coconut

For me, springtime officially marks the season when my love for green tea reawakens to full force. There’s something about the sprouting of fresh vegetation that makes me crave a clean and grassy cup, nature’s purest offering.
I think of gelatin based desserts the same way I think about green tea. They’re light, refreshing, and best of all…simple to put together. Coconut Milk Pudding is a favorite in my family. You’re most likely to spot it as it goes rolling by on windowed dim sum carts where it looks like an unassuming wobbly square of white jello, cut into huge cubes.I love to enjoy Coconut Milk Pudding with Chinese green teas like Tai Ping Hou Kui Tea, an impressive, large leaf green tea (sometimes 4-5″ in length!) that’s mildly sweet and smooth. Tai Ping Hou Kui is low in caffeine and some liken its taste to sugarcane. Another complementary pairing to this pudding is hand-rolled Jasmine Pearl Tea. This tea gets its intoxicating scent from blending with jasmine flowers overnight. Its intensely aromatic quality highlights the tropical flavors in this light, creamy dessert.

Coconut Milk Pudding

Makes 4 small bowls of pudding.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp powdered gelatin

1 cup water or coconut water

1 can coconut milk

1 cup half & half

2/3 cup sugar

non-stick spray (if planning to unmold the pudding later)

Equipment:

medium pot

small bowl

cups, molds, or containers

Directions:

1.) In a small bowl, bloom the gelatin with the water.

2.) In a medium pot over low heat, stir together the coconut milk, half & half, and sugar until the mixture comes just under a boil and the sugar dissolves completely. Turn off the heat, then add in the bloomed gelatin, mixing to make sure the gelatin dissolves completely.

3.) Spoon the coconut mixture into cups, molds, or containers. Chill the pudding in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving. If you plan on unmolding the puddings later, grease the cups, molds, or containers with non-stick spray before spooning the hot coconut mixture in. After chilling, immerse the bottom of the cups, molds, or containers under warm water before unmolding.

Midnight and matcha in the same thought? Doesn’t seem quite right does it? Matcha is hands down the best drink to have in the morning, but as much as I love it I’d definitely tell you to think twice before partaking late in the PM.

Luckily, we aren’t talking about the time of day here, we are talking about an ingredient–one of my favorites–black cocoa. This ultra dark cocoa powder, also known as midnight black cocoa, is known for its incredibly intense color and flavor. It can sometimes be hard to find, but if you know where to look it’s definitely worth the extra effort.

Aside from being rich and sinfully chocolatey in flavor, it’s also earthier than regular cocoa powder is. The unusual charcoal-like color comes from the dutching process, which greatly reduces the cocoa powder’s acidity. Every time I taste black cocoa I’m reminded of Oreos, Devil’s food cake, and whoopie pies…and in my book, this can only be a good thing.

There are few teas that can stand up to a strong, dark flavor like black cocoa and matcha is one of them. The two ingredients actually have similar taste profiles. If you love the bittersweet taste of matcha, then you’ll love the taste of black cocoa powder too. When they are of good quality, both are pleasantly mellow yet intense.

Instead of dusting the bites in pure matcha, I coat them in matcha-laced unsweetened coconut, which helps to balance just the right amount of tea in each bite. The sweet factor comes from super ripe bananas and a touch of honey, which give mild sweetness and bind the dry ingredients into a brownie-like texture.

Enjoy these as an on-the-go breakfast, a mid-day pick me up, or whenever you need a sustained energy boost. If there were ever such a thing, I like to think of these as healthy chocolate truffles. Midnight Matcha Bites are a hearty way to indulge your darkest and most serious chocolate cravings!

Midnight Matcha Bites

Makes 35 balls.

Ingredients:

{Chocolate Energy Balls}

2 bananas, very ripe & mashed

1 cup almond meal

1 cup ground whole oats, ground to a powder in a food processor

3/4 cup whole oats, left whole

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

1/3 cup dried coconut, unsweetened

1/2 cup cocoa powder (I used midnight black cocoa)

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup almond butter

1/4 cup honey

2 tsp vanilla

{Coconut Matcha Coating}

1/2 cup dried coconut, unsweetened

1 Tbsp matcha powder

Equipment:

food processor

large mixing bowl

large mixing spoon

cookie scoop with 1 3/4″ diameter (2 Tbsp)

Directions:

1.) Place the dry Chocolate Energy Ball ingredients in the mixing bowl, then lightly toss together. Add the wet ingredients, then mix everything together thoroughly with the spoon.

2.) In a small bowl, mix the Coconut Matcha Coating ingredients together. Use your fingers to evenly distribute the matcha with the dried coconut. Set aside.

3.) Use the cookie scoop to scoop out a 2 Tbsp portion of the Chocolate Energy Ball mixture, then roll it into a smooth ball. Repeat this process to form 30 energy balls/bites. Roll and evenly coat the chocolate balls in the matcha coconut. Store the bites in a sealed box or bag in the fridge.