Not too long ago I got the idea to make a secret recipe. I can’t tell you what this recipe is just yet because it’s still in the works. By me keeping it a secret, the illusion of scarcity makes it really interesting and valuable in your mind, so just go with it.
When I got the idea of the secret recipe I thought Tiger Nuts would be the perfect ingredient. I had never used Tiger Nuts for anything before so I didn’t know their exact consistency.
Before I created the recipe I wanted to try these little guys, so I put out the intention. Sure enough, the other day while in my local Whole Foods, I found them! I purchased them and discovered they wouldn’t work for my secret recipe. However, I stil wanted to use them for something and this is what I came up with!
Really quick, before I teach you how to make this gut-healthy, skin-healthy chocolate recipe, let me inform you about the wonders of Tiger Nuts!
The Many Benefits of Tiger Nuts
First any foremost, what in the frick is a Tiger Nut? Well, it’s a little fibrous tuber vegetable. Though they are called nuts they are in fact, not a nut. I’m not sure if this is just because people are illiterate or just ignorant? Either way, Tiger Nut at least sounds cool; therefore, I approve.
Tiger nuts are part of the Cyperus family have been with us for millennia. They were cultivated by the ancient Egyptians and found in paintings in the tomb of Rekhmire. In the tomb was an inscription detailing how to make an ancient recipe consisting of small loaves of a mixture of tiger nuts and honey. YUM.
In Ayurvedic medicine, rotunda is used for many things, including:
- Treating psychosis
- Used as an emmenogogue, for wound healing
- Treatment for poor eyesight
- Eaten to regulate body weight,
- A digestive aid (they are loaded with fiber!)
- A prebiotic for gut health (they are the highest source of resistant starch)
- Used for skin disorders
- They were used for helping uterine contractions in child birth
- As an anti-inflammatory
- Immuno-stimulatory
- The treatment of atherosclerosis
- They contain minerals: chromium, sodium, phosphorous, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper and zinc
- They are high in vitamin E and C content. Making them great for the skin!
- They also contain all the amino acids and some of the B-complex vitamins.
- They are suitable for diabetics and can be eaten raw, roasted or dried.
Talk about an amazing food! With all these benefits, plus the idea of incorporating a totally new food into my diet, I just had to do something with these. My first thoughts where of course to combine them with my other two favorite foods; coffee and chocolate.
Prebiotic Coffee Chocolates
If you don’t know what a prebiotic is, let me explain really quick. A prebiotic is food for probiotics (the healthy bacteria in your body). Tiger Nuts are a great prebiotic and guess what else is? Coffee and Chocolate.
That’s right, these chocolates are incredible for your. Who would have thought? To keep their integrity as a true health food, I kept them sugar-free like all my recipes. They are of course sweetened with xylitol and stevia — two amazing sweeteners.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 chocolate mold
- 1 cup upgraded cacao
- 1 cup upgraded cacao butter
- 2 tbsp BrainOctane oil
- 1 tbsp vanillamax
- 1/2 cup of birch xylitol
- A handful of Tiger Nuts (You want about two dozen if you’re using smaller molds like I am.)
- A handful of Bulletproof Coffee beans (Again, about two dozen beans.)
- A bit of Stevia for more sweetness
Here’s how you make it:
- The first thing you are going to do is melt down your cacao butter in a double boiler. If you don’t have one, fashion your own using a pot and a glass bowl.
- When your cacao butter is melted, add in your cacao powder, BrainOctane, and vanilla, then whisk together until smooth.
- Next, take your xylitol and run it through a coffee grinder to powder it. Once powdered, add to your chocolate batter and mix thoroughly.
- Lastly for the chocolate mixture, taste it for sweetness. If needed, add just a few drops of stevia and mix.
- Now for the pouring action. Your best bet is to pour your chocolate mixture into a glass measuring cup so you have a pouring spout. This will make for easy, mess-free pouring into the molds.
- Before pouring, add 1 coffee bean and 1 Tiger Nut to each mold then cover with chocolate. For these bite-sized chocolates with a surprise center, it’s best to get molds with a bit more depth like in my photo.
- Once the molds are filled, place into the freezer for 20-30 minutes or until solid. The more solid the chocolate the easier they will pop out.
- When they are solid they are ready to eat! Pop them out, take a photo, tag me on Instagram and let me see THEN you can eat them 😉