Raw Coconut Cacao Bites and a Tropical Traditions Giveaway
It's no secret I love everything from Tropical Traditions. Their coconut products are made from fresh organic coconuts, grown by dedicated family farms in the Phillipines. Everything is produced small batches and tested for quality, ensuring that we receive the freshest, highest quality coconut oil possible. I feel confident that when I'm using their products, I'm supporting a good manufacturing practices and getting the most nutrition possible for my money.
One of my favorite products is their Coconut Cream Concentrate, a delightful product that goes by the name of coconut butter by other brands and in the blogosphere. I've made my own coconut butter before (shredded coconut + food processor + patience), but the texture is always a little gritty. While the dollar amount is much friendlier on homemade coconut butter, I really prefer the creamy smooth texture of the storebought. So, sometimes I splurge and buy a jar. Or, I agree to do a giveaway and take part in a little complimentary coconut goodness.
Coconut Cream Concentrate is made from the flesh and fat of raw coconuts. It is white, thick, and fragrant, full of coconut goodness. When chilled, it is very firm, almost like candy. When softened, it is creamy and smooth, like a delectable spread. It can also be mixed with hot water to create a natural coconut milk or used in soups, stews, and daals to create a wonderfully rich coconut broth. Because it is naturally sweet, Coconut Cream Concentrate is also the perfect way to satisfy a sweet tooth on a sugar-free diet. A little chunk on its own is a wonderfully satisfying treat, and it is brilliant included in sweet treats from pie to truffles, cookies to smoothies. Because it hardens at cool temperatures, it is great to use when you want a firm consistency in raw desserts.
In addition to being delicious, Coconut Cream Concentrate offers all the awesome nutrition of raw coconut, including fiber, protein, medium-chain fatty acids, a variety of vitamins and minerals, and lauric acid (a naturally occurring acid with potentially antimicrobial and antiviral properties).
Please note that Coconut Cream Concentrate or coconut butter is different than coconut oil. Coconut Cream Concentrate contains fiber and fat, while coconut oil is just oil. Since they have very different properties, the two cannot be used interchangeably. Coconut Cream Concentrate should never be used as a cooking oil, and cannot substitute coconut oil in any recipe.
Inspired by my love for Coconut Cream Concentrate, I made a recipe for you. It is kind of like fudge, kind of like candy, and totally delicious. Even better, I'm giving away a 32-oz. jar of Coconut Cream Concentrate to one lucky reader!
How To Enter the Giveaway
UPDATE 5/19/2011: THIS GIVEAWAY IS OVER - see followup at end of post for winner!
To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment below this post sharing the ways you'd like to try using Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Concentrate in your own kitchen. Make sure to include an email address in the comment form (it will not be visible on the blog) so I can contact you if you win.
Contest will end on May 18, 2011, 11:59 pm CST, and is limited to residents of the United States and Canada. Winner will be announced May 19, 2011 in an update to this blog post and by a personal e-mail from me. I will share the winner's contact information with Tropical Traditions, who will ship the 32-oz jar of coconut cream concentrate.
Good luck! Thanks to Tropical Traditions for this great giveaway. And, in the meantime, you may want to try this tasty raw dessert...
Raw Coconut Cacao Bites
yield about 24 squares or balls
- heaping 1/2 cup raw cacao nibs
- 9 large medjool dates, pitted
- 3/4 cup softened Tropical Traditions Coconut Cream Concentrate or another brand of raw coconut butter (NOT COCONUT OIL)
- 2 Tbsp raw cashew butter, or other raw seed/nut butter
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- handful unsweetened coconut flakes, lightly crushed OR a handful unsweetened shredded coconut
- pinch unrefined salt
Soften the coconut butter in a double boiler until it is soft enough to smoosh with the back of a spoon. If it is not soft, it will not mix properly with the other ingredients.
Place half the cocao nibs in a food processor and process on high on they are coarsely ground. Then add dates and remaining cacao nibs and process until a paste forms. Then add softenend coconut butter, cashew butter, salt, and cinnamon, and process on high until soft crumbs form. Then add a handful of coconut flakes and pulse a few times to combine. The mixture may look dry, but it should be very soft and malleable when you form it. If it crumbles when you try try to form a ball, add more cashew butter or softened coconut butter bit by bit, just until it is soft enough to form.
