Low carb chocolate coconut cups are a ridiculously easy to make, no bake recipe. These sugar-free treats give Mounds Bars a run for their money and they are good for you!
This may sound a little crazy but easy is actually very difficult for me. Not in my day-to-day life, where I prefer the easy way of doing things as much as possible. But in my kitchen life, I have a tendency to gravitate towards the more difficult, with multiple steps and many moving parts.
I think I was always this way when it came to desserts and baking, because I love a challenge and who doesn’t want a 3 layer coconut cake with chocolate mousse-filling? It’s the Cheesecake Factory-syndrome, where we begin to believe that all desserts should be towering creations of epic proportions. I am a sucker for these kinds of desserts and now my only option is to make them from scratch in a low carb, sugar-free format. So sometimes I forget that simple can be just as good or even better than the more complicated.
Simple Sugar-Free Treats
This keto coconut candy cups recipe is a case in point. The sugar-free treats didn’t turn out at all the way I intended but by god, they are delicious! So good, in fact, that I’ve already made them twice this week. I had originally planned for them to be truffles, rolled into balls and dipped in chocolate. See? Multiple steps. But my filling did not cooperate. It was too soft when warm but it firmed up too quickly in the fridge to be rolled. So I remelted it and spooned it into little mini-muffin cups, froze it for a little bit and then simply topped it with the chocolate coating. I get all the great flavour of chocolate and coconut together, with minimal fuss or muss.
In the low carb world, these little keto, sugar-free treats might also be known as “fat bombs”. Yes, it’s a detestable name but they do serve the excellent and delicious purpose of filling you up with good healthy fats so you don’t find yourself gobbling down the carbs in a moment of weakness.
And having just come home from a Disney vacation where I probably ate a few more carbs than normal, it was nice to have these little treats to satisfy my cravings. I will say, I find them addictive in and of themselves. The mix of coconut butter and coconut oil is so good, I found I hardly needed to sweeten the filling much. And my husband, who has a soft spot for Mounds, loves them too. With both of us munching on them, it’s no wonder I had to make them twice already.
Low carb chocolate coconut cups are ridiculously easy to whip up. You can even simply melt some sugar-free chocolate for the topping, instead of making it from scratch. I used Lily’s on my second go-round and it barely changed the carb or other nutritional counts (I think the calories went up by 1 per candy).
I am linking this sugar-free treats recipe up to my dear friend, Roxana’s, monthly Chocolate Party. For April, the “secret ingredient” was coconut. Um, I think I nailed it! Check out the fun recipes over at Roxana’s Chocolate Party!
How to Make Low Carb Chocolate Coconut Cups
Better-Than-Mounds Chocolate Coconut Candies
Ingredients
Coconut Candies:
- ½ cup coconut butter
- ½ cup Kelapo coconut oil
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 3 tablespoon powdered Swerve Sweetener
Chocolate Topping:
- 1 & ½ ounces Cocoa Butter
- 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
- ¼ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- OR you can use 3 ounces Sugar-Free Dark Chocolate such as Lily's melted, for the topping
Instructions
- For the candies, line a mini-muffin pan with 20 mini paper liners (I recommend parchment ones for true non-stick).
- Combine coconut butter and coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until melted and smooth and then stir in shredded coconut and sweetener until combined.
- Divide mixture among prepared mini muffin cups and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
- For the chocolate coating, combine cocoa butter and unsweetened chocolate together in bowl set over a pan of simmering water (do not let the bottom of the bowl touch the water). Stir until melted.
- Stir in sifted powdered sweetener, then stir in cocoa powder, until smooth.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
- Spoon chocolate topping over chilled coconut candies and let set, about 15 minutes.
- OR if using pre-packaged chocolate, simply melt and spoon over the cold coconut filling.
- Candies can be stored on your counter top for up to a week.
Sharon says
These look amazing, and of course I want to make them tonight! Only problem is that I have no baking chocolate, only unsweetened cocoa powder. Do you think these could work with just the powder? Should I just add more cocoa butter to compensate for the lack of chocolate?
Carolyn says
Yes, there is actually a formula for subbing cocoa for unsweetened chocolate and i think it uses butter or oil. Google it and I bet you will find out!
A L says
These were awesome! Followed recipe exactly…except I didn’t have any unsweetened chocolate so I used special dark cocoa and coconuts oil in place of it. Oh Y.u.m..thanks for the recipe.
Jennifer C. says
I just made these but I substituted all natural almond butter (coconut butter shortages!) and cut back on the sweetener to compensate. They are delicious beyond words. Thanks for the recipe it’s fantastic; I was looking for inspiration and I found it!
Carleen LeBlanc says
I was having a lot of trouble getting my fat macros higher, so this recipe was perfect. Made a few days ago and turned out wonderful. I didn’t want to put the effot into making the chocolate topping, so found small low-carb sugar free 72% dark chocolate squares and placed them into the liners and poured the coconut mix on top. AMAZING. It really is like Mounds but better!
I don’t like my food too sweet so I did only use 1 tbsp of the sweetener and it suited my tastes. MMMMN. This is a lifetime keeper. Thank you so so much.
Melissa says
Forgive me if I’m breaking an unspoken (or spoken and not known) rule, but would it be a problem to put some food grade paraffin in the chocolate or base to keep it from melting so badly?
Carolyn says
You can certainly try it! 🙂
Michelle bitar says
Can I sub regular butter for coconut butter? Also have some coconut flavoring I could use to make up for the loss of coconut flavor?
Carolyn says
No. Coconut butter and dairy butter do not have the same consistency and these would not firm up properly.
