Chocolate and peanut butter can never go wrong. The combination seems to open up the heavens and lets the angels sing. These simple treats combine the winning combination with an added little extra crunch. A quinoa crunch to be exact, a high protein, gluten free grain, that pops, or puffs up when toasted. The extra protein should make you feel a little better about par-taking in a sweet treat. They are super easy to make, and are made with simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand. If you use vegan chocolate, you easily make the recipe vegan too. Made with wholesome ingredients, these treats are out of this world! Perhaps these would be a good Mother’s Day treat that kids can put together to show their love.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup quinoa
- ¾ cup peanut butter
- 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 2/3 cup chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
Making time…
First soak your quinoa in a bowl of water for at least a ½ an hour, rinse thoroughly in a fine mesh strainer. Drip dry…Try and get it as dry as possible. You can pour it out onto a plate covered with a paper towel if you’d like. Next place it in a pan and heat it, while stirring it, until it starts to pop, and turn slightly golden brown. Once it’s toasted, turn off the heat, and transfer it to a small bowl to cool. In a large bowl combine the peanut butter, maple syrup, and almond flour. Mix until a thick dough forms. Add the cooled quinoa and blend it all together evenly. This next part is completely up to you…You can simply roll the peanut butter, quinoa dough into small balls, or you can form shapes using a cookie cutter, like I did.
Lay your shapes on a parchment lined baking sheet or plate and pop it into the freezer to chill for 30 minutes. Next melt your chocolate chips, and coconut oil in a heat-safe bowl placed in a pot filled with a little bit of water over the stove. The chocolate and coconut oil should mix together to become a smooth, creamy, dippable chocolate. Remove your shapes from the freezer, and dip them one by one into the melted chocolate to coat them. Lay them flat on your small cookie sheet, or plate, and return them to the freezer for about 10 minutes…Or for as long as you can keep your hands off them. Once they are frozen and set, I like to transfer them to a sealed container that I can store them in the freezer in.
These are a great treat that can be made to celebrate Mother’s Day, or quite honestly celebrate any day. Just your average Tuesday for instance…Why not? Make a special treat to share with friends, and family, and celebrate every single day with a little expression of adventure, and joy for the life that we have, and the ability to make yummy treats whenever we want. Okay maybe I had one too many treats…but I hope this inspires you to make a couple too. Wishing you good health, and good luck on all of your cooking adventures.