Form into bite-size balls, or form into a square or rectangle about 1-inch high on a parchment covered pan or plate. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or longer. Serve the balls as is, or cut the squares into bite-size pieces. Serve!
If your house is below 72º F and you don't mind a slightly softer fudge/truffle, these can be stored at room temperature. Any hotter than that and the coconut butter starts to get too mushy for room temperature storage!
DISCLAIMER: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.
Kim @ Affairs of Living
We have a winner!
Congratulations to Nicole, the author behind comment number 15. You are the winner of the 32-oz. jar of Tropical Traditions coconut cream. I will contact you within the next 24 hours to get your shipping information.
Thanks to all who entered, and stay tuned for more Tropical Traditions giveaways in the future!
Reader Comments (93)
I would first make this delicious looking fudge recipe!!
I'm anxious to try coconut butter in place of peanut butter in my favourite gf peanut butter cookies, but looking at all these suggestions I may change my mind and try something more adventurous!
This looks great and I have never tried it but I would love to try and make a frosting out of it or maybe something similar to the irish potato candy.
I love coconut cream concentrate! One of my favorite things is to make Lemon Chewy Candies from Tropical Traditions. Yum!
I'd mix it with cocoa powder and make chocolate coconut fudge!
I'd like to make raw goji berry cacao nib truffles with the coconut concentrate by Tropical Traditions.
gellerlori@yahoo.com
I've never had cocobutter! I can see about a thousand uses for this...
Thanks for the giveaway!
I would love to use this coconut cream with raw desserts and try it in some vegan baked goods. I just love anything coconut!
Hmmm, besides your cacao bites, I'd like to use coconut cream to make a spread for toast, a topper for oatmeal, a raw chocolate pie, and some sort of unbaked, vegan cookie dough "bite." For starters ;-)
I would love to try this recipe! How yummy.
YUM, I love making curries and this would be an awesome ingredient! Sweet potato and chickpea curry is a favorite at our house!
I want to try this recipe! It sounds so good!
I love coconut. It's natural sweetness is perfect for making healthy, sugar-free yummies. I am not familiar with the coconut cream concentrate, but seems to be a versatile ingredient for getting my creative juices going.
This sounds delicious! I am from Mpls as well - where can we buy these products locally? I see that they ship cold products from Minnesota - so I am thinking it must be abundant here?
This receipe sounds great - and coconut is a perfect match for chocolate. I would like to try this in a banana smoothy, coconut flour in choc chip cookies - and I bet this would make a great addition to chocolate buttercream - over a rich banana cake. Or banana bread... or... or... :) so many great ideas.
Where can we buy these product in Minneapolis?
I would love to experiment with this as I love making raw desserts and I love coconut! I think I would try to use it in a coconut ice cream recipe first!
My friend just recently introduced me to coconut cream...so delicious. Thanks for posting the recipe!
I would use the coconut cream concentrate in raw sandwich cookie fillings and raw ice cream toppings.
I love all things coconutty!! I've never used coconut cream, but would like to try it in sweet dishes and savory - including my favorite curry featuring chickpeas, tomatoes, cauliflower and cilantro.
These look great! If I won theh coconut cream, I would definitely make these! :)
I can see using this to top off keylime bars I made recently - either a glaze of some sort or whipped dollops!
I would love to try your recipe with the coconut cream. I am drooling over my keyboard right now! I use coconut oil for a lot of things, including my skin- but I would be super excited to try the cream!
Hello , I would like to try blending it with water and ice and vanilla and agave to make a frothy coconut drink , I was not familiar with it until you shared your awsome recipe using it .Thank you :)
mmm coconut cream is luxurious! I think I would probably use it to make raw truffles.
