What exactly are “Lu’s”? Lu’s are a real food version of almond joys, named by our friend’s two year old. :)
Thank you, Courtney, for sharing this delicious recipe with your readers! I love Almond Joys but refuse to eat them because of the HFCS and other terrible ingredients found in them! So I decided to search for a homemade healthy version of them. So I googled… All the “homemade” recipes I found included added sugar, cocoa powder, more sugar and corn syrup!!! I decided that I had to make my own recipe or never relish the wonderful yumminess of these treats again. As it turned out some friends were getting together for a pot luck to send you and Frank off to San Fran and this was a perfect opportunity to experiment!
Lu Recipe:
Makes 18-20 Lu’s.
For the chocolate:
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (buy here)
- 4 TBSP unsweetened coconut milk (buy here)
- 4 TBSP maple syrup (buy here)
- 1 cup cacao powder (buy here)
For the coconut part:
- 4 cups organic unsweetened coconut flakes (buy here)
- 1/4 cup raw honey (buy here) OR 5 TBSP maple syrup (buy here
- 6 TBSP unsalted grass fed butter, melted
- Raw organic almonds, whole or chopped(buy here)
Step 1:
Toast almonds at 400 degrees in oven for 8-10 minutes (optional-sometimes I don’t toast them, they are great either way.)
Step 2:
In a small saucepan on the lowest heat possible, melt the coconut oil and gradually whisk in the coconut milk, maple syrup, and cacao powder. The mixture should be both thick and smooth, but not runny. If it is too dry, add more coconut oil or coconut milk.
Step 3:
Line an 8×8 glass pan with parchment/wax paper OR alternatively line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
Step 4:
Pour half the chocolate mixture into the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
Step 5:
In a large bowl, mix together the coconut flakes, honey/maple syrup, and melted butter.
Step 6:
Scoop the coconut mixture into the pan.
Step 7:
Pour the remaining chocolate over the coconut mixture. Then top with the almonds.
Step 8:
Place in fridge or freezer to cool. If you made these in an 8×8 glass pan, then cut them into squares before serving. Enjoy! :)
About the Author: Catherine Camiolo, mother of my little bug, James (15 months) and wife to my amazing and inspiring husband, Stephen. I am a firm believer that prayer, nutrition, active lifestyle, chiropractic adjustments and sunshine can help/change everyone for the better!
I think I’ve just fallen in love with you, Courtney. This is the one bad food I really missed.
These sound delicious! But, I am curious why the picture at the top is so different from the finished product. I would actually like to try and make the one that looks like a cake piece version, like the picture at the top. Am I missing something? Thanks for sharing!
The picture at the top is of the ones I made. The other pictures are my friend’s.
This looks phenomenal!!! Do you think coconut oil could replace the butter for those of us who have dairy sensitivities? I’m unfortunately sensitive to casein as well as lactose, so I can’t tolerate raw dairy products any better than pasteurized.
I don’t know. You could try it.
I couldn’t get the chocolate to turn out with the proportions given. I used three tablespoons each of milk and coconut oil and a double handful of chocolate chips before it approximated anything like a candy. 1/2 cup cacao to 2 tbs liquid resulted in a chalky mass that stuck to my whisk in a lump.
I had to revise the recipe yesterday because I was getting a lot of feedback like this. Did you use the old version, which was:
Ingredients:
• Heaping spoonful of raw butter (2-3 Tbl.)
• 1/4 cup raw local honey
• 4 cups organic unsweetened coconut flakes
• Dark chocolate/cacao (amount depends on how much chocolate is desired)
• Tbl. Coconut milk (can be original or unsweetened)
• Tbl. Coconut Oil
• Raw Organic Almonds
Directions:
• Toast almonds at 400 degrees in oven for 8-10 minutes (optional-sometimes I don’t toast them, they are great either way.)
• Melt coconut oil, then add chocolate and coconut milk (I melt mine by filling up a large pot with an inch or two of warm water, not boiling, and a smaller pot over the water. The coconut oil helps the chocolate not stick to the paper later, and the coconut milk makes the chocolate creamier.)
• Heat the butter and honey in a saucepan and pour over the coconut flakes. Then mix together until all flakes are covered. (Wet your hands before so the flakes stick together and not to you!)
• Spoon some chocolate into a cupcake holder. Add a spoonful of the coconut mixture on top. Then add another spoonful of chocolate on top of that, and place a toasted almond or two on the very top.
• Place the final product in the freezer to harden. (While waiting for it to freeze-go ahead and lick the spoon clean!)
• Remove cupcake paper and enjoy!
Good GOSH…NomNomNom…
This looks delicious, but could we get at least an approximation of how much chocolate to melt? Also, where do you buy raw butter?
Just keep adding cacao powder, a TBSP at a time, until it’s rich enough for you. You can find raw butter at http://www.realmilk.com