Jan says
I didn’t see an answer to this so I’ll ask. Can the thick part in the top of a can of coconut milk be used for coconut butter? I use Native Forest full fat coconut milk.
Also.. they can sit on the counter and not melt? We have a/c, but try not to keep it set to refrigerator temps. lol
Thanks!
Carolyn says
No, that is not the same as coconut butter and it will be too runny and thin. The ones made with coconut butter CAN sit on the counter and not melt, though.
Jan Lewis says
Okay, thank you!
Carol Little says
Absolutely amazing. Even better than the Russel Stover sugar free coconut sweets that I normally buy. Much cheaper. And I know what is in them. I added chopped macadamia nuts as suggested by another reviewer. My husband loves ’em. But he eats two at a time.
Carolyn says
Thank you!
Shannon says
Just made these and oh my gosh , they are soooo good! They are my favorite fat bomb!
Carolyn says
Glad you like them!
Julie Y. says
These are PHENOMENAL! I made a trial run of these tonight in preparation for baby #2 coming in a few weeks (gotta have those good fats for all the feelings!) and they were a huge WIN. I only had granular Swerve but it worked just fine, I just used a little less. SO GOOD!
Julie Y. says
Feedings, not feelings. But there’s lots of those too!
Diana says
I made these and they are wonderful! I got several more than the recipe states using my candy mold, but still, half of one is enough to cure my candy craving. I usually eat a toasted, salted almond with it and I think next time I’ll put almonds on the coconut layer before adding the chocolate on top–kind of like an Almond Joy with dark chocolate! Hubby loves them, too and he is a die-hard full-on sugar Linderballs eater.
Talena says
I really should’ve read all the comments first! My chocolate-Baker’s-siezed, so I thinned it out with some coconut oil. ALSO, I didn’t read the recipe very well and though it called for coconut butter for the chocolate-no cocoa butter for my trial batch. Oops! They still tasted fabulous. Thank you so much for the great recipe!!!
Mindy says
Hi Carolyn,
THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS AWESOME RECIPE!!! I’ve made it twice and today took some into work – the ladies loved it and wanted the recipe. Have you written a low carb cookbook? If not, you should! This recipe is so amazing I’m going to check out your other recipes. You helped me realize that low carb does not mean missing-out on all my favorite foods. THANK YOU!
MJ says
I just made these, but substituted 25 drops stevia for the Swerve. They turned out amazing, and are absolutely delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
Laurie says
Carolyn, I appreciate your hard work so much. You make it possible to enjoy delicious foods and not feel like you are on a diet or deprived from anything! I’ve been making your recipes for a few years now and they are always terrific but I made these last night and I’m in low carb heaven! I plan to make them as a gift for a low carb friends birthday along with those delicious looking thumbprint cookies! Thank you so much!
Carolyn says
Thank you so much, Laurie! Love hearing that my recipes are a hit.
Lisa says
These look AMAZING, and after the Christmas Holiday, I need to get off sugar again. 😀
Anyway, I want to try these, but am wondering if anyone has played around with the sweetener. I have powdered swerve, but I makes me sick. Will using something else like splendia or truvia likely change the consistency too much?
Thanks!
Carolyn says
Truvia should work. Not so sure about Splenda.
Lisa says
I decided to give the Splendia a go since I have had good results with it so often. I did just do 2 tbs, but they are perfection. Thank you so very much for sharing. 🙂
Sam Burrow says
I have never posted before, but I just had to say what a wonderful recipe this is! I used Coconut Cream Concentrate in place of the Coco Butter and these turned out fantastic! I also used a skull candy mold for Halloween, so now my hubby and I can have treats just like the kids without the guilt! Thank you so much for your time and effort in all you do!
Carolyn says
They must have been so fun in skull shape!
Daniella says
The coconut base came out perfectly, but the chocolate not so much! I tried to melt the chocolate in a small saucepan (lilly’s sugar free dark chocolate) and it got very clumpy and I couldn’t spread it over the chilled coconut base. They look terrible! What did I do wrong?
Carolyn says
Sounds like your chocolate seized. That can happen for a lot of reasons. Next time I suggest two things to guard against it…first, do it double-boiler style, with a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water (don’t let the bottom of the bowl touch the water). Secondly, put just a 1/2 tbsp of butter to help “liquify” the chocolate as it melts. Maybe even a full tbsp.
Etchbee says
I’ve never posted here before but I just had to tell you how good these are. I’ve tried a couple of different fat bombs but these are far superior in every way. I like that they are able to stay at room temperature without falling apart…Actually I keep them in the fridge and eat them cold…but they could travel theoretically. 😉
Absolutely delicious! The only think I did differently was use a 1/2 cup of coconut cream instead of the coconut butter (the kind of cream that’s sold in a brick, not the one in the can.) I also used 90% dark instead of unsweetened chocolate just because that’s what I had. These are AWESOME. Thank you!!
Carolyn says
I’ve used the coconut cream too, the one from Let’s Do Organic. It works well. And they do last well at room temp, provided it’s not really hot out! I’ve taken them with me on trips.
Diana says
I use Let’s do Organic creamed coconut (coconut is the only ingredient). Is that the same thing as Let’s do Organic coconut cream? I think the one I have is the same as coconut butter or coconut manna.
Carolyn says
Yes, that’s the one. Comes in a carton, right?
A. Dale says
These are delicious!!! My grocer didn’t have coconut butter so I used their combo Almond/Coconut butter. I melted low carb, low sugar dark chocolate and added a wee bit of pumpkin spice for the topping. Amazing!! Thanks SO much for sharing the recipe.