Name: Chocolate Coconut Clusters Recipe
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 5 oz unsweetened shredded coconut; 1/3 cup + 1 TBSP coconut oil (melted); ½ cup almond butter; 1 tsp vanilla; 1 cup dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips

This recipe is almost too good to be healthy, and amazingly, it is one of my family’s most delicious and healthy dessert recipes!

Chocolate Coconut Clusters

These chocolate coconut clusters also have only 5 ingredients, are simple to make, and kids love them! My kids eat these like candy…. in fact, they prefer these to candy! They taste like a mixture of almond joy bars and raw coconut macaroons, and are a dessert you can feel good about letting your kids have because they are packed with healthy fats.
Healthy Coconut Bites Balls recipe

Nutrient Rich Ingredients

The simple but nutrient dense ingredients are what make these so delicious, filling, and nourishing. They contain:

Coconut flakes: A great source of protein, fiber, and beneficial fats.
Coconut Oil: Has hundreds of uses and benefits. A great source of medium chain triglycerides and beneficial lauric acid. It is also filling and anti-fungal, making it effective at fighting overgrowth in the digestive track. I wrote another post about 7 ways to eat more coconut oil if you’re interested in incorporating more coconut oil into your diet.
Almond Butter: Another source of quality fats and protein and it provides great flavor to this recipe. Sub or leave out if you have an allergy.
Dark Chocolate: Good source of magnesium and antioxidants. Some studies even suggest it might lower the risk of heart disease.

Chocolate Coconut Clusters Recipe

A simple and rich nutrient-packed dessert with coconut, coconut oil, almond butter, and vanilla wrapped in a dark chocolate shell.

Cook Time 20

Total Time 1 30

Calories 212kcal

Author Katie Wells

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Servings

Equipment

Ingredients

5 oz unsweetened shredded coconut
⅓ cup + 1 TBSP coconut oil melted
½ cup almond butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

In medium bowl, mix coconut flakes, the 1/3 cup melted coconut oil, almond butter, and vanilla until well mixed.
Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Using hands, form into 1 inch balls and put on a plate lined with parchment paper.
Put the plate in the freezer until the clusters harden completely.
Once the clusters have hardened, melt the chocolate in a double boiler with 1 TBSP coconut oil, stirring occasionally until smooth.
Dip the clusters into the chocolate and put back on a plate or in a small baking dish
Put them into refrigerator and eat once they get cold.
Enjoy the awesome mixture of crunchy chocolate shell and chewy coconut center!

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Chocolate Coconut Clusters Recipe

Amount Per Serving (2 clusters)

Calories 212 Calories from Fat 174

% Daily Value*

Fat 19.3g30%

Saturated Fat 16.2g101%

Sodium 4mg0%

Carbohydrates 8.6g3%

Fiber 3.3g14%

Sugar 4.3g5%

Protein 1.8g4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

Keep in the refrigerator up to two weeks (if they last that long!)

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Try these… seriously! And then tell me about them below!

Who doesn't love chocolate? These chocolate coconut clusters are delicious and healthy. Only 5 ingredients and the kids can help make them!

Sources

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About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

163 responses to “Chocolate Coconut Clusters Recipe”

Sarah H

May 12, 2016

Hey! thank you for the recipe!
Is the vanilla powered? Or liquid?

Reply
Doina

April 28, 2016

If you were to recommend a brand of chocolate, which one you would?

Reply
1. Wellness Mama
  
  April 29, 2016
  
  We get our chocolate here.
  
  Reply
Patty

April 3, 2016

I followed the recipe exactly and it was a total failure, a big gritty glop which was kind of a hassle to scrape into the compost bucket. 🙁

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Katie

September 9, 2015

Made these for the first time today. I used roughly 1/3 cup coconut oil in total, added an extra small scoop of almond butter and coconut flakes, and some ground flaxseed. I also found it was easier to roll the batter into balls After putting the mixture in the fridge for 15 – 20 minutes. Then proceeded with the chocolate coating. (I use Lily’s brand- highly recommend! Vegan and stevia sweetened). Turned out great! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

Reply
Viktorya

September 8, 2015

Hi wellness mama,
Thanks for the great recipe. Was easy to make and delicious !

I started with a half a portion of coconut oil and then added gradually to get desired consistency. It came out perfect. I also added a teaspoon of grass fed butter instead of almond butter (didn’t have it at home :).

I just have a question! How do you store them?? I left it in the freezer, feels like it’s gonna melt if I leave the out??

Thanks a lot!!!

Reply
Rachelle

June 30, 2015

OK so I’m new to this site. I tried this recipe with my children and thought it was going to be a complete flop. My kids had messy coconut stuck to their hands and had problems making the balls, but we did the best we could….They came out so good!!! I learned a few helpful tips for the next time I make these. I will definitely make these again. They are so much better than the items we usually make. I’m trying to make healthier items for my kids. They are super picky. And they LOVE these! Thanks for sharing!

Reply
Debra

March 8, 2015

Great Paleo dessert! Refrigerating the mixture worked perfect. I let the melted chocolate cool before dipping. If you dip when the chocolate is warm it melts the balls. Thanks for all the suggestions!

Reply
Brittany

March 5, 2015

You’re the best.

Reply
Niki

February 28, 2015

I’m in the UK and tried converting all the measurements but it didn’t work at all! 🙁 they are oily and crumbly and won’t stick together to form balls. What am I doing wrong? I was so excited to make these but my baking skills are just awful apparently. Maybe I’m using the wrong measurements when converting…? Please help. Thanks!

