Mini Coconut Chocolate Cubes

Our latest addiction is coconut butter. F. loves it stirred into her yoghurt or oatmeal. Or straight from the spoon. I make the butter myself, in a blender and it is fairly easy. I found a great tutorial here. When the butter comes out of the blender, it is rather liquid, but it will become solid at room temperature after a couple of hours.
You can use it like you would use other not butters: stir it into your oatmeal, your smoothie or use it as a sandwich spread. But you can also get very fancy with it, using it in truffles, candies and other confections. These very simple, ffour ingredient coconut cubes are a great last minute holiday present!

Mini Coconut Cubes

400 g (14.1 oz) dried, shredded coconut (divided)
50 g (1/2 cup sifted) powdered sugar
1 tablespoon amaretto or rum
100 g chocolate for coating

Put 200 g (7 oz) shredded coconut in your blender or food processor. Start processing the coconut and scrape down the sides from time to time. Process until the coconut turns into butter. This will take only a minute in a high speed blender, but can take up to 15 minutes in a small food processor. (See the tutorial linked to above.) As already mentioned, mine came out rather liquid. The consistency was more like a sauce.

Transfer the butter to a bowl and add the remaining shredded coconut and the sugar. Stir well. Now add the alcohol. This will change the consistency immediately. It should get firmer as you stir in the alcohol. Now you will be able to shape the mixture into cubes or balls.

I recommend not to skip this ingredient. But:

You could try using water instead. (I haven’t tried this though.) I do not recommend to use non-dairy milk.

Or you do ommit the alcohol and don’t substitute it. Place the prepared coconut mixture in the fridge and wait until the mixture has reached the desired consistency.

Shape into cubes or balls. Melt chocolate and temper it. Cover half of the cubes with chocolate and let cool completely.

This is going to be my last post for this year. I hope you all have wonderful holidays and a happy new year! See you in 2013.