These Lemony Coconut Bites are recipe #8 in our Healthy Holiday Treat Series. We’ve had everything from the rich chocolate-y goodness of Festive Peppermint Brownies and Chocolate Coconut No-Bakes to a sweet and tart Apple Cranberry Crumble and of course a gingerbread recipe – Gingerbread Loaf with a Pumpkin Spice Glaze.
Today’s recipe brings a new flavor into the mix: lemon! Something about the sweet lemon and coconut combination just works. And as a bonus – they only take 20 minutes (5 steps) to makes, start to finish, proving that delicious and healthy desserts don’t require extensive time or effort.
When buying coconut make sure to get unsweetened shredded coconut. Looking at the nutrition facts label, the only ingredient should be coconut. Watch out for the sweetened version – made that mistake before!
You’ll see the first ingredient is 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed combined with 3 tablespoons of water. After letting this sit for 5 minutes it will thicken to a consistency comparable to an egg. This is called a flax egg and can be used in place of an egg in recipes. The substitution is 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water for every 1 egg. Learn more about the benefits of flaxseed -> here.
Plant-Based Lemony Coconut Bites
Ingredients
- 1 T ground flaxseed, soaked with 3 T water for 5 minutes
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 20 pitted dates
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 2 T lemon juice approximately 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 T shredded coconut unsweetened
Coating
- 1-2 T shredded coconut unsweetened
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add all ingredients, except shredded coconut and coating ingredients, to food processor. Process until sticky, stopping to scrape down sides of processor as needed. Add shredded coconut (but no coating ingredients) and process until thoroughly combined and a ball forms.
- Mix coating ingredients in a small bowl.
- Take 1 T scoops of dough and roll each scoop in coating. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, pressing each scoop into a flat ball.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!
