Tahini Cocoa Bombs, HVMN-style

posted about 1 year ago in Recipes

This is an adaptation of my go-to snack which is insanely satisfying and guaranteed to make your day better whether you are running between meetings or running a marathon. I’ve ridden from San Francisco to Los Angeles with one gear and competed in two triathlons with variations of these as my main fuel. On the Marin Century metric I brought along this newest version and ate 3 of these bad boys, and that’s it!

The HVMN Keto Collagen+ gives a high-performance boost over my usual cocoa powder and simplified the recipe—skipping my own sweetener blend, prebiotic fiber—and adds MCTs for more energy production. I hope you enjoy my favorite snack and hit me up @airjoshb to let me know what you think!

Why Tahini?

Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds and while not as popular as other nut or seed butter, hold significant advantages for people wanting to train or upgrade their daily health (especially for autoimmune/immune compromised). Here are my top 5 reasons for using tahini:

Higher in fats and amino acids than other butter, especially tryptophan (serotonin boost), methionine (important sulfur amino promotes cell methylation) and lysine (vital for protein synthesis).
High in minerals, especially copper, magnesium, iron and zinc, all vital for using the amino acids in your body to build collagen, as well as hundreds of metabolic processes.
No mold or fungus. Many other nuts are vulnerable to aflatoxin which can cause a host of issues.
Minimal processing. Compared to other nuts and seeds, sesame seeds require little processing, meaning fewer chances to degrade the quality and add in other unwanted toxins or chemicals.
Boosts nutrient absorption. Studies have shown higher levels of nutrients gained from other foods when also consuming sesame seeds.

What about the other ingredients?

Almond and coconut flour are a solid base for all kinds of grain-free things with good fiber and protein content. The acacia fiber in the HVMN product replaces my usual prebiotic fiber in the recipe, which I add to make the snack easier on your belly, supporting good digestion and protecting your gut.

Coconut oil is a great source of fats and contains a lot of medium-chain triglyceride fats which can get burned immediately as energy from the liver.

Cocoa is a superfood, a potent source of antioxidants and offering a ton of great minerals as well as some chemicals to make you feel good. I often add nibs or macadamia nuts to add a bit of crunch.

Even with the Keto Collagen+ on board I still use collagen because the gelling power (which peptides don’t have) is going to help hold these cocoa bombs together and keep the oiliness to a minimum.

Dropping Bombs

60g organic tahini
100g almond flour
20g coconut flour
3 scoops (60g)
HVMN Keto Collagen+, chocolate flavor
60g organic coconut oil
10g grass-fed collagen, not peptides (bloomed in cold water)
2 tbsp cocoa nibs (optional)
Pinch of Himalayan pink salt (or sea salt)

Add the tahini to a small pot along with the collagen and heat just long enough for it to dissolve and mix in. Turn off and let cool a bit. The mixture will be pretty gummy, but if it is too warm it will melt the coconut oil when you add it.

Put the remaining ingredients into a food processor (you can use a regular mixing bowl and do it by hand, but the processor makes sure everything gets distributed well) and pulse to mix several times.

Add in the collagen, tahini mixture and turn on the processor until everything blends together nicely and it starts to come together in a ball.

I use a small ice cream scoop and make 9-10 balls that I put on a plate and put in the fridge to harden. Keep in the fridge and eat as you wish! If you are going to take these with you on a trip or to work, I recommend wrapping them up and freezing them as they will get a tad oily when they get warm.

Don’t forget to pick up your Keto Collagen+ with this link and get a $15 credit!