Do your sugar cravings have you channeling Veruca Salt?

You know, the spoiled brat from Willy Wonka. The “bad egg” who fell down the garbage chute. Maybe this little ditty will refresh your memory: ♪ ♫ “I want the world. I want the whole world. I want to lock it all up in my pocket. It’s my bar of chocolate. GIVE IT TO ME NOW!” ♬

… you know the exact cravings I’m talking about. The ones that tell you to run into the kitchen, rip open the bag of cookies, eat them all, and then move onto the craisins!

I know this type of craving oh too well. Because not so long ago, my blood sugar levels were all over the place — constantly spiking and crashing thanks to a bit (OK, way) too much sugar in my diet. To boot, I had candida overgrowth which makes you really crave sweets. Needless to say, Veruca Salt was my alter-ego.

While there’s nothing wrong with a little sugar in the diet, eating too much sugar in one sitting — whether it be from a candy bar, bread, or dried cranberries — causes an unhealthy, inflammatory spike in insulin. And that’s the thing about sugar cravings: they usually beg to be satisfied with a whole lot of sugar.

The longterm solution to keeping those intense sugar cravings away for good is to work on maintaining steady blood sugar levels. [Related Post: 6 Simple Tips to Keep Blood Sugar Levels Steady] But what to do about those pesky cravings in short-term, while you work to bring things into balance? Is there a quick fix?

Yes. And it’s delicious!

These Creamy Coconut Mints stop sugar cravings right in their tracks!

First of all, they taste amazing (so long as you like mint, that is). But more than that: peppermint is known to inhibit appetite, while coconut butter is filled with healthy fats that keep you feeling full and satiated.

2-Ingredient Creamy Coconut Mints

Ingredients:

• ½ cup organic coconut butter
• 2 tsp organic peppermint extract

Optional: If you want to add a touch of sweetness, add 1-2 tsp of organic pure maple syrup. The healthy fat from the coconut butter will balance the natural sugars in the syrup, preventing the blood glucose spike that we want to avoid.

And you’ll also need some sort of mold. I used this food-grade silicone mold.

Directions:

• Melt the coconut butter using a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, simply set a heat-proof glass measuring cup or bowl in a pot filled with shallow, boiling water.
• After the coconut butter has melted, add the peppermint extract. Mix to combine.
• Pour the mixture into your mold.
• Set in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to set.
• Pop the coconut mints out of the molds.
• Enjoy or store in the refrigerator!

Enjoy!

Oh and P.S. You’ll love these covered in a little bit of antioxidant-rich dark chocolate 🙂 They seriously taste just like Andes mints — a favorite of mine from when I was younger. Get the all the details on these Homemade & Healthy Mint Chocolates!