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I love mini desserts. They are cute. They are fun. And they are the perfect little treat when I want a little sweetness in my life.
When I was studying Ayurveda, we learned about the 6 tastes by which all foods can be categorized: Sweet, Sour, Salty, Bitter, Pungent, and Astringent. It is recommended that we include all 6 tastes into every meal as each taste feeds our mind, body, senses, and spirit in its own unique way. From a modern nutritional perspective, the 6 Tastes satisfy each of the major dietary building blocks. Sweet foods, for example, are rich in fats, proteins, carbohydrates, and water, whereas Bitter and Astringent foods are high in vitamins and minerals. I love this. Instead of counting calories or measuring carbs and protein, you create a meal based on taste and flavor (and that’s assuming that you are eating a wholesome, real food diet, of course!!!)
What I also learned through Ayurveda is that sweet flavor is good for you, especially if you are a certain constitution or dosha. It balances and pacifies. It helps nourish and build vital body tissues, soothes mucous membranes and is beneficial for the skin. Learning this really gave me permission to not be so against sweets in my life. I realized how what we eat translates energetically into our lives. A little sweet flavor can bring a little sweetness in. And the opposite is true. Too much rigidity around avoiding sweets can create rigidity and unhappiness in your life.
Now, I am not talking about pigging out on refined sugars. Raw honey, pure maple syrup, dates, and coconut sugar are all natural sweeteners that can be used to make amazing treats. Unlike refined sugars, they are still full of nutrients and minerals that are all part of a healthy diet. And in moderation, of course. Read more about why natural sweets are an important part of a healthy diet HERE
So, go ahead and eat some sweets today. Enjoy EVERY little bite. It’s really OK. It may even be good for you.
This is what I made this week. I adapted the recipe from my Pomegranate Cashew Bites. I made them in a mini muffin pan
with unbleached paper liners
. Super easy with little clean up.
I taught a gluten-free dessert workshop at a benefit for Spiral Food Cooperative, our local food co-op. I made these, along with my Grain-free Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies. They are easy to make. They have just the right amount of sweetness and lemony zest. They are gluten and grain-free, dairy-free, and are sweetened with a little bit of honey. And they really do melt in your mouth.
- ¾ cup raw pecans, walnuts, or almonds (or any combo of the 3)
- ½ cup shredded coconut, unsweetened (like this)
- 8 dates, pitted
- 2 pinches of celtic sea salt (I use THIS one)
- Line 2 mini muffin tins with mini paper liners OR place 24 doubled up liners (2 on top of each other for stability) onto a baking sheet
- Place all crust ingredients into food processor and process until broken down into coarse flour consistency
- Spoon 1and ½ tsp of crust mixture into each mini muffin liner and press firmly down with your thumb to create a solid crust
- Place into freezer for 10 minutes
- In medium bowl, stir cashew butter and melted coconut oil until completely combined
- Add rest of ingredients and mix until creamy smooth
- Remove crust-filled liners from freezer and spoon 1 TBS of lemon mixture into each one
- Garnish with lemon zest and place back into freezer for at least one hour (you want them to set completely before serving)
- Store in fridge and serve cold as these tasty morsels get pretty soft at room temperature
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These look wonderful! Thanks for linking up to our blog hop at Allergy Free Wed!
Do you think maple syrup would be a good sub for the honey? My son has a senstivity to honey. Thanks
I use honey and maple syrup interchangeably in my recipes. Never had a problem with it. I haven’t tried it with these, but I would bet that it would be just as yummy. Let me know if you try it.
This is making my mouth water!
These sound absolutely delicious!!!
Oh, Katja, these look incredible. Such a beautiful picture. Thanks so much for sharing such a wonderful creation at Raw Foods Thursdays.
Hello,
These look amazing. Is there a substitute for cashew butter that I could use? Thanks.
V Hamilton
The cashew butter is what gives these such a great flavor and consistency. Do you mean a nut-free substitute? Macadamia nut butter would probably be awesome too. You could even make that at home. Let me know if you try it… 🙂
These are so beautiful and look SO refreshing! Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂
Hope that your week is fantastic!
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
My husband loves anything lemon so I can’t wait to try these. Can you tell me about cashew butter…do you make it yourself or purchase it?
Thanks,
Karen N
I buy it from our local health food store where they grind their own. I saw it at whole Foods as well. It’s easy to make in the food processor though. I hope you enjoy them. Let me know what your hubby thinks. 🙂
Congratulations!
Your recipe is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week. Hope you have a very special Mothers Day weekend and enjoy your new Red Plate.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
I stopped by looking for a melt-in-your-mouth recipe for lemon cups, and I definitely got that. However, I am even MORE interested in learning what an astringent food is according to Ayurveda. Off to consult Google!
Heather,
I love Ayurveda because it is such a connected way of looking at the world. We learn to look to nature as a guide to what is happening inside of us. Thanks for coming by…..
This looks fantastic! I made some lemon energy drops with coconut butter. The crust for this would be perfect. I have to try these though! Thanks for sharing!
I made these this morning but used a blend of nut flours instead of processing whole nuts. Was out of cashew butter, so used some homemade almond butter. I added a bit of lime juice too. Amazed that the citrus overpowers the nuts. Delightful, simple treats.. I think these would be great crumbled into frozen yogurt, ice cream or even yogurt.
Yay! Glad you liked them. I love hearing how people adapt my recipes. Thnaks so much for your feedback. 🙂
Katja, these mini lemon cups are absolutely delicious. I am eager to try this as a pie. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I am so glad that you liked them. They are my sweetie’s favorite. Please let me know if you make a pie and how it turns out. Thanks for stopping by.
OMG I am so making this! It looks delish! I make an almond coconut fudge that has a melt in your mouth feel. Thanks for the recipe!
Made these today. What a delightful no-bake treat! Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
Yay! I’m glad that you liked them. These are my sweetie’s favorite…..
Where are you studying?
I studied Ayurveda at the Dhyana Center in Sebastopol, California. 🙂
I made these tonight! Substituted almond meal for the coconut (not a big fan of coconut) and used almond butter instead of cashew butter (because that is what I had in the house). So yummy! Even all three kids approved! Going to leave them in the freezer, they taste great frozen. Thanks for the recipe!
That sounds really good. I bet the almond meal was tasty. Thanks for the feedback and the substitution ideas. And yes, I eat these frozen as well. 🙂
My daughter made these for me as I am gluten and dairy sensitive. These are amazing! I call them Lemon Bombs… so good! I am making them for our derm office Christmas party!
Yay! so glad you liked them. They are definitely my sweetie’s fav too. 🙂
These look so delish!! Thanks for sharing the link! 🙂 love your recipes!!
what can I replace the dates with or can I just omit it altogether?
The dates hold the crust together. You could substitute shredded coconut instead if you like. It will have a different texture but will hold together nicely. Let me know if you try it! Thanks for coming by 🙂
Hi, I am making your lemon bites, and i forgot dates at the store…. any chance I could prunes or raisins…. I don’t want to run out AGAIN as I already ran around looking for cashew butter, lol…
Ok, never mind about the dates, I saw a previous comment to use more coconut…. I did that.. works great…. the flavor is nice, but mine are a lot darker than yours…. wonder why? I’m very excited to have learned a new way to make crust, thank you!!
I’m glad that you like the coconut crust. I do too. Your lemon cups may be darker because cashew butter can vary in color. Thanks for the feedback!