I've mentioned before my inability to resist an attractive Instagram recipe, and when this little reel waddled into my feed, I just knew I had to jump on it. With the weather in Bucharest hitting a nice, crisp 40 C many days, I try to figure out recipes that don't involve long baking times.
As a big lover of both coconut and dark chocolate, I was instantly in love, and when I saw how damn simple this little recipe was, I was sold.
Essentially, all you need is shredded coconut, dark chocolate, yogurt/ricotta and a little bit of honey. While the initial recipe features smaller amounts, I found the yield to be too small. Might be great if making a treat for a specific occasion, or for just one or two people to enjoy. But personally, I wanted to make a treat that could be enjoyed by 4-5 people over at least a couple of days.
So I tweaked it, and now it looks like this:
- 150 g shredded coconut (coconut flakes);
- 250 g ricotta cheese;
- 140 g Greek yogurt;
- 75 g honey;
- 200 g dark chocolate.
You can totally get away with using only yogurt or only ricotta, especially if making a smaller amount, but since I was going for a bigger one, I wanted the best of both worlds. This one yields roughly 40 coconut chocolate balls, depending on the size.
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All you need to do is mix together the yogurt, ricotta and shredded coconut. Once they're blended, drizzle in the honey, mixing as you go to avoid clumpiness. The mixture should be fairly thick. Gently roll the balls to your desired size and leave them to sit in the fridge (on a plate with baking sheet) for at least 30 minutes.
For the next step, melt the dark chocolate in bain-marie (pot inside a pot of boiling water), and leave to cool for a second, but not so much that it hardens again. Use a spoon to gently roll the balls through the melted chocolate until covered, and set them back on the plate. As a last optional step, you can sprinkle leftover coconut flakes to get the look (and conceal minor imperfections!).
See? Easy, quick recipe. I actually made some more on the fly last night and finished the whole thing in under an hour, complete with sitting time, so it's great for summer or for quick yummy treats that take minimum effort. If you're like me, you'll also console yourself on the knowledge that the recipe contains no sugar as such. Honey's healthy, yogurt's healthy, dark chocolate is healthy. Right?
Enjoy.
In my head the entire time writing this.
And because it's Tuesday (I think), time for some music.