I have been raw for a year and have YET to buy or try ANY coconut products. TOO expensive. Would love to have this to use with my many "wanna try" recipes. dagjshaw@att.net
I love to create new recipes that work with my anti-candida, anti-lyme diet! i've never used coconut cream concentrate before, but have been eager to try since i recently learned about it. the recipe possibilities seem endless. and i most want to use it to create a new recipe for a friend who is on an even more restricted diet than i am - she cannot have sweeteners at all, including stevia or fruit, but she CAN have coconut cream concentrate. i think if i play with this new ingredient, and add a little cinnamon, nutmeg, and fresh ground vanilla....maybe i can create a dessert she can have!
I'm thinking brownies with coconut butter frosting!!!
I love TT Coconut Cream Concentrate. I am making these cocao bites right now! And I would love to make coconut milk using the concentrate. I have made several recipes (from their website) for sweets using it and all have turned out delicious!!
i would make a raw coconut macaroons or raw fudge or really i might even just eat it out of the container as i have a serious problem with anything coconut!
My eyes have been opened this year to the many coconut products out there and how they are used in recipes. With summer upon us, I have been experimenting with new refreshing smoothies and frozen desserts. I would like to use the coconut cream concentrate to make a fruity iced nut cream (dairy free).
Due to recent knowledge of food sensitivities and combating a candida infection, I have had to eliminate many foods from my diet. I am seeking a sweet alternative that will fit within my dietary restrictions and coconut is on my approved food list. And I love chocolate. This recipe looks like a winner along with being able to use the coconut cream for other goodies. I've got to find me some coconut cream!
Mmm, I bet it would be great spread on toast!! I have 2 pieces of toast every morning without fail. I'd also love to try it in my brownie recipe; i bet it would add a creaminess and sweetness that would allow me to reduce the sugar even more. I'd love to win it!
I've never tried this ingredient, so I'd love a chance to win! I would like to try it in a protein pudding for dessert!
I have been wanting to get some of this for soooo long. I almost ordered it but chickened out when it came time to pay shipping! I want to try it like whipped cream! Yum!!
ty u 4 recipes sounds great & will try when i can find this product would love to win one so i have it right! iam living on a very very tight lol budject $285 amo for everything! i do get food stamps =so everything has to be a food product for all my homes & personel needs! plus iam allergic to almost everything unless it is natural actually fresh fruits, ect! so i would love to try using this for bath & beauty needs mix it w/my sea salt & baking soda bath scubs or as a facel cleanser! & i know my daughter would lovethat also! she love the coconut fragance! Would give me a uplift w/all my illnes's! make me think of being on a tropical vacation "CONUT"=take me away! ty u again paula or aka MIsunshine(ABRE> MI for Michigan)
I was just introduced to your blog from my ND and friend. I, like the other posts, always use Tropical traditions coconut oil....yet never have used the coconut creme. How did I miss this?!? I'm not much of a baker, but love to cook. Recently I got into some raw food cookies and more....can't wait to try your recipe! I'm going to get some to try this. Thanks!
Hi,
There are so many things on my "no" list, that when I find something like this, I love it. I use coconut as a base for smoothies . . . and I add cocoa and stevia and ground ginger. I used to add turmeric and cinnamon, but haven't since I ran out. I'm looking forward to trying your recipe. Thank you.
I would surely try those bites you have on here....wholly yum!
I would first put a bit into my morning coffee with cinnamon! i would then like to try the above recipe. it looks absolutely yummy. i use coconut oil for everything from baking to put it on my skin daily!
would love to try this new coconut product. Always looking for new and healthy ways to make treats for my family. Had not heard of this until I saw it hear. Thanks for the great site. Looking forward to more great ideas!!!
I have never used this product before. I think I would love it in fudge or anything . It sounds delish.
Oh man! If I had this stuff, I would put it in everything. Coffee creamer? Done! Instant whipped cream? Breakfast every day. Daaang.
I would like to use this amazing Coconut Creme Concentrate in a raw vanilla bean creme brulee and raw coconut cream pie. Both these recipes are just waiting for a little extra coconut surprise!
The dish looks delicious, I want to try some of that one of these days. www.gourmandia.com and www.gourmetrecipe.com also have attractive recipes that you’ll surely love!