Reading Time: 3 minutesWe all like simple, yet nutritious foods and this recipe for roasted blueberry bites is top on my list — plus, it’s a dessert!
I am always looking for healthier desserts and I also love it when a recipe doesn’t taste too sweet. These blueberry bites have a nice amount of sweetness coupled with the tang of citrus in each bite.
Often it seems, desserts are vilified — and rightly so if they contain sugar and some other ingredients that are not good for us. In contrast, this healthier dessert contains fresh blueberries and citrus juice and a small amount of monk fruit sweetener. It also includes one of my new favorites — coconut butter — and a couple of other quality ingredients.
Blueberries are a good source of vitamins K and C, as well as manganese and plant compounds such as anthocyanin. I have read that coconut contains vitamin C, calcium, and iron. Coconut also contains potassium, folates, riboflavin, thiamin, copper, and magnesium. And, of course, all the goodness of the coconut oil and citrus, too!
Perhaps this is a recipe that you might add to your short list of beneficial desserts?
Roasted Blueberry Bites
I am always looking for healthier desserts and I also love it when a recipe doesn’t taste too sweet. These blueberry bites have a nice amount of sweetness coupled with the tang of citrus in each bite.
Ingredients
- 6 oz fresh blueberries
- 1/2 cup coconut butter you can buy or make the recipe below
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/8 cup monk fruit adjust according to sweetness of blueberries
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Put blueberries on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
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Bake about 15 minutes or until blueberries pop open.
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Put all ingredients in food processor or small blender and process until smooth.
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Line a 6.5x9” dish with parchment paper by cutting parchment in two pieces. Lay one piece in each direction of the pan. (The idea is that after the ingredients are refrigerated, you can lift the entire piece onto a cutting board and cut into bite-size pieces.)
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Spread the blueberry mixture over the parchment paper.
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Refrigerate for one hour or until mix has hardened.
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Lift from the container by holding the ends of the parchment paper and lowering onto a cutting board. Cut into 12 squares.
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Store covered in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
If you want to be fancier, try refrigerating until set but still soft. Use a 1” disher (small ice cream scoop) to shape into small balls that are flat on the bottom. Arrange on a serving dish and top with a small amount of whipped coconut cream. Top with small piece of reserved blueberries.
Homemade Coconut Butter
There's no need to buy expensive coconut butter at the store when it's so very simple to make yourself.
Ingredients
- 2 cups organic dried coconut flakes no additives or sweeteners
- 2-3 Tbsp coconut oil melted (optional)
Instructions
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Pulse the coconut flakes in the blender or food processor. At first, it will be powdered, and then it will start to stick to itself and become smooth like almond butter.
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Optional: When the mixture starts to get thick, add 2-3 Tbsp of melted coconut oil and keep blending until smooth.
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Coconut butter does not need refrigeration. It may dry out over time, but you can try blending it again to fix that.
While never slowing in her passion to create by making real food, healthy personal care, and cleaning products, she also experienced being the food editor for a print and online publication called WNC Woman based in western North Carolina.
Currently, Sandy is a Food Writer at 50PlusLivingWNC.com. She runs a Facebook page called Sandy’s Food for Thought. You can also contact her with recipe requests or if you also love to talk food: SandysFoodForThought@gmail.com
