Whenever we make fat bombs at home, Pat starts singing “Fat bomb, fat bomb, you’re my fat bomb!” to the tune of Tom Jones’ Sex Bomb; we’re classy and cultured like that.
The Caveman Keto version
For those not in the low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) know, fat bombs are a sweet and delicious way of increasing your fat intake to help you in your journey to becoming a fat-burner. Yes, rather than what seems like major indulgence, these sublime, silky and delicious chocolatey treats serve a purpose: to help you eat more fat. Plain and simple. I’ve also nicknamed these ‘Adult Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups,’ because an adult would appreciate the time and effort that goes into making these.
I first read about Fat Bombs from Maria Emmerich, when I was trying the whole Keto thing. I then searched the internet for recipes to make these chocolates at home, using the less complicated ingredients ketogenic eating can sometimes use. I found Caveman Keto’s Fat Bomb recipe, which Pat and I loved and made religiously. It became part of our weekly meal-prep, so much so that Pat took over that responsibility and is now the fat bomb maker in our house.
I used the term LCHF above because fat bombs seem to be more of a keto staple rather than paleo or primal – I realise that some reading this post don’t know the differences between keto, paleo and primal and I plan on writing about that next week, hopefully? (Please let me know in the comments section whether this is something you’re aching to find out). LCHF covers the entire realm of eating for people who avoid sugar, grains, legumes and polyunsaturated fats.
What also makes fat bombs a more keto/LCHF staple is one of its ingredients: stevia glycerite. This is an intensely sweet liquid form of stevia, a no-calorie natural sweetener from the stevia leaf, that is combined with vegetable glycerine. Because it’s a very intense sweet, you don’t need much of it at all. Recipes that call for stevia glycerite measure this sweetener in drops rather than using measuring spoons, it’s that concentrated. Paleo-perfect people may not support the use of stevia glycerite because it’s not natural, (eyes rolling), but for the informed, it, and sugar alcohols like erythritol and xylitol, are far better sweeteners to use because a) they are natural; and b)they all elicit little effect on blood glucose levels, in contrast to paleo-friendly honey and maple syrup. These types of sweeteners are endorsed by many primal, LCHF experts, like Mark Sisson, Maria Emmerich, and Authority Nutrition. I myself use xylitol everyday, and stevia glycerite in our fat bombs. For more information on stevia glycerite, click here. You can try to find it on your local health food store, but when I tried, the guy behind the counter just gave me a weird look. I turned to Amazon for my stevia glycerite. Yes, it is expensive for such a small quantity, but bear in mind you use it in drops; a 2 fl oz bottle (or 4 tbsp) lasted us 5 months, and that was with making fat bombs every six days.
The best part about these fat bombs is that, in comparison to the Caveman Keto recipe, these are dairy-free (his call for cream cheese). I’ve long known that dairy causes my eczema, so I’m taking steps to cut it out and try raw dairy sources, or just not eating dairy. Making fat bombs dairy-free was actually a very easy step, as Pat always plays around with the recipe, sometimes creating something delicious, other times, not so much.
A note about coconut cream: I make mine using Pride coconut milk, which has a very high fat content. I blitz it so that the fat solids and coconut water mix together, then leave it in the fridge over night to set into a whipped cream consistency. I know not all coconut milk’s do this. You can also use just the fat solids from the top of the tin for this recipe instead.
This recipe was insipired by the above mentioned Caveman Keto fat bombs.
Dairy-Free Fat Bombs
*makes 12 fat bombs, the size of Reese’s peanut butter cups
Prep time: 5 minutes
Freezer time: 20 minutes altogether
4 oz (100g) coconut oil
2 oz (50g) coconut cream
4 oz (100g) 85% (or more) dark chocolate bar
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cocoa powder
8-16 drops stevia glycerite*
Natural nut or seed butter
12 silicon cupcake cups
*If you’re still not convinced about stevia glycerite, you can substitute 1-2 tsp honey or maple syrup.
1. Combine all ingredients except the nut butter in a small saucepan. Melt over low heat on an element on your stove (hob). Do not try to take a short cut and microwave it. You can also use a double-boiler / bain-marie to melt everything together.
2. Place your silicon cupcake cups on a freezer tray. Stir all ingredients until combined and silky.
3. Using a dessert spoon, add a level spoon to each cupcake cup. Place in the freezer to let the chocolate harden; no more than 10 minutes. Periodically stir the remaining chocolate mixture while you wait.
*You don’t have to do this step, it just ensures that you have a solid base to your fat bomb and that the nut butter doesn’t sink to the bottom.
4. Remove from freezer. Using a tea spoon (like the little spoon you use to stir your tea or coffee), place a dollop of your chosen natural nut butter in the centre of each cup. Then, using the dessert spoon again, place a level spoonful of chocolate over each dollop. Place in the freezer to harden. This should take no more than 15 minutes.
5. Remove from the silicon cups and store in a plastic container, in the fridge. Due to the high fat content, these will melt quickly at room temperature, so be careful!
Now, this recipe is just a base for some pretty fantastic fat bombs. A few ideas to make your bombs out of this world:
- Try sprinkling sea salt, cayenne pepper, chilli powder OR chia seeds on top of each fat bomb before returning to the fridge to harden. You could also try cacao nibs too.
- Top with crushed roasted nuts or seeds.
- Instead of a nut or seed butter in the middle, try oven-roasted nuts.
- Substitute vanilla for almond or orange essence.
- Sprinkle orange zest on top.
- Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan then spoon into cups rather than the layering process.
- You can substitute ghee for coconut oil, although it will give a noticeable change in taste.
Do you make fat bombs?
Are you interested in learning the differences between paleo, primal, keto and LCHF?
What’s your favourite chocolate treat?
p.s. The snowflakes are a wordpress thing, happy December!
