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Ila’s Amazing Chocobites Recipe–A Healthy Treat That’s Easy to Make and Hard to Resist

Ila Bonczek
Ila lives in the Garden State with her family and four chickens. She has been growing produce and perennials for 20 years, and recommends gardening for food and fun, but not for fortune.
Published: October 11, 2022
Simple, nutritious ingredients make this chocobites recipe something to enjoy readily, and consume rapidly. (Image: Ila Bonczek/ Vision Times)

Even the healthiest eaters enjoy something sweet now and then. This recipe was inspired by a wish to make a Swedish favorite into something suitable for restricted diets. Neither a candy nor a cookie, chocobites are something in between. Composed mainly of coconut, and lightly sweetened with xylitol, these no-bake treats are low in carbohydrates and high in fiber, healthy fats, and flavor, with plenty of trace minerals and antioxidants, to boot! 

Although you won’t need the oven for making chocobites, you will need: 

  • a coffee grinder, food processor, or blender
  • a double boiler, crock pot or instant pot. 
  • 8-inch square baking dish
  • parchment paper 
  • small bowl for mixing.

Ingredients 

  • 1  cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
  • ½ cup rolled oats (gluten-free if necessary)
  • ½  cup almond meal
  • 1 Tbsp. xylitol
  • 1 Tbsp. instant coffee or Dandy Blend herbal coffee substitute
  • ¼ tsp. salt
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • ¼ cup unsweetened or dark chocolate 
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla

To steer the flavor in a slightly different direction, add an optional 1 Tbsp. peanut flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, or your favorite “superfood” powder.

Directions

  • Warm the coconut oil and chocolate until it is completely melted
Gradually warm the chocolate and coconut oil in a double-boiler or your instant pot to prevent burning. (Image: Ila Bonczek/Vision Times)
  • Grind the xylitol to a fine powder (its sweetness seems to intensify with this process).
  • Grind the oats and shredded coconut into a coarse meal. If you are using a small coffee blender, you may have to do a few batches.
  • Mix all the dry ingredients in a small bowl.
  • Add the melted oils and vanilla and mix well.
  • Line your baking dish with parchment paper.
Spread the loose mixture into a baking dish, pressing it firm and smooth before chilling. (Image: Ila Bonczek/Vision Times)
  • Press the mixture into the dish, smoothing it with a rubber spatula.
  • Chill for one hour or more.
  • Remove the chilled block from the pan and cut with a large knife into equal squares.

That’s it — crazy easy and super delicious! Enjoy!

A bit about the ingredients

Coconut

While it has a fiber, fat and protein content similar to that of tree nuts, coconut is actually a fruit. It also contains important minerals, like manganese, copper, iron and selenium. Although coconut is high in fat, much of the fat is in the form of medium-chain triglycerides. MCTs are readily absorbed and utilized, and may even help reduce obesity.

Coconut oil demonstrates powerful antibacterial properties. Studies show that it can inhibit the growth of various strains of Staphylococcus and other unwelcome bacteria. Some recommend brushing or rinsing the mouth with coconut oil for improved dental hygiene.

Chocolate

Dark or unsweetened chocolate is high in flavonoids — compounds well-known for their antioxidant properties. Other possible benefits of cocoa include improved insulin regulation, decreased inflammation, and lowered cholesterol and blood pressure. The problem with chocolate is that it is most often consumed heavily sweetened — countering its many benefits with the negative effects of sugar

Xylitol 

Xylitol is a sugar-like substance derived from the sap of birch trees or the fibers from other plants. Like refined sugar, it has no nutrition, but it does have some interesting properties that make it my top pick among sweeteners. 

Xylitol is a naturally occuring sugar alcohol, which acts neither as a sugar nor an alcohol. It does not raise blood sugar levels, has 40 percent fewer calories than an equal amount of sugar, and has a glycemic index (GI) of 7 — about one tenth that of sugar’s. It is perfectly safe for people with alcohol addictions.

Xylitol is also a healthy dental choice. The oral bacteria found in plaque feed on glucose, and starve on xylitol. Using xylitol as a sweetener keeps your mouth cleaner, and you can taste it, too. It has a fresh, pure sweetness with no lingering aftertaste. 

Xylitol is fairly pricey, but this can actually be a good thing. It can prompt you to become a little stingy with the sweetener, tame your sweet tooth, and make mildly sweet much more satisfying.

Dandy Blend

Dandy Blend is derived from roasted dandelion root, chicory root, rye and barley extracts. The key ingredient — dandelion — is known to aid digestion and benefit the good bacteria in your gut. It is both a mild laxative and a mild diuretic, assisting the kidneys and liver to remove toxins from your body. Dandelion is also full of antioxidants and phytonutrients that help fight cancer and reduce the effects of aging.

This instant beverage is gluten free, as the offending proteins are removed in the grinding and roasting process. It is mildly sweet and mildly bitter — similar enough in flavor to coffee that many people have found it a good substitute. While I’m not a coffee drinker myself, I think it is delicious hot or iced with a splash of milk.  

The company has recently changed their packaging, but it is the same great product that has been around for over 25 years.

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