Dr. Ritamarie’s Awesome Cherry Chocolate Macaroons

I recently was introduced  by a friend to a company that has some good products, one of which is a cherry concentrate.  My friend sent me a free bottle of it and invited me to try it. I thought, “No way; that will shoot my blood sugar through the roof.”  But after looking at the research,  I decided to give it a try.

I mixed 1 ounce of the cherry juice in 16 ounces of water and I tested my blood sugar every 10 minutes for a full 3 hours, just to be sure.  My highest reading was 96!

I was thrilled because it tasted so good, and tart cherry juice has been shown to be more effective than non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for joint pain and arthritis.

Of course, my mind started racing with ways I could use the cherry juice to create some tasty and healthy recipes.  This Cherry Chocolate Macaroon is one of my efforts, and my favorite, so far.

If you try it, share your results with pictures and comments.

Dr. Ritamarie's Organic Cherry Chocolate Macaroons

Ingredients:

• 1 heaping Tablespoon Artisana coconut butter
• 2 teaspoons  Apothe-Cherry™ concentrate
• 1 Tablespoon hemp seeds
• 2 teaspoons raw cacao powder or raw carob powder

Directions:

1. Mix together in a bowl until it's a smooth consistency
2. Form into balls or cookie shapes
3. You can eat as is, or put them in the freezer to firm up
4. Takes 2 minutes to make.  Yum!

Besides being delightful to the palate, there are a number of health components to this treat.  Due to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid, and caprylic acid, the coconut butter can help prevent bacterial, viral, and fungal diseases; support your immune system; support healthy metabolic function; improve digestion; support weight loss; and give you an immediate source of energy. It’s properties are antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-fungal, and antibacterial.

Hemp seeds are a source of the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid, which is a fatty acid found in the oils of certain plants.  20% of the hemp seed is ALA.  Omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce the effects of harmful fat and cholesterol accumulations.  Using food high in alpha-linolenic acid also makes sense as a preventive measure for nearly everyone, since most people are severely deficient in it, even in the absence of circulatory problems.

Cacao has antioxidants, increases the levels of serotonin and other neurotransmitters, and minerals such as magnesium, sulfur, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, potassium, and manganese.  Cacao also contains oleic acid, a heart-healthy monounsaturated fat.  If you have chronic pain or are sensitive to chocolate,  consider substituting carob for the cacao.

The Apothe-Cherry™ is from a company called Purium.  It is made from sour/tart cherries, which is a nutritionally dense food. They contain a wide variety of antioxidants and phyto-chemicals.

Other benefits of this cherry juice I thought you might be interested in are:

• Contains melatonin, which may help balance circadian rhythms for proper sleep
• May support healthy joint function
• Promotes healthy uric acid metabolism
• Is a rich source of anti-oxidants
• Can help prevent or even reverse premature aging

You can also make these macaroons with ground almonds or pistachios instead of hemp seeds for different tastes.  Another thing you could always try is to soak chia seeds in the cherry concentrate and water to really ramp up the cherry taste.  The fun is in the experimenting.