By Kathleen Colburn –

I’ve been thinking about simple sweet foods. –

I have found something new to love. Coconut butter. Also called coconut cream concentrate and coconut manna. It has a little natural sweetness to it and an amazing texture. And it’s a very nutritious whole food, as it contains healthy oil and fiber from the flesh. You can make simple and quick “candies” that need no cooking.

To get the right texture for truffle-like candies, use raw, solid honey for sweetening. Here’s a peppermint patty type of candy – combine a dash or two of peppermint extract, a pinch of salt, a little raw honey, and about half a cup of coconut butter. Form them into small discs onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and leave them in the freezer for about ten minutes. When they’re good and solid, dip them in melted chocolate chips and leave them in the freezer again for ten minutes. Enjoy. And share!

You have to try Lemon Drops! It’s simply coconut butter, honey, lemon zest and a little lemon juice, all to taste. Mix, form into drops on parchment paper and put in the freezer for a few minutes to harden. They can be a little messy to eat since they soften quickly, so you could roll them in cocoa powder, or ground nuts or seeds.

Both of these can be stored in the refrigerator once hardened. There are so many great uses for coconut butter. These are just two of my favorites.

Think good thoughts!

Kathleen Colburn is a whole foods personal chef with over 30 years of experience. She is Rapid River Magazine’s Short Stories editor and a freelance editor available for a variety of literary projects. She can be reached by email: rrshortstories@gmail.com.