Chocolate covered strawberries in bite-sized cheesecake form is what you’ll get when you make these delectable mini chocolate covered strawberry cheesecake cups. They’re made with simple ingredients, like honey, cacao powder, and almond meal flour, and are gluten-free, delicious, and easy to make.

I used cacao powder before in my popular Fudgy Gluten-Free Dark Chocolate Chip Skillet Brownies and 5-minute Brownie Batter Cashew Butter recipe posts, but let me remind you the nutritional benefits that you’ll get when you consume unsweetened cacao powder.

Cacao powder is high in antioxidants, more specifically polyphenols. Polyphenols found in cacao powder help lower inflammation, improve blood flow, reduce cholesterol, and aid in blood sugar control. Cacao powder is also rich in both flavanols, which is a plant compound that has positive health benefits, and tryptophan, which is an amino acid that works with the body to produce serotonin. These two properties improve heart health, provide antioxidant protection, and aid in sleep and relaxation.

I also recommend choosing cacao powder that’s both organic and fair-trade certified. Many popular cocoa powders go through “dutch processing,” which stripes the cocoa powder of key nutrients. Fair-trade cacao powder is rich in nutrients and creates a decadent, bold chocolate flavor, which places it above the well-known unsweetened cocoa powder. An easy way to ensure the hard-working farmers who manage the sensitive cacao tree crops year-round are fairly compensated is by purchasing fair-trade certified organic cacao powder. Fair-trade cacao powder is also carefully harvested and processed to limit its exposure to chemicals and pesticides that are a detriment to overall health. I use this Organic Fair-Trade Certified Cacao Powder.