyle change.
I have always considered myself a “clean” eater, but I’m also a big proponent of balance in all aspects of life, especially in diet and nutrition. Attempting keto was the first time that I actually tried to limit the things I am allowed to eat in a very strict way. Prior to keto, I would indulge in occasional sweets, ice cream, and baked goods (I love cookies, and I also love to bake!) I will be honest, the longer I stayed away from sweet things, the less I craved them, and I found that when I would have a sweet sugar-free indulgence, it would set off a world of other cravings. After looking into this a bit more, I learned that anything sweet, whether it has actual carbs or not, sets off the same pleasure centers in the brain. Therefore, even if you are eating something that is sweetened with stevia instead of cane sugar, you will remain in ketosis (if done in moderation) and there won’t be much of an effect on your glycemic index, but you certainly won’t kick your sugar cravings. So, I’m prefacing this post with an emphasis on moderation! (What else is new, amirite?) If you are keto like myself and are truly trying to kick your sweets addiction, it probably isn’t the best idea to pound keto cups sweetened with stevia, or even have them too readily available if it’s towards the beginning of your journey and your will power isn’t yet fine-tuned (speaking from experience).
That being said, I do think it would be infeasible for me personally to give up sweets indefinitely. In fact, to commit to such a thing would probably cause me to subconsciously put a limit on how long I even want to remain on the keto diet for. I have thus far found it pretty difficult to find low carb or sugar free versions of regular sweets (i.e. chocolate bars and baked goods) without them being explicitly marketed as a keto product. I’ve stumbled across a few interesting keto brands that I have yet to try, but they are certainly on my list! I decided that since I couldn’t find a convenient product at my regular grocery store, or regularly available online, I would start to experiment at making my own.
I’ll be honest, I’ve tried and failed a number of times already at creating a tasty treat worthy of sharing with you guys, but I think I really nailed this one. I made coconut butter keto cups, inspired by the Eating Evolved Keto Cups (which I love, but are unfortunately often out of stock). I did use stevia to sweeten up the chocolate in these cups, and I added some vanilla and cinnamon to the coconut butter for an extra punch of flavor. These were so easy to make and came out so yummy that I would prefer to just make them myself, since it’s not only cheaper to do so, but you can also customize them however you like! I’m thinking for my next round I’ll try to incorporate MCT oil, I’ll use more coconut butter (to even out the chocolate to coconut ratio), and I’ll add nuts and spices! Stay tuned for updates, but for now here’s the original recipe:
Ingredients (this recipe makes 4 keto cups)
- 4 tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 4 tbsp coconut oil, liquified
- 1 tsp stevia
- Pinch of salt
- 4 tsp coconut butter
- Cinnamon (to taste)
- A dash of vanilla (seriously a small amount, like less than 1/8 tsp
- Coconut flakes, or whatever toppings you like (optional)
Directions
- Prepare a muffin tin with 4 cupcake liners. (I have silicon individual cupcake molds so I just used those and set them into a glass baking dish for convenience)
- Mix together the coconut oil, cocoa powder, stevia, and salt in a small bowl.
- Spoon less than a tbsp of the chocolate mixture into the cupcake liners and place in the fridge. After about a minute, take them out of the fridge and ‘swirl’ them to try to get the chocolate to stick to the edges of the liners. This will help to hide the coconut butter layer later. Place back into the fridge to fully set.
- While the first chocolate layer is setting, in a small bowl mix together the coconut butter, cinnamon, and vanilla.
- Remove the muffin liners from the fridge once set (should only take a few minutes) and spoon 1 tsp of coconut butter in the center of each cup. Use your spoon to flatten the coconut butter into an even layer that almost, but doesn’t quite, touch the edge of the cup.
- Pour evenly the remaining chocolate mixture into the muffin liners. Feel free to tap the muffin tin or use a spoon to even out the chocolate so it covers the coconut butter completely and evenly.
- Feel free to top the cups with coconut flakes, nuts, chia seeds, sesame seeds, or any other topping you think would be yummy.
I would love to experiment with different toppings and fillings for this recipe, as well as different ways to season the chocolate mixture. Mexican spicy chocolate with raspberry flavored filling, anyone?
I’m super excited for the possibilities, and to hear your ideas as well! Leave me a comment or message on Instagram @LiftinLuxe #LiftinLuxe with your thoughts, I’d love to hear from you!
Stay fit and flavorful, all!
Maddie Danza 