Reply
1. Erika
  
  January 18, 2016
  
  Sorry this is a year later, but I just saw your post. King Arthur Flour has an ingredient weight chart that should help you. It does me.
  
  Reply
krystal

February 14, 2015

Just a tip for those with “soupy” mix. I added a tad more almond butter and then refrigerated before making balls for about 10 minutes, it thickened the mixture to make the balls;)

Reply
sarah

February 2, 2015

I melted 2/3 c coconut oil and 3 tbsp raw butter in a saucepan on low heat. Add butter first as it takes longer. Once melted I added 1/3 c slivered almonds and an 8 ounce bag of organic unsweetened coconut I got at walmart. I heated the mix up for a minute mixing constantly. Then stirred in a tbsp of vanilla bean paste and let the mix cool in fridge. I used a bar of organic dark chocolate from traders joes. I also sprinkled some pink salt on the tops. They were so good!

Reply
Jadon

January 31, 2015

I haven’t tried these yet, but I am familiar with coconut oil. I am seeing that lots of people are finding the recipe runny, and I am wondering what type of coconut oil was used. I have found that Coconut oil for lower temps is less liquidy and the Coconut Oil for higher temps can be very liquidy when heated. Before I attempt to make these, I figured it was a question worth asking. What type of Coconut Oil should be used in the recipe for optimum results?

Reply
Reagan

December 19, 2014

Is there any way to make this without almond butter? I have a sister with nut allergies (she can have coconut) but I need an almond butter replacement…

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Liz

November 30, 2014

I agree with most of the comments re: too much coconut oil. I use about 2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil to make the mixture enough to stick together to form balls, and if it doesn’t, I end up dropping a tablespoon of mxture on to parchment paper, freeze it and then also drop a tablespoon of melted chocolate on top of the mixture to cover, then freeze it again to set.

The only flaw is when you want to give away to friends, you want to make sure they don’t melt before they get them home.!!!

Reply
Diana Wirt

May 11, 2014

I added some chopped almonds to the mix. My husband loves them, says they are his new all time favorite dessert!

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1. Lisa McGillicuddy
  
  January 26, 2015
  
  I made them today and added sea salt on top. Soooo delicious! Pure Ocean (coarse Atlantic), Black Cyprus, and Murray River (Australian). I follow the recipe exactly, chilling the mix in the fridge before shaping, dipping using chop sticks, and now with a pinch of salt on top. I wish I could post a picture.
  
  Reply
Carol

May 8, 2014

These are the best dessert ever. Guilt free in my book. They are my go to sweet of choice!! Love em!

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Jessica

April 30, 2014

I found your site this morning while googling treatment for my seborrheic dermatitis. I was reading your 101 uses list and saw this recipe and had to try it. A trip to the store later and I was back home whipping them up. And yes, they are easy AND delicious. I goofed up and bought organic peanut butter instead of almond butter, but they’re still good. I also added almonds and used almond extract instead of vanilla. I figured out what everyone was saying about it being too runny to form balls. It was more of a candy making process, where I put a small blob of filling on my parchment paper and formed it into a little haystack. One thing that really surprised when I was trying them, was that they’re really rich, but I didn’t get the little tickle (almost gag reflex) at the back of my throat like I do when I eat a sugary candy bar or sickeningly sweet piece of chocolate cake. I wonder if it’s ’cause I went with dark chocolate or if maybe the coconut oil was keeping my gerd from flaring up. Or maybe both, I don’t know. Either way, they’re delicious. Thank you very much for sharing the recipe!

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Linnea

April 18, 2014

I made them with sweetened coconut as that was all I could find. I had been given some 70% cacao Lindt dark chocolate for a gift; I don’t like it plain so used it to coat the clusters. Perfect use for “Too Dark” chocolate; the flavors set each other off very well, and made a foil to the sweet taste of the filling.

As others did, I put the mixture in the freezer to harden before rolling balls, and put the balls back in the freezer before dipping. That worked very well. Very easy and fast to make.

They were good, but too oily for my tastes. I feel like I’m biting into oil rather than coconut. I love the taste of coconut oil, but it’s just too much. We consume a lot in cooking, anyway, so don’t need to try to sneak any more into our diets. If I make them again I will add just enough oil til the coconut sticks together.

Reply
Julie

April 15, 2014

These were delicious! I only had sweetened coconut 🙁 BUT I made almond butter by grinding blanched almonds (put them in boiling wTer for two minutes, then rinse in cold, then pop the skins off), instead of using Jif peanut butter. I used to strongly dislike coconut, but it’s growing on me. Thanks for the recipe, I’m on Day 2 of the Wellness Challenge.

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Lynne

April 12, 2014

Oh my, these are fabulous! I entered the recipe into My Fitness Pal and came up with this nutritional data, based on my batch of 28 clusters, using unsweetened Baker’s chocolate (1 bar) and no added sugar or sweetener:

Per cluster,
Calories: 112
Fat (g): 11.2
Saturated fat (g): 7.3
Polyunsaturated fat (g): 0.9
Monounsaturated fat (g): 3.6
Trans fat (g): 0
Cholesterol (mg): 0
Sodium (mg): 17.9
Potassium (mg): 82.9
Carbs (g): 2.6
Fiber (g): 1.2
Sugars (g): 0.8
Protein (g): 3
Vitamin A (%): 0
Vitamin C (%): 0.2
Calcium (%): 2.9
Iron (%): 5.1

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