I first shared this recipe collection of confections in 2020 and it was a hit so I thought now would be a sweet time to revisit it. I hope you enjoy these tasty yet healthy treats. And I wish you and yours a joyous holiday season!
My Holly Jolly Brain Candy collection of confections is unapologetically chocolate-centric. I’m a card-carrying chocoholic and, hey, if ever there was a time when we could use more chocolate, this is it!! It’s natural to turn to sweet treats to cheer ourselves up in times of stress and holidays are often focused around feasting. But as you know from my Food For Thought post, excess sugar (particularly refined sugar) leads to inflammation in the brain, not to mention the rest of you. So rather than reach for commercially prepared, processed candies and confections, why not make your own?
These are all quite simple to make. And instead of gobbling heaping helpings of refined sugars and poor quality ingredients, you feast on high quality dark chocolate and natural sugars like dates and maple syrup. They also contain fibre and healthy fats. Fibre is food for our gut microbes, which are involved in brain health and behaviour, including our reactions to stress and anxiety. And both fibre and fat slow the digestion and absorption of sugar which helps keep your blood sugar stable. And when it comes to the absorption of sugar into the blood, slow and steady wins the race!
Download the Holly Jolly Brain Candy recipes here and read on for deets on the treats in this confection collection and learn why my Turtles are slower (and therefore better for you) than the commercial variety.