Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so I am stopping by today with a super easy recipe to share with all the loves in your life: Homemade Dark Chocolates.
Just like the food that I put into my body, I want the sweets and treats that I eat to be as healthy and clean as possible. Now, I am not saying that pigging out on chocolate (cuz I NEVER do that! 😈 ) is a healthy habit. But chocolate does have some really awesome health benefits.
But not all chocolates are created equally. Much of the chocolate on the market is loaded with high fructose corn syrup or refined sugars. And it is very difficult to find chocolate that does not contain soy lecithin. Soy lecithin is a toxic waste by-product that comes from crude soy oil after it goes through a degumming process. It contains solvents and pesticides and is bleached before sale to make it more appealing.
Did you know that 90% of all soy in the US is genetically modified? This means that it is heavily laced with poisonous herbicides. Not something I want to be eating in my chocolate! Just say NO to GMO’s!
There are few brands of chocolate that do not contain soy lecithin:
- Enjoy Life Foods Chocolate Mega Chunks
- Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
- Lindt Excellence Supreme Dark Chocolate
- Tropical Traditions also carries soy-free chocolate chips
But making your own healthy homemade chocolates is super easy.
I shared my recipe for Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bites a while back. They are a delicious mix of almond butter, cacao, and coconut oil with just a hint of mint flavor.
The recipe I am sharing today is more of a traditional chocolate recipe. They are more stable at room temperature as I used a good quality cocoa butter instead of coconut oil. If you do not have cocoa butter, feel free to substitute coconut oil or half coconut oil and half coconut butter. They will still be amazing, but just know that they will need to be stored in the fridge or freezer.
