Chocolate Coconut Rounds – OwlCat Designs

There they were, sitting timid in the middle of my fruit basket trying to pretend they were not there. Overripe bananas, like the poor step child in an old fairy tale. Since I only like to eat them when they are still a little green, these brown things in my fruit basket are definitely not my thing. But over time I have come up with various ways to use them up, using them for smoothies, pancakes or baking, after all they do provide a great source of natural sweetness without adding sugar. And yes, I have to admit before I did that, sometimes they would get thrown out. So that’s why they are scared. But fret not bananas, I have something yummy to turn you into 🙂

What do you do with your past prime bananas? Any favorites?

This recipe is grain and sugar free, the only sweetness comes from the banana, so it isn’t your traditional cookie, if you like things sweet, you might want to add 1/4 cup of sugar or some stevia. These are more like a piece of 70% cocoa chocolate, flavorful but just subtly sweet.

And without further ado here is how to make them:

Ingredients

1/2 cup egg whites (about 4)
2 ripe bananas, mashed with a fork
2 cups unsweetened, shredded coconut
1 cup ground almonds, natural not blanched
6 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 cup almond butter (cashew butter or other nut butter would work as well)
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp coconut flour
1 dash of salt

Directions

Combine shredded coconut, ground almonds, coconut flour and cocoa powder in a bowl
Add the mashed bananas
Melt the coconut oil together with the almond butter and stir until smooth, add to bowl
Add the egg whites
Mix until everything is fully incorporated
Divide dough into two portions and between wax paper, work each one into a roll of about 1 1/2” to 2″ diameter.
Place in the freezer for about 1 hour or until nice and solid.
Preheat the oven to 350°F
Remove one roll from the freezer, and slice into rounds 1/2″ to 3/4″ thick, place ona lined cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
In the meantime, repeat the same with the other roll.
Let the rounds cool down on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.