Sweet treats tend to be not only full of calories, but have the unfortunate downside of providing mostly empty calories.

But you can have sweet treats that have lots of health benefits too.

Coconuts once were considered bad for you. It was thought that the saturated fat in coconut lead to high cholesterol, clogged arteries, heart disease, and weight gain.

Now, coconuts have taken center stage for their nutrition value.

So the question is: Are coconuts really good for you or bad for you? Coconut is now sold in stores as coconut oil, the coconut meat itself, coconut milk and coconut water. While all parts of the coconut contain great health benefits it’s the oil that makes it a real superfood!

The fat in the coconut milk is the single best source of medium chain triglycerides.

Why does that matter?

This type of healthy fat gets burned immediately for energy. It also boosts your metabolism and help your body burn fat more easily for energy.

Besides its fat burning and energy promoting abilities, coconut oil possesses other great health benefits for your body as well.

Coconut oil is also rich in lauric acid, which boosts immunity and destroys harmful bacteria and viruses in the body. And the saturated fat in coconut also are healthy for your heart, your skin, your hair and for your brain as well.

Enjoy this dessert and know you are doing good things for your body and health as well!

Coconut Milk Flan

Ingredients

1 15 oz. can of full-fat, organic coconut milk
5 organic, free range eggs
2-3 Tbsp of pure maple syrup
1 tsp of real vanilla extract

3 Tbsp raw sugar
3 ounces of unsweetened shredded coconut for topping (optional)

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to 325 °F. Fill a teapot with water and heat to a simmer.

In saucepan, heat the sugar until it melts and is a golden brown liquid. Pour sugar mixture in a glass pie plate.

Combine all the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with mixer. Pour into pie plate, and place inside a larger baking dish that is at least 2 inches deep. Then pour the hot water in the space surrounding the pie pan – allowing the liquid to reach about halfway up the sides. Bake about 40 to 45 minutes, or until the flan is set (when a knife comes out clean from the center).

For the topping–line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake raw, shredded coconut in the same 325 °F oven for about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the toasted coconut once it’s lightly browned, and sprinkle on top of flan. Serves 4-5.

Enjoy!!

Till next time, stay healthy and lean!