Paleo Cockroach Clusters

Name: Paleo Cockroach Clusters
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 30 clusters
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 1 cup pecans; 1 cup nut butter; 1/2 cup almond flour; 1/4 cup raw honey; 4 pitted dates; 1/2 tsp vanilla; 1/2 tsp cinnamon; 1/2 tsp sea salt (I prefer Jacobsen's); 4 oz 100% cacao unsweetened chocolate bar; 2 tsp coconut oil; 6-8 drops liquid stevia; 30 pecan halves, to top

July 23, 2018 By Whip & Wander 46 Comments

“Reckon Fred’d take a bit of Cockroach Cluster if I told him they were peanuts?“—Ron Weasley, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

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Do Cockroach Clusters contain real Cockroaches?

In the world of Harry Potter, Cockroach Clusters are likely made from actual candied clusters of cockroaches otherwise Ron wouldn’t have been tempted to dupe his brother Fred into eating them. In my world, I’ve swapped the bugs for a mix of crunchy pecans, creamy nut butter, chocolate, and naturally sweet dates and honey.

Easy peasy, cockroach squeezie

I highly recommend making these Cockroach Clusters in a food processor rather than a blender because the width of the bowl will allow you to better see when the mixture has reached the correct consistency. Your mixture should be quite crumbly and sticky; several levels courser than a thick nut butter. To shape the Cockroach Clusters, I use a tbsp measuring spoon of mix and squeeze gently to shape into an oblong form slightly larger than the pecan half that goes on top.

If you’d like to fully dip these beauties in chocolate you can, but I prefer to simply pour chocolate over the top of each with a spoon instead. Not only does this method save you ample time and considerably limit the mess, it also saves you from fishing bits of “cockroach” out of the bowl of melted chocolate if anything breaks off during impact with the hot mixture. I also just really like the look of the insides peeking out between the chocolate drip on the sides. This method makes them look less like a stuffy truffle and more like a whimsical confection you might find in the wizarding world.

No double-boiler? No problem

I don’t have a double boiler, but melting chocolate is super easy. Add 2 inches of water to a medium saucepan and place a heat-proof glass bowl over the top. Choose one that is large enough that it does not touch the water, but hovers above. Turning the heat to medium-low, melt the chocolate slowly, stirring occasionally and turning the heat down if the water begins to bubble.

A note for special diets

These Cockroach Clusters are grain-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free and friendly for Paleo and SIBO diets. These technically fall within macros for a Keto diet as well coming it at 6 net carbs per cluster.

In addition to the pecans, I also use nut butter in this recipe. Almond butter is a great option if you’re strict Paleo; if you’re not, peanut butter is my favorite option.

LOOKING FOR MORE POTTER CONTENT?

I’m celebrating Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling’s birthdays on July 31st by filling the month with all things Potter. Check back regularly this month to see additional Harry Potter recipes and content linked in each of my posts as they arrive.

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