Halloween is a big event on our street.  All the neighbors meet for a pot-luck block party before the trick-or-treating begins.  This year I’m responsible for a salad or main dish.  I can’t decide what to make.  Any suggestions?

I also have to buy loads of Halloween treats.  Sometimes I get glow-in-the-dark necklaces or small toys.  If I do buy candy, I make sure it’s something I would never eat.  I can’t be trusted around a giant bowl of chocolate.

When my brother and I trick-or-treated, we had to let our parents ‘inspect’ our candy before we were allowed to eat any.  This was actually their opportunity to confiscate any candy they liked, and for my mom that only meant one kind:  Mounds.   Dark chocolate-covered coconut.

Now I can’t blame her.  Since I had some homemade shredded coconut, and a sweet tooth, I made dark chocolate coconut nuggets.

This is a good way to get your candy fix with real ingredients and less sugar.  So pass out some gummy eyeballs to those kids and make a batch of these for the grown-ups.

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 Dark Chocolate Coconut Nuggets

Makes 1 dozen.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 3/4 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons coconut butter*
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil*
• 1-2 tablespoons honey or agave (to taste)
• 1-2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• small pinch of fine sea salt

Directions:

Combine the shredded coconut, coconut butter, vanilla, and a little pinch of fine sea salt.  Sweeten with 1 tablespoon of agave or honey and taste.  If it’s sweet enough for you, add two tablespoons of water.  If you’d like it sweeter, add another tablespoon of sweetener and only one tablespoon of water.  Allow the mixture to sit for about 10 minutes.

Line a baking sheet with wax paper.  Scoop heaping tablespoons of the coconut mixture, pressing to compact them slightly, and drop onto the wax paper.  Place in the freezer.

Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave or over a double boiler.  (Chocolate burns over direct heat).  You can improvise a double boiler putting a little water in a saucepan.  Find a heat-proof bowl that fits snugly over the top of the saucepan.  Turn the heat to medium-low.  Stir the chocolate chips and oil in the bowl until they’re completely melted.

Remove the coconut nuggets from the freezer.  Use a spatula to release each one from the wax paper.  Using two forks, dip each coconut nugget in the chocolate, turning to coat completely.  Replace them on the wax paper.  Sprinkle the tops with a little extra grated coconut if you like.

Put the baking sheet in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.  Once the nuggets are firm, use a spatula to transfer them to an air-tight container and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

*Coconut butter and coconut oil are often mistaken for one another.  Coconut oil is the oil rendered from coconut meat.  Coconut butter is coconut meat that has been pureed until it becomes smooth and buttery, but it still has fiber and is only about 60 percent oil.