Make Your Own CHOCOLATE!
Changing Habits, Changing Lives
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I got tired of trying to find healthy chocolate with no dairy, no soy (or soy lecithin) and no refined sugar… so I took my friend Cheryl’s advice and made my own. (Thanks Cheryl!) I used a recipe for carob chips from that wonderful cookbook “Nourishing Traditions,” (by Sally Fallon) and converted it for the Thermomix. If you don’t have a Thermomix, melt it in a double boiler, stirring constantly until the Rapadura is dissolved. (You will have to first grind the Rapadura to a fine powder in a blender.) You can eat this chocolate on it’s own, or cut it up small to use in healthy chocolate chip bikkies (cookies). Of course, you can use carob instead of cocoa if you’d rather.
(I know coconut oil is expensive, but it’s still cheaper than buying ‘healthy’ chocolate. I buy my coconut oil from my bulk wholefoods co-op, so it’s about half the price of what you pay at the health food shop.)
* Homemade chocolate update!! I now use this recipe for “Almost Raw” Chocolate – it’s smoother and very rich and delicious!! *
1. Mill in Thermomix on speed 9 for 30 seconds, or until very fine (or use blender):
– 50 to 70 grams Rapadura (depending on how sweet you want it)
2. Add, and melt at 50 degrees, 4 mins, speed 3:
– 250 grams coconut oil (cold pressed)
– 40 grams cocoa powder (preferably a good organic one)
– 1 Tblspn vanilla extract
– pinch of fine sea salt
3. Line a large rectangular baking tray with baking paper (or greased parchment paper), and pour chocolate onto paper. The chocolate should be very thin, or else it will separate too much. Place carefully into freezer for about 20 minutes, until set. Cut into squares or bars or break into chunks, and keep it in the fridge in a ziploc sandwich bag, if you can keep your family away that long!
I think it’s best to make this when the kids are in bed, or you won’t have much chocolate left to put in the fridge… although mine heard my loud ‘rejoicing’ that the chocolate had worked, and jumped out of bed to try it – so rejoice quietly!
Variations: Add some orange peel to the Rapadura before milling it, for orange chocolate; or some peppermint essence; or maybe some coffee beans… let me know what variations you come up with!
15 Comments
Hi, what exactly is rapadura and where can you get it? I have a recipe you may like for tahini balls, should I just put it here as a comment? Love your blog, and love my TM!
Hi Jo,
This chocolate recipe sounds delicious. I think I might have a try at making it.
I was told about your blog by Joy and I am enjoying it very much!
Love Kendall in Rockhampton
Hi Cat – Rapadura is a natural sugar which is just the sugar cane juice dehydrated, not refined at all – so it still has all the vitamins and minerals in it, and is actually good for you! (Although if you have diabetes or blood sugar problems, you still have to be careful.) It has other names, such as Sucanat – see here for more info: http://www.dld123.com/sweetsavvy/sweeteners/summary.php?id=Unrefined%20Cane%20Sugar
If you like, you can send me your tahini balls recipe and I’ll put it on my blog! (If it has refined sugar I’ll change it to Rapadura!)
Thanks!
Hi Kendall – thanks for stopping by! Do you mean my wonderful sister, Joye?
Thanks for the explanation Jo, I’ll have to try and find some. Now, sorry to be a blog dunce, but how do I send you my recipe? 🙂
Sorry Cat! Forgot to give you my email address…. it’s [email protected]. Thanks, Jo.
Yes, your sister Joye! She’s lovely!
Wonderful recipe – it is not the child in my house that needs to be kept away from this chocolate!! My vegan boyfriend will be ecstatic (if i manage to keep some long enough)
I tried this recipe 4 times, with the carob variation.
Also I used beecause I’m a beekeeper.
The first time turned out just fine except that I’m using the double boiler system and I put all the ingredients in at the same time and it was really sticking. I never stopped stirring.
The second time I melted the coconut butter and mixed the carob separately with the and peppermint extract (xmas time). This method does not work I got a clump of carob that never blended with the oil… however I recovered the oil by sifting out the large clump and then ‘starting again’.
By slowly adding the carob to the melted oil I noticed the liquid consistency was much smoother. Half way through adding the carob one tbsp at a time I added some honey just less then 1/3 cup or 45-50grams (very sweet).
Pleased with the results I did it again and added milled orange peel. I did the full 3/4 carob, but could probably go less just before the ‘graininess’ appeared.
I’m so happy to find this recipe. I’ve been allergic to chocolate since I discovered what was causing me trouble when I was 20. The holiday times are always the hardest, but no I can indulge and not feel to guilty about it.
Thanks
Erika
Guelph, Ontario, Canada
every time I said honey in the above comment it disappeared… seems like I’m omitting bad words. So if it seems like a word is missing just think honey.
(:
Erika
Hi Erika, I’m so glad you got it to work! Thank you for letting us know how you did it – I’m sure it will be helpful for others. That certainly is hard not being able to eat chocolate!! 🙂 Jo
Hi Jo, I made this and used cold pressed virgin coconut oil, but the chocolate tasted so oily, I melted it again and add some very fine almonds to it. I loved the texture, it was so creamy, but not the oiliness. I preferred the other recipe with the nut butter rather than the oil.
Hey Jo – Do you think I could dehydrate this to keep it raw or would it completely wonk out the texture?
Kamian
Hi Jo,
I wonder if this could be made with dextrose (glucose powder) For those trying to avoid the fructose in other sugars?
Sandy
[…] chocolate, with cacao butter and 70% organic cocoa and natural sweeteners. As I mentioned in my first post about making my own chocolate, I really try and avoid refined sugar, dairy and soy, and they are in most chocolates, even a lot […]