Happy (almost) Valentine’s Day, sweet friends.

Although, yes this is a Hallmark holiday – I love it. A specific day to express your love and compassion for a person (or multiple people!) is special, and I think you should take full advantage of celebrating those you love. Here’s a hint: start by making them (or your beautiful self!) these homemade and sinfully healthy coconut butter cups.

Of course, peanut butter and almond butter cups are a delicious treat, but why try something a little more out of the box?

I first discovered, and became obsessed with, coconut butter cups after finding them in the chocolate aisle of Whole Foods Market – Eating Evolved has my favorite. After love at first bite, (I told you these were perfect for V-Day!) I wanted to see if I could recreate them at home. Challenge accepted and fulfilled.

These homemade coconut butter cups are filled with a creamy coconut center, made up of coconut butter and coconut oil, and lightly sweetened with raw honey. When it comes to coconut and coconut products, don’t fear the fat! Coconut is a rich source of medium chain triglycerides, a fat that is metabolized quickly in the body providing energy and little digestive strain. Coconut also contains lauric acid, a type of fatty acid with serious antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. I love using coconut products daily, as they nourish both my insides and outsides. The fat in coconut is so important for skin health, cell health, and the production and maintenance of our hormones. I’m seriously coco-nuts.

Making the homemade chocolate for the exterior of the cups is a dream, and you won’t believe how simple it is! You’ll just need to get your hands on cacao butter (my favorite type is linked below) and melt, melt, melt. Cacao butter is made by cold-pressing the bean of the cacao plant. What’s left from the process is a thick and creamy butter rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids along with magnesium, iron, antioxidants, polyphenols, and theobromine – a compound associated with chocolate’s blissful effects. Cacao butter is also in incredibly stable fat, meaning it can last on your pantry shelf for many months – even years.

Together, chocolate and coconut are a match made in heaven. Treat yourself or your loved one to these sweet and simple coconut butter cups, and enjoy your Valentine’s Day!

Coconut + homemade dark chocolate + a bit of love = these perfectly sweet and nourishing coconut butter cups.

Coconut Butter Cups

Makes 8 large coconut butter cups

1 cup chopped cocoa butter
2-3 Tbsp raw honey or maple syrup, to taste
½ cup cacao powder
1 tsp maca powder (optional)
Pinch of sea salt
½ cup coconut butter
2 Tbsp coconut oil
2-3 Tbsp raw honey or maple syrup, to taste
Flaked unsweetened coconut, to garnish

Directions:

Place eight muffin liners (how cute are these for V-Day?!)in a muffin tray and set aside.

To make the chocolate: melt chopped cocoa butter in a medium-sized glass bowl over a pot of simmering water – in the style of a double boiler. Make sure the glass bowl is not touching the water. When cocoa butter is completely liquid, whisk in cacao powder, maca powder, and sea salt, and two tablespoons of sweetener. Stir until mixture is completely smooth and silky, and adjust sweetness to your liking by adding in another tablespoon of sweetener, if necessary. Remove chocolate from heat.

Carefully scoop about two tablespoons of chocolate into each muffin liner. Place in the freezer and let set for five or so minutes while you prep the coconut butter filling.

To make the coconut butter filling: melt coconut butter, coconut oil, two tablespoons of sweetener, and a pinch of sea salt in a medium-sized glass bowl over a pot of simmering water, or a double broiler. Melt until coconut butter mixture is thick and uniform in texture. Taste mixture and add in more sweetener to taste.

Remove chocolate from the freezer. Scoop in a tablespoon of coconut butter into each chocolate. Place back in the freezer to set for five-ten minutes more.

After coconut butter has set, remove coconut cups from freezer and fill the cups up with the remainder of the chocolate – about two more tablespoons per coconut butter cup. Garnish with coconut flakes, if desired, and place back in the freezer to set for 30-45 minutes.

Remove muffin tray from the freezer and gently peel muffin paper off each coconut butter cup, if you’d like. Store coconut butter cups in the refrigerator, where they’ll keep for two weeks, or in the freezer, where they’ll keep for 2 months.

Enjoy! Happy Valentine’s Day!

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