I saw these cute chocolate pine cones on Instagram and couldn’t wait to try them! They even use a raw brownie mix for the base which is free of gluten, egg and refined sugar, with a sneaky smash of sweet potato to give a sweetness. However, you could use any raw or rum ball type mix, so long as it is firm but pliable at room temperature.
Sticking the almonds into the base is a little bit laborious, and there’s certainly a trick to the chocolate dipping, but they are a fun treat to try with a few Christmas songs blasting, and I think they’ll look great on the Christmas table any time of day.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup raw cacao powder
1/2 cup peanut butter (or almond butter)
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup mashed sweet potato cooked and cooled
To decorate
1 cup sliced almonds
2 tsp coconut oil
Icing sugar to decorate
Method
- Peel and dice the sweet potato and cook in boiling water until soft. Drain and mash, then set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine main ingredients, mixing with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a stiff dough. You may like to heat the honey slightly in the microwave.
- Divide into even balls and form into cone shapes which sit upright.
- Insert the sliced almonds firmly into the cone, so it looks like a pinecone.
- Melt chocolate in a stainless steel bowl over a pot of boiling water. Once melted, add in the coconut oil and stir.
- Slide each cone onto a fork and hold over the melted chocolate. Carefully pour the chocolate over the cone, allowing the excess to drip into the bowl.
- Allow to cool in the fridge.
