Servings: 10 large bars

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

Base:

• 4 cups organic, grated, dried and unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 to 1 whole cup melted organic virgin coconut oil depending on preference
• 10 to 20 drops of clear stevia liquid depending on taste
• Whole almonds–about 10 (optional)

• 1 bar of the 72% Cacao Environmental Species Dark Chocolate (picture below) or similar brand.
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil

Directions

• Add the base ingredients to a food processor and blend 1-2 minutes until smooth. Taste for sweetness and adjust stevia drops to your taste. It’s necessary for the coconut oil be soft or ideally melted so the mixture blends.
• In an 8×8 or similar sized pan (pie pan would work fine) pour the mixture in and spread around evenly. Spread almonds in coconut mixture and then press the almonds into the coconut with your fingers.
• Place pan in the freezer to speed the solidifying process.
• Meanwhile, melt the coconut oil in a non-stick pan and then add your chocolate into the pan and melt it over low heat.  Make certain not to get water into the chocolate while you are melting it or else it will ruin it.
• Pour the chocolate on the top of the frozen coconut and spread evenly. Then put the tray in the freezer for 10 minutes.  Once done, cut into pieces and EAT!

Note:  If you like it with more of the coconut fibers in it then use only 1/2 cup of the coconut oil.  If you like it thicker (like me) then use 3/4 to a full cup of coconut oil when making the base.

Additional Information

Ok, so it’s fat burning so that means the more I eat the more weight I will lose right?  Um, not exactly 🙂

The way it works is coconut contains a type of fat called MCT (medium chain triglycerides).  This is a type of fat that once eaten cannot be easily stored in the body.  As a result, you body must naturally increase it’s metabolism to burn so it can burn this type of fat.  A faster metabolism could be a good thing especially in the realm of fat burning.  However, if you just eat the same amount of calories from the same types of foods and then add coconut oil you are most likely going to gain weight.  The idea is to replace some of your daily fat and/or other calories with coconut oil as this will have a positive effect on your metabolism.   Different studies support this and can be viewed in an informative article here.

Combining a low sugar dark chocolate (at least 60% cacao) with the above coconut oil and now you may have the beginnings of a little fat burning machine.  Why?  Dark chocolate has been show to reduce insulin (the most powerful fat storing hormone your body makes), reduce cortisol (that evil belly fat hormone) and helps to reduce food cravings.  I’ve listed the below studies, as well as, provided a link to a website that talks more about studies done on dark chocolate and weight loss.  You can see these later if you’d like by simply scrolling down.

Now if you are one of those people that deal with stubborn weight loss then you have to look at your metabolism.  Your metabolism is controlled by your hormones and hormonal imbalances mess terribly with your metabolism.  Click here to learn more about  hormonal imbalances, fat burning and a unique weight lose exam procedure.

Research published in 2012 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and based on a meta-analysis of 42 studies of chocolate and cocoa, supported the connection between dark chocolate consumption and significant reductions in serum insulin which caused resistance to insulin to decrease. They also found chocolate associated with consistent reductions in blood pressure.
A study from Denmark reviewed in a 2008 edition of Science Daily found that dark chocolate, compared to milk chocolate, was more filling and also lessened cravings for unhealthy foods.

In a 2009 study published in the Journal of Proteome Research, 30 subjects who suffered from anxiety consumed 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate daily for two weeks. Urinalysis showed a resulting reduction in the excretion of cortisol prompting the scientists to conclude chocolate can alter human metabolism

Learn more about dark chocolate and fat burning.

Grateful acknowledge is given to Dr. Eric Berg for the initial posting of the wonderful recipe..