Chocolate Maca Coconut Butter Cups
Maca is a root vegetable (related to the radish!) that grows in Peru and has a flavor similar to caramel or butterscotch.The flavor of coconut and maca meld to create a rich caramel-like flavor and a creamy, smooth texture. Beet powder provides a pretty shade of pink, making these chocolate-y cups perfect for Valentine’s Day. But really, isn’t the chocolate-coconut combination perfect any time of year?
Servings Prep Time
8cups 20minutes
Passive Time
1hour
Servings Prep Time
8cups 20minutes
Passive Time
1hour
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Place the shredded coconut in a high powered blender or food processor and blend until it forms a paste. It should look like the consistency of peanut butter. This took about 2 minutes in the Blend-tec blender, but it could take longer, depending on your blender or food processor. Be patient…stick with it! Scrape the sides down as needed.
  2. Add the coconut oil and honey and blend until smooth.
  3. Add the maca powder, blending until smooth.
  4. Finally, add the beet powder, and blend a final time until smooth.
  5. Refrigerate mixture until firm but not completely solid, about 5 minutes.
  6. Melt 3/4 cups of the chocolate chips and pour 1 1/2 teaspoons into the bottom of each of 8 paper muffin cups. Place on a tray or cutting board and refrigerate until firm.
  7. Form the coconut mixture into small patties (about 1 1/2 teaspoons of filling each). The patties should be circular, no more than 1/4 inch thick, flat, and wide enough to fill the inside of the muffin cup, with about 1/8 inch of space all along the edge. If the filling goes too close to the edge, it will show through when you pour the final layer of chocolate over the top. If the patties are too thick, the top layer of chocolate won’t seal around it. Place one patty onto the center of each chocolate lined cup, press lightly to ensure it’s flat against the bottom layer of chocolate, and put back in the refrigerator.
  8. Melt the remaining 1 cup chocolate chips and pour enough chocolate over the top of each patty of filling to completely connect to the bottom piece of chocolate and hide the filling, about 2 teaspoons of chocolate. Gently tap the tray/cutting board on the counter to get rid of air bubbles and seal the bottom layer of chocolate to the top. Add more chocolate if there is any filling showing through.
  9. Sprinkle the tops with sea salt (optional) and place the tray of cups back in the refrigerator to set.
  10. Store the cups in the refrigerator. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.
Recipe Notes

If you can’t find maca powder, or don’t want to pay the $$ for something you’re using just a few teaspoons of, skip it! The texture of the filling is just a little softer without it. The flavor will be more coconut-y and less caramel-y. But if you do want to give maca powder a whirl, you can also add it to smoothies, oatmeal, baked goods, and soups!