Energetic Peanut Butter & Jelly LÄRApops
Although I quit eating refined sugar many months ago, I still enjoy a host of naturally sweetened snacks that I can feel good about. "Natural sweets" helped me overcome a lifelong addiction.
What are my daily sweet treats? My go-to combination is dates with nut butter and sugar-free chocolate - it’s like my homemade candy bar. Sometimes, I like to spice it up and make my special edition "cake" pops with LÄRABAR, called LÄRApops.
One great thing about these is that I can make a large batch, and keep them in the fridge for when I crave something sweet. Even better, the addition of maca powder, which has a similar energizing effect as ginseng, turns these tasty LÄRApops into the perfect pick me up between meals.
Makes 6 LÄRApops
Prep time: 15 minutes | Start to finish: 20 minutes
Ingredients
2 Peanut Butter and Jelly LÄRABAR
4 squares dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao)
1 teaspoon raw honey (optional)
½ teaspoon maca powder
2 bamboo skewers, cut in 3 equal pieces
1 apple, cut in half
Instructions
1. Cut each LÄRABAR in 3 equal pieces, and shape each piece into a ball.
2. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small pan. Turn the heat off, and place the chocolate in a bowl on top of the pan, stirring with a spoon until it melts completely.
3. If you're using unsweetened chocolate like I do (100% cacao), you can add 1 teaspoon honey together with the maca to make it less bitter. Stir well until you have a smooth paste.
4. Put the 2 apple halves on a plate, with the flat part facing down.
5. Cover a LÄRABAR ball with the chocolate paste (you can do this with your fingers). Stick it on one of the skewers like a lollipop, and then stick that in the apple, so it stands.
6. Transfer to the freezer.
7. Repeat with the rest of the lollipops, sticking them in the two apple halves in the freezer as you make them. When you do this, be careful that the chocolate doesn’t touch, or they will stick to each other.
8. When you have finished with the last LÄRApop, keep them in the freezer for 5 more minutes. After this you can transfer them to the fridge if you want them to be soft, or keep them frozen if you want them to be hard.
Morena Escardo is a Holistic Health Coach, and the author of Detox Juicing: 3-Day, 7-Day, and 14-Day Cleanses for your Health and Wellbeing, and The Everything Peruvian Cookbook. She writes the health and wellness blog www.holistichica.com, and co-created the Peruvian food blog www.perudelights.com along with her mother. She lives in New York City.
