I don't know about you guys, but even though I'm fairly careful about the food we eat, I'm okay with a little refined cane sugar for a treat now and then when it's homemade. This way you can use better quality ingredients, and then you know that you're NOT getting all the dangerous chemical preservatives, fake colors and flavors, or other junk, and you are getting things like real butter or cream, or pastured eggs in certain recipes, etc…
My friend, Cara, feels the same. In fact, she has been through hell and back as she's helped her daughter recover from Autism. Even they can enjoy these treats now that she's reworked all of these recipes in her new book, Candy Making without Corn Syrup! I asked her about this and she said, “We love to enjoy treats but aren't willing to go back to the junk that was causing problems in the first place, so I had to make new candy recipes.”
She's letting me share her recipe here for “Better for You Nut Butter Fudge“, but first I thought you might want to see this video where Cara tells HOW she helped her daughter recover from Autism–I'm sure it will move you like it did me…
The recipe is below, but if you want more info on the GAPS Diet, click here: GAPS Diet for Rookies. That post tells what the GAPS Diet IS, what you can actually eat on the diet, and when to expect to see improvements.
Also, here are more GAPS resources if you'd like to check them out:
- Click here for a GAPS Starter Kit
- Click here for Grain free meal plans
- Click here for cultured food starters to make your own probiotic foods
- Click here for What Can I Eat Now? 30 Days on the GAPS Intro Diet
- This Mom Will Make You Cry: How One Small Change Brought Help and Hope for Her Autistic Son
- What can damage our gut flora?
- Click here for the GAPS Diet book by Natasha Campbell McBride
- Click here for the strong recommended probiotics
- Click here for the where to buy cod liver oil
Better for You Nut Butter Fudge
Ingredients
- 2 cups cane sugar no GMO!
- 1/3 cup coconut nectar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream OR full fat coconut milk
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup unsalted almond butter or other nut butter if using salted nut butter, omit salt above
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- In the pot of your instant pot or in a stock pot for use on the stovetop (choose a large one, it will bubble up in later steps), combine sugar, coconut nectar, cream, and sea salt with a whisk, until all sugar is wet.
- Clip on a candy thermometer so that the bulb is in the syrup but not touching the bottom of the pot, and turn the Instant Pot on to Saute-Medium. Alternatively, heat pan on the stovetop over medium heat.
- Heat sugar mixture to soft ball stage (235* F) without stirring.
- As the sugar mixture heats, prepare loaf pan by lining with parchment paper,so the parchment goes all the way up the sides of the loaf pan.
- Once the syrup is at soft ball stage, remove from heat and stir in almond butter and vanilla.
- Pour fudge into prepared loaf pan. Gently shake the loaf pan if needed to smooth the mixture into the corners.
- Allow nut butter fudge to cool at room temperature, then cut into cubes.
- Store in an airtight container between parchment for up to 3 weeks.
- Enjoy!
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SUSAN W IVEY says
Can I sub coconut sugar or maple syrup for the coconut nectar?
KitchenKop says
Hi Susan! I think coconut sugar is the same. Maple syrup might be trickier just because of the liquid vs. granulated.
Kel
Kitchenkop says
Okay I was wrong Susan! I just watched Cara’s video and coconut nectar is liquid, so if you’re going to try subbing (maybe ask Cara to be sure), you may be better off trying maple syrup.
Kel
jmmatlock says
Can coconut nectar be substituted for corn syrup in other treats (like, say, pecan pie)?
Cara says
It can for some things (I think it would work well in pecan pie!) but not all because the moisture/sugar content is a little different.
Liz says
Love this blogger too! I started following her years ago when I first became interested in GAPS. She was even local! So cool to see her tell her healing story. Amazing how food changes people’s lives.
Cara says
Thank you for sharing, Kelly!
Ali says
Excellent! Thank you for sharing.