Festive Chocolate Lucuma Bark
WRITTEN BY STEPHANIE ROME | FEATURED ON:
It’s no secret that sugar is not great for our health. It increases inflammation, causes weight gain, accelerates skin aging and raises our chronic disease risk, just to name a few. So, what’s a health-conscious person with a sweet tooth meant to do? Live a sugar-celibate life? That wouldn’t be very fun. Instead, you can use natural sweeteners with health benefits!
There is one in particular that gets my stamp of approval. Let me introduce you to lucuma…
Lucuma is a South American fruit similar to an avocado but with a soft orange flesh that can be dehydrated and ground into powder. Lucuma’s maple syrup-like taste delivers a subtle sweetness to whatever it’s included in. This sweet and delicious fruit comes along with nutritional benefits and healing properties. Specifically, it is rich in beta-carotene, B vitamins, vitamin C, iron, calcium and other trace minerals. Low on the glycemic index, lucuma contains complex carbohydrates and fiber so it is digested and absorbed slowly which mitigates a spike in blood sugar. For these reasons, I recommend nutrient-dense lucuma for adding sweetness to food over other “empty calorie” sweeteners.
Known as the "Gold of the Incas," lucuma is used throughout South America as a topping for ice cream and a sweetener for desserts. Below are some ways you can use lucuma powder:
Add a few tablespoons to pancake batter
Blend into your morning smoothie
Make your own lucuma-flavored vegan ice cream
Use it as the sweetener in your matcha latte
Incorporate into baked goods, like in these sweet potato lucuma brownies
Make a festive low-sugar holiday bark – get the recipe below!
Photo by Ana-Maria Stanciu for Hello Glow
Festive Chocolate Lucuma Bark
Serves: 6
Ingredients
½ cup virgin organic coconut oil
½ cup raw cacao powder
2 Tbsp lucuma powder
1 tbsp tahini paste
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of Celtic sea salt
Toppings
2 Tbsp pistachios, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp goji berries
2 Tbsp coconut flakes
Pinch of Celtic salt (optional)
Method
Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Melt the coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the cacao powder and lucuma powder. Whisk constantly to stop any lumps forming. Add tahini and maple syrup, continuing to whisk. Stir in the cinnamon and salt, then remove from the heat.
Set the pan aside for about 5 minutes so the mixture cools slightly and begins to set.
Pour the mixture evenly onto the baking paper – you want the bark to be about 5–8 mm thick.
Scatter the toppings over the chocolate mixture and finish with a sprinkle of extra salt if you wish.
Put it in the freezer for 30–40 minutes or until set firm. You can then break it into irregular shards. For the best texture, enjoy it straight from the freezer.