Almond Cocoa No Bakes

With our upcoming 10-Day REAL Food Challenge starting in a week or so, I have had my thinking cap on for ways to make a few sweet treats without using sugar. We have agreed to only use honey and 100% maple syrup as our sweeteners. We aren't a sugar consuming family but when it comes to baking, I typically use either cane sugar, turbinado sugar or brown sugar in most of my recipes. And I hadn't really thought about chocolate either, but every kind has sugar but bittersweet and cocoa powder. Oh dear! Have I ever admitted my obsession with chocolate? Yes, it's pretty bad. It can be baked in cookies, served up in a sauce, broken up in pieces, whatever way as long as it's dark and smooth. Ah! But no worries, I have found a yummy fix. And this treat actually is more on the healthy side!

Almond Cocoa No Bakes

1 stick of unsalted butter
1 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup almond butter
1 tsp almond extract
2 cups old fashion rolled oats
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used almonds and pecans)

In a small saucepan melt butter and bittersweet chocolate. When mixture is shiny remove from heat and stir in cocoa powder, honey extract and almond butter. Add the oats and chopped nuts. When mixture is cool enough to touch, scoop a tablespoon of mixture and roll into a ball and place on parchment paper. Place in refrigerator to harden. Keep in sealed container for up to 3 days -- (Ha! They were gone long before that in our house.)