I’ve loved coconut for a long as I can remember. But coconut and chocolate? Oh my gosh. Epic, just epic. I remember going to the movie theater as a kid and since I love both salty and sweet, I’d usually get popcorn and some sort of chocolate. I used to get these little chocolate macaroons usually from the bulk section of the grocery store, cause yes…we were those people that snuck in some snacks to avoid paying the expensive prices. I had to google which brand they were as I couldn’t remember…. Neilson Macaroons. Chocolate and coconut morsels. So good. I think they might be a Canadian thing?
These chocolate macaroon protein balls remind me of my beloved macaroons.
I toasted the coconut on the topping as I’m just obsessed with toasted coconut and I think it gives it such a nice flavor. I actually tried this recipe 2 different ways. The first way was with peanut butter, as I had ran out of coconut butter. It was yummy if you like a hint of peanut butter. But since I wanted them a little more coco-nutty, I did a second trial after I got more coconut butter. I preferred that version a bit more as it reminded me of a macaroon.
Feel free to use whatever nut or seed butter you like or have on hand. I haven’t attempted to make my own coconut butter yet, but I really should, as coconut butter is quite expensive to buy. As a matter of fact, I might try it today in my Blendtec. I report back with how it works!
I shared these with some friends at the gym, and they were very well received. Thankfully I kept some more myself and have them safely stashed in my freezer for when the next craving strikes!
- 1 cup whey protein, chocolate (I used Whey Gourmet)
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup coconut butter (I used Artisana Coconut Butter) *could also use natural peanut butter
- ⅓ cup honey (I used Nature's Hollow Sugar Free Honey)
- ⅓ cup quick oats
- ⅓ cup shredded coconut
- 1 Tbsp milk
- .
- ½ cup shredded coconut (toasting is optional)
- In a large bowl, mix together the whey protein, cocoa powder, oats and coconut.
- Add in the coconut butter, and honey and mix until it starts to form into a dough.
- Add the 1 Tbsp of milk and mix. Add slightly more milk as needed to make it roll into a ball easily.
- To toast the coconut for the topping, add the ½ cup coconut to a dry skillet pan over medium heat. Stir constantly until it becomes golden brown. Remove from the heat immediately and place in a shallow dish.
- Once the toasted coconut is cool enough to handle, take each ball and place in your hand, squeeze the toasted coconut into the ball. I find that simply rolling in the coconut doesn't work as well.
- Store balls in an airtight container and keep in the fridge or freezer.