I am a HUGE fan of black liquorice, but I have not yet been able to find a keto-friendly version that doesn't include nasty sweeteners like maltitol or sorbitol. I decided to make my own version so I could enjoy it as a tasty treat from my youth. Bonus: By making my own, I could use whole food ingredients like fennel seeds, star anise and real liquorice root with all their herbal health benefits, and put it in a base of grass-fed bone-strengthening beef gelatin to make it a superfood candy that I don't mind treated myself to every day.
Keto Black Liquorice Candy Recipe
Liquorice Liquid Ingredients:
- 1½ cups water
- 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
- 5 star anise pods
- 2 tbsp liquorice root powder or two 1” pieces liquorice root
Liquorice Candy Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup gelatin powder (*Or use agar agar for vegan.)
- 2-4 tablespoons Lakanto granulated monk fruit sweetener (to taste)
- ¼ cup coconut cream
- ½ cup liquorice liquid
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon keto maple syrup (or preferred maple-flavoured sweetener)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon activated charcoal powder (*Acts as a natural food dye with added health benefits, but may be omitted if you don't mind a brown "black licorice.")
- ¼ teaspoon anise oil
Directions:
Add the liquorice liquid ingredients to a small saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes or until it’s reduced down to ½ cup of liquid. Remove from heat. Once cooled to room temperature, put it in the fridge overnight.
Strain the herbs and roots from the liquorice water. Whisk in gelatin, xylitol, coconut cream, coconut oil, molasses, sea salt to the liquorice water in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until gelatin and sweetener are completely dissolved and mixture beings to boil. Remove from heat.
Whisk in activated charcoal and anise oil until smooth. Pour into candy molds or a 9x13 dish and chill in the fridge until set, around 15-20 minutes. Cut into the desired size if not using candy molds.
Did you make this keto black liquorice candy recipe? If so, please let me know how it turned out in the comments. Or if you share pics of your creations on Instagram, please tag me so I can see them. Enjoy! :)
