This recipe is an adaptation from the original by Bryanna Clark Grogan.  I don’t know why she calls the recipe Bryanna’s Carob Fudge.  It certainly isn’t fudge.  It is rich however, and very dark chocolate-flavored.  I was just going to call them dessert balls, but my sweet friend, Julia gave me a new name for them.  Thanks, Julia!  You could use all raw ingredients and impress your raw-food friends or use maple syrup instead and call them vegan!  This is the altered recipe for the dessert I made last night for the Christmas Party with my closest friends:

Chocolate Almond-Coconut Balls

Chocolate Mixture:
1/2 c. each:
Peanut Butter (I used fresh ground)
Honey*
Cocoa Powder
Chopped Almonds*
Sesame Seeds
1/4 c. Quick Oats*

Used a large spoon or your hands to mix it together.

Rolling Mixture:
1/4 cup Chopped Almonds*
1/4 cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut*
2 Tbsp. Powdered Sucanat* (powdered in the blender)

Mix above ingredients in a separate bowl. Wet your hands a little then take small pieces of the chocolate mixture and roll into balls.  Roll into rolling mixture.  Place on plate and serve.

The balls would be a little sweeter if you used maple syrup instead of honey and almond butter instead of peanut butter. Using almond butter would make it more almond-flavored too! Substituting maple syrup for the honey will make it vegan as well.  The original recipe called for carob powder, but I like the cocoa better…not as bitter. You could put some coconut inside the ball mixture too if you wanted.

* I’ve been asked where to purchase items like sucanat and unsweetened shredded coconut. My answer is: from a health food store or food co-op. Good Earth, Whole Foods, and Kitchen Kneads are in my area in Utah. Azure Standard does monthly orders with local drop points. To be raw, all ingredients need to be truly raw, not just uncooked by you. To get real raw almonds you need to purchase them through a reliable source and/or food co-op that guarantees the almonds have not been heated.  Update: Quick oats are not raw.  If you buy the oatmeal in the store, it’s been cooked.  I recommend buying your own oat groats and a grain roller to roll your own raw oats.

Original recipe found at: VegSource.com

Yes, there’s a healthier way to make pumpkin bread! I got a recipe from allrecipes.com, but I honestly changed it so much I consider it mine now. The original called for 3 cups of sugar! No way! I subbed in 1 cup honey, and it was plenty sweet. The original must have had the goal of being sugar encrusted.

I made this last week, and my family and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I didn’t take a picture of it this time (shocking, I know!). Trust me, it’s awesome!

Healthy Honey Pumpkin Bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 3 loaf pans with non-stick spray.

Using a large bowl, mix pumpkin puree, eggs, applesauce, oil, and honey until well blended. Mix dry ingredients together in another bowl. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until it’s just blended. (Don’t over mix.) Pour mixture into the prepared loaf pans. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Depending upon your oven, the bread may cook faster, so check your bread at 40 minutes. The loaves are done when a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.

Note: A 15oz can will work for the pumpkin, just add some water to make sure you have enough moisture. The original recipe called for water; however, with having extra pumpkin and adding honey instead of granulated sugar, I needed to take some moisture out. Adding about 1/2 cup water with a 15oz can of pumpkin should work, although I haven’t tested it myself.