Walnut-Mint Chocolate Honey Candy

These may be GAPS, but everyone loves them. What I mean is, don’t let the GAPS scare you. Sometimes I think the reaction to GAPS is that because it’s restrictive it must be lacking. Maybe sometimes, but not usually so. GAPS foods are delicious. And this honey candy is especially!

This is a variation of the Coconut-Honey Candy I shared last Easter. These are more Christmas-y with the mint.

I took this candy to a Christmas potluck. The days leading up to the potluck had been really busy and I woke up that morning thinking I needed to come up with a super easy dessert or I wouldn’t be taking anything at all. And literally 15 minutes later, this was in the fridge chilling.

Speaking of variations, here’s another dark chocolate cherry variation from Katy (Mama’s Candy, she calls it) that you definitely gotta try.

Walnut-Mint Chocolate Honey Candy

• 1/2 cup honey (scant)
• 1 cup coconut butter*
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (could omit for a non-cocoa candy)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (preferably soaked and dehydrated)
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional_

Heat honey in a saucepan over medium heat until it boils. While stirring constantly, boil for two minutes. Remove from heat. Add coconut butter, cocoa powder, and extracts. Stir. The heat from the honey will melt the coconut butter. Stir until smooth. Add chopped walnuts and coconut (if using). Stir well.

Press into a parchment paper lined 8″ square cake pan. You might see liquid pooling on top of the mixture. Leave it there or pour it off as you desire. (This liquid is water or oil from the coconut butter.)

Chill for 30 minutes. Pop out of pan. Peel off parchment paper. Cut into strips and then cut the strips into squares. Put in a refrigerator dish with lid. Store in refrigerator. They are especially yummy served cold, but hold up well at room temperature too (getting a little softer).

*Coconut butter is the pureed meat of the coconut. It is not coconut oil. It can be pricey. You could try substituting natural almond butter or peanut butter, though I think the candy will end up softer overall. If you try this, please come back and comment with your results! You can also make your own homemade coconut butter from shredded coconut, however I’d suggest adding coconut oil to make up for the shredded coconut having been defatted.

So… give them a try and let me know what you think! 

New to our GAPS series? Get up to speed by browsing past posts in this series or reading what the GAPS diet is.

By the way, the GAPS series series will be concluding soon. I and the other authors have a few more things to share and then we’ll be wrapping it up. If you’d like us to cover anything else special in the next month or so, speak up now. I still plan to share recipes and occasional GAPS info, but not dedicated each Wednesday. As I have since May??? Where does the time go???