Raw Chocolate Macadamia Nut Mounds

Almond joy and Mounds were almost the definition of my perfect candy as a kid. Chocolate, coconut, and nuts all combined together into a harmonious symphony of sweet bliss upon my tongue. As many know, those three are some of my absolute favorite foods and with the fact that they combine together, things just get better from there.

Well when I lived in Hawaii, almost every store had chocolate-covered macadamia nuts and of course some of them were coated or filled with coconut. I don't need either one of those! Who would even want a commercial peice of crap when you can create something that tastes a hundred times better?!

Raw Chocolate - Macadamia Mounds

Macadamia Dough Ingredients:

1 c. Macadamia Nuts

1/4 c. Almond Butter

1 c. Shredded Coconut

1/4 c. Honey/Agave

1 tbsp. Sea Salt (Himilayan Pink preferably)

-Combine all of your ingredients into a bowl and use a fork or your hands to combine everything.

-Put in the fridge while you prepare the chocolate.

Chocolate Ingredients:

1 c. Cacao Powder

1 c. Cacao/Coconut Oil(softened)

1/2 c. Honey/Agave

3/4 c. Shredded Coconut

-Mix the cacao powder, oil, and honey or agave together in a small bowl.

-Take your macadamia dough and dip them each into the chocolate, coating them.

-Put them back into the freezer for a few minutes, or just until the chocolate hardens.

-Take them out and dip them into the chocolate. Then, dip them into the coconut. Continue this step until all of your coconut and chocolate are used up.

-Freeze for about 5 minutes or until the chocolate hardens.

-Enjoy

I am actually really proud of myself for these. I even took them to school, and the people I see usually eating vending machine crap claimed it as the best candy they've ever had! They tasted rich, chocolatey, and absolutley delicious! I like using macadamia nuts over most others due to the fact that they taste really really good!

They are also one of the most beautifying nuts on the planet. They contain a large quantity of oleic acid in their fats cells which is the absolute best fat for skin. Cacao and coconut also contain these acids in their fat, making this sweet and delicious food incredibly rich in beautifying oils. Just look at any cosmetic products, and you will most likely see cacao or coco (coconut) oil in them for that exact reason.

If you havnt heard through my Twitter account yet, i will be working on a HUGE project for Halloween as a big finally for Vegan Mofo. This is the biggest project i've ever done, and may just be the biggest raw dessert i've ever seen!

Whats your favorite old school candy? Do you have a vegan or raw version of it?

-Andrew D. Morrison-

Coconut - Macadamia Nut Cake

With a military dad, I grew up with the rare experience of living in Hawaii for a large chunk of my childhood. Many people dream of the chance to move to a tropical island where it is sunny all year long, but i actually tend to be more of a cold weather person. However, one thing I do miss is the wonderful variety of tropical foods that the islands had to offer.

Macadamia nuts and coconut were stocked at even the local gas satations, and came in so many forms that the possibilities are endless. My favorite though, was in cake form that was so rich and creamy, yet crunchy at the same time. Almost like a cheescake you could say. Being a raw foodist, I still love the taste of macadamia and coconut to a full extent and decided to recreate this amazing treat I enjoyed when I enjoyed when I was younger. My results were a lot more stunning than I expected...

(Note: Especially make sure the nuts are raw. I have bought roasted ones so many times on accident, so making sure you have a good source helps. (i buy all mine organic and raw from nutsonline.com )

Raw Macadamia-Coconut Cake

(w/ a pecan crust)

Serves 2

Crust Ingredients:

4 Medjool Dates

1 c. Pecans (raw)

2 tbsp. Coconut oil (raw, cold-pressed)

1 tsp. Himilayan Pink Sea Salt

Method:

-Set your dates in a jar or glass of water for about 5 minutes, or until soft.

-Blend your pecans in a food processor until it forms a fine flour.

-Add the remaining cake ingredients and continue to process until you get a dough-like consistancy.

-Mold your dough into the bottom of a round pan and set it in the freezer while you make the cake.

Cake ingredients:

1 c. Macadamia Nuts

1/2 c. Cashews

1 c.Coconut Flakes

1/4 c. Raw Honey

3tbsp. Coconut Oil

1/4 c. Water

Method:

-Put your nuts into your food processor and pulse them until they are ground up finely into a chunky flour-like consistency.

-Add in the coconut oil, honey, and water and blend until it becomes a smooth, creamy consistency. More water may be added if you need it.

-Add in the coconut and pulse a few times until its mixed in well.

-Pour your cake mix onto the crust and set it in the freezer for about 30 min, or until nice and chilled.

-Enjoy!!

This cake turned out excellently, and tasted best to me straight out of the freezer. It kind of reminded me of a coconut ice cream cake that way, and the crust makes it almost cheesecake like. This was one of the few things i've made that my mom really really liked, so i'm kind of proud of this one.

Thawed a bit, its almost tasted like my old favorite from when i was younger. If i ever do go back to Hawaii, sampling some of the wonderful organic food as the raw foodist I am to this day would be at the top of my list!

What kind of cake would you have, and eat it too?

-Andrew D. Morrison-

Raw Macadamia-Hemp Cake (with chocolate-fig icing)

Making a raw cake actually taste somewhat good was a bit of a challenge, as most of the ones i've found and tried all pretty much tasted the same. They tasted like walnuts, dates, and chocolate. I mean, theres nothing wrong with that, but its too simple for me. No matter what the recipe was, it tasted like that and it just gets old after a while.

That needs to change around here.

Using the subtly sweet and crunchy macadamia nut and the soft texture of hemp seeds, I created a raw cake that is a bit different from the rest. Ladies and gentleman I give you:

Raw Macadamia-Hemp Cake

(w/ Chocolate-Fig Icing)

Serves 2

Cake Ingredients:

1 c. Macadamia Nuts(raw)

1/4 c. Hemp Seeds (raw, shelled)

2 dried Figs

1/8 c. Raw Honey

2 tbsp. Coconut Oil (raw)

1/4 tsp. Himalayan Pink Sea Salt

Method:

-Set your figs in a jar or glass of water for about 5 minutes, or until soft.

-Blend your macadamia nuts and hemp seeds in a food processor until coarse.

-Add the remaining cake ingredients and continue to process until you get a dough-like consistancy.

-Mold your dough into the shape of a cake, and set aside as you make the icing.

Icing ingredients:

3 dried Figs

3 tbsp. Coconut oil (raw)'

1/8 c. raw Honey

1/4 c. raw Cacao Powder

Method:

-set your figs in a jar or glass of water to soak for about 5 minutes, or until soft.

-Put all of your ingredients into a food processor and blend until you get a thick, paste like consistency.

-Add your icing to the cake any way you'd like and enjoy!

This actually turned out exactly as I had hoped. Rich, sweet, crunchy, and delicious. The fig frosting didnt look as beautiful as I wanted due to the figs, but they added a bit of fudginess that made it taste so much better. Definatley better than a walnut cake.

Whats in it?

Hemp seeds are one of the most mineral-rich foods on the planet. In light of not boring you with millions of words, iron, sulfur, and calcium are just a few well-known ones. They also contain the highest protein source on the planet per weight (33.6% of the seed), with the exception of algae. Not only that, but the protein form itself is globular which doesnt cause protein digestion problems. Hemp seeds also are the only seed known to contain the perfect ratio of essential fatty acids (one part omega-3 to three pares Omega-6).

Macadamia nuts have been well established as an unusually rich source of healthy, beautifying oils. They are the highest source of monounsaturated fats (80%), even more so than olive oil. They also the richest source of the beautifying oleic acid(omega-9).

Figs are one of the only dried fruits I ever buy. They are one of the most mineral and alkaline of all fruits and act as both for congestion and digestion.

Both nutrient-dense and better tasting? I would take this over a walnut-based cake anyday.

Whats your favorite nut?

-Andrew David Morrison-