Growing up Coffee Crisp was my chocolate bar of choice.
I was that classic picky eating kid. I loved french fries, hot dogs, burgers and ice cream and to be totally honest, I’m not actually sure I even ate vegetables?
But, my parents didn’t keep a lot of “junk” in the house – their word, not mine (I take a bit of issue with that word now).
My friends would come over after school and be thoroughly disappointed that our only snack options were “Cheerio Mix” or babaganoush. It’s like when you’re out trick or treating on Halloween and someone throws boxes of raisins in your bucket, rather than real candy. The worst.
As a quick aside, one of the reasons I am much more relaxed with my own kid being an extremely picky eater is because I believe one day he will grow out of it, just like I did. Ok, believe and pray! If you have a picky eater at home, I wrote this blog a few years back on “6 Crucial Lessons from the Parent of a Picky Eater.”
It’s a blog I often re-read when I’m feeling particularly frustrated that chicken fingers and pizza are the only foods acceptable on his plate.
Ok, back to Coffee Crisp. Summer camp was where I did my chocolate bar and candy eating, because of the lack of “junk” in my home.
At camp, kids would wait in the “tuck” line forever (or at least what felt like forever) to get their candy. And if you even attempted to bud or cut in front of someone close to the front of the line…well, God help you.
The entire line would turn on you and chant “Budder Budder!!!” until you were shamed away. Yes, shamed away!
My tuck order was always, always coffee crisp.
Well, many years have passed and now with way too much nutrition knowledge, I don’t eat Coffee Crisps. I just know too much. I basically know how the “sausage is made” and know exactly what it does to my body after eating it. So, no Coffee Crisp for me. And to be honest, I kind of forgot about this chocolate bar for a long time.
Then last summer, we were in Collingwood for a wedding and found a local health food restaurant (which, BTW, carried a copy of The Living Kitchen cookbook – always fun to see).
And they had a Coffee Crisp smoothie on the menu. We ordered one to share…and then ordered another because it was SO GOOD. I had forgotten about the marriage of coffee and chocolate and became obsessed, once again.
Last summer I would make that smoothie at least twice a week and after being stuck in quarantine for 3 months, I got the brilliant idea to turn this smoothie into a popsicle!
The popsicle version is refreshing, chocolate-y, coffee-y (not a word, I know), and is made up of protein-rich hemp seeds, magnesium-rich raw cacao, probiotic yogurt, and fiber-rich dates. BUT, you must know, it is not an actual Coffee Crisp, it’s the healthified version and if you’re a purist, lower your expectations.
Coffee Crisp Inspired Popsicles
Equipment
- Popsicle Molds
- Blender
Ingredients
Coffee Crisp Popsicles
- 1 banana, fresh or frozen omit you're not a banana fan
- 1 cup unsweetened dairy-free coconut yogurt
- 1/3 - 1/2 cup brewed decaf coffee depending on your love of coffee
- 1 Tbsp peanut butter or almond butter
- 2 Tbsp raw cacao or cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup hemp seeds
- 10 cooking dates or 1 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Optional Popsicle Add-Ons
- 1 cup loosely packed baby spinach
- 4 frozen cauliflower florets
Coating
- 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1/4 cup toasted almonds, roughly chopped
- 2 Tbsp toasted, shredded unsweetened coconut
Coffee Crisp Smoothie (makes 500 ml)
- 1 small banana preferably frozen
- 1/4 cup unsweetened dairy-free coconut yogurt
- 1/4 cup brewed decaf coffee
- 1 Tbsp peanut butter of almond butter
- 1 Tbsp raw cacao
- 1 Tbsp hemp seeds
- 5 cooking dates
- pinch salt
- 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
- small handful of ice
Optional Smoothie Add-Ons
- 1/2 cup loosely packed spinach
- 3 frozen cauliflower florets
- 1 scoop protein powder
Instructions
Popsicles
- Place all ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth and creamy.
- Pour into popsicle molds. It makes about 5-6 popsicles. Cover and place the sticks in.
- Freeze for a minimum of 5 hours. When you're ready to eat, run some hot water over the mold to easily release the popsicles.
- To make the coating, melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in a double boiler until creamy and smooth. Let it sit for a few minutes until it's slightly cooled. It can sit out on your counter top for a while and will not harden.
- Roughly chop the almonds, then place them and the shredded coconut on a baking sheet. Toast until fragrant and golden -- but watch them so they don't burn.
- Place the popsicles on a tray and using a spoon, drizzle chocolate on top and scatter the nuts and coconut over.
- Or, dip the popsicle into the melted chocolate bowl and then dip it into the nuts and coconuts.
- Once you've coated them, you can place them back in the freezer - but they must be individually wrapped in parchment paper, silicone bag or plastic wrap and cannot go back into the molds.
Smoothie
- Place all ingredients in a blender, blitz on high until smooth and creamy.
Beautiful popsicle photo credits: my dad, Barry Green.
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