The best I tell you, the best! When it comes to chocolate Quinoa cups, I think of the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Crunch Bars I used to devour as a child, pre-Celiac. But now that I make the homemade gluten-free version, I don’t ever think I’ll go back to a store bought. The homemade versions of chocolate candies are so decadent. They use real food minimal ingredients that are easy to find at the market and the ingredients are clean and unprocessed which is most important – Plus they are fun to make.
I first introduced my Quinoa cups at my birthday brunch last year. I hadn’t planned on blogging the recipe, It was just something fun I concocted in the kitchen. The idea behind them was to create a gluten-free wannabe Crunch Bar like the kind I used to eat pre-Celiac. Really just the crunchy effect dipped in chocolate is what I was going for, and to my surprise (because I wasn’t sure how raw quinoa was going to fare in a chocolate cup) my friends LOVED them. Since then I have used different types of high quality dark chocolate including Belgium chocolate, chocolate sweetened with coconut sugar, and chocolate sweetened with stevia. And I’m talking the real dark kind of chocolate that is 72 percent or higher. I even once used 82 percent.
All totally delicious. All huge hits.
And nutritious because Quinoa has mad benefits, and since we are all always looking for benefits and what’s in it for us, these quinoa cups are where it’s at!
Quinoa in case you didn’t know is an ancient seed (but considered a grain) that is naturally gluten-free, and an extremely high energy grain that contains all eight amino acids to make up a complete protein. Boom! Do you know any other grain like that? Nope, you definitely don’t! The other grains don’t stand a chance!
It’s such a powerful grain that it has the protein content equal to milk. It’s high in B vitamins, iron, zinc, potassium, calcium, and Vitamin E. It’s easy to digest (score!), strengthens the kidneys, heart and lungs (double score) and is an ideal food for endurance, meaning it keeps you full longer.
Now this doesn’t mean eat all of the chocolate covered quinoa cups in one sitting!
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
4 quality dark gluten-free and dairy-free chocolate bars
1 cup white quinoa (raw and un-rinsed)
Melted Coconut oil, if needed
DIRECTIONS:
In a double boiler on low or microwave at 1 minute intervals with stirring melt 2 bars of chocolate with melted coconut oil if needed. If you use melted coconut oil, go teaspoon by teaspoon as a little goes a long way. I played around with 2-3 teaspoons.
Line a cupcake pan with foil cupcake liners. Spoon the melted chocolate into the lined cups, filling each about 0ne-quarter full. Place in the freezer to set, about 10 minutes.
Continue to melt the remaining chocolate bars with melted coconut oil if needed, and set aside. If you are using a double boiler you can keep it on the stove on the lowest heat setting once melted.
Once the cups in the freezer are set, remove from freezer and fill each cup with 1 1/2 Tablespoons of quinoa.
Pour remaining chocolate over quinoa so that quinoa is covered and tap the pan on the countertop to even out and smooth the chocolate. Place in the freezer until set.
Once set, store these quinoa cups in a sealed container in the fridge or the freezer. I personally like to store my chocolate in the freezer.
CHOCOLATE TIPS:
The gluten-free chocolate I trust are: Lily’s dark chocolate (vegan, dairy-free, soy-free, Certified gluten-free), Enjoy Life (made in a Certified gluten-free, dairy-free, Soy-Free and nut-free facility), Organic Nirvana (dairy and gluten-free), Endangered Species (dairy-free, Certified Gluten-Free), Vita Organics (dairy-free, vegan, soy-free, gluten-free – made on dedicated gluten-free lines), Nibmor (Certified gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan).
- 4 quality dark gluten-free and dairy-free chocolate bars
- 1 cup white quinoa (raw and un-rinsed)
- Melted Coconut oil, if needed
- In a double boiler on low or microwave at 1 minute intervals with stirring melt 2 bars of chocolate with melted coconut oil if needed. If you use melted coconut oil, go teaspoon by teaspoon as a little goes a long way. I played around with 2-3 teaspoons.
- Line a cupcake pan with foil cupcake liners. Spoon the melted chocolate into the lined cups, filling each about 0ne-quarter full. Place in the freezer to set, about 10 minutes.
- Continue to melt the remaining chocolate bars with melted coconut oil if needed, and set aside. If you are using a double boiler you can keep it on the stove on the lowest heat setting once melted.
- Once the cups in the freezer are set, remove from freezer and fill each cup with 1½ Tablespoons of quinoa.
- Pour remaining chocolate over quinoa so that quinoa is covered and tap the pan on the countertop to even out and smooth the chocolate. Place in the freezer until set.
- Once set, store these quinoa cups in a sealed container in the fridge or the freezer. I personally like to store my chocolate in the freezer.
- Once set, store these quinoa cups in a sealed container in the fridge or the freezer. I personally like to store my chocolate in the freezer.
Love & Chocolate Making!
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