Right now is the perfect time to enjoy some of our favorite fruits in the entire universe – stone fruits like peaches, plums, nectarines, and apricots are in season and ripe for the picking all the way until September! Food blogger Monique Otero of Brunchpants has us drooling over these dark chocolate covered apricot bites sprinkled with flecks of pistachio and flakes of coconut – perfect for a summer barbeque or a mini dessert. Just try not to eat the whole batch at once…
Apricots top my list of stone-fruit choices. As soon as the season comes along, I head straight to Red Jacket Orchards. This farm goes back three generations and boasts the largest apricot farm on the East Coast. Started in 1958, this family-run orchard prides itself on sustainable farming practices incorporating holistic and bio-dynamic techniques to improve their organic production. You can find RJO at the Union Square farmers market and smaller farmers markets around the city. See their full schedule here.
Combining fruit and chocolate, these sweet (but not too sweet) apricot snacks are a summer-must during stone-fruit season. I like to serve these as a light dessert after a barbecue or as a quick grab when I want a healthy indulgence.
Apricot Bites With Raw Dark Chocolate And Coconut
Serves 10
Ingredients:
10 small ripe (but not too soft) apricots
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup shelled pistachios
3 Tbsp virgin coconut oil, melted
3 Tbsp raw cacao powder (or regular cocoa)
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
pinch of fine sea salt to taste
Directions:
Wash and halve the apricots, removing the pits and drying well. Set aside.
Grind the shelled pistachios in a small food processor until powdery.
On a flat plate, pour the shredded coconut on one side and the pistachio powder on the other side to make it easy to dip your chocolate apricots.
Combine coconut oil, cocao powder and maple syrup until smooth.
Dip each apricot into the chocolate mixture, and then into the shredded coconut mixture and/or ground pistachio. Place round-side up on a parchment paper-lined tray.
Lightly sprinkle the apricots with sea salt.
Allow the apricots to set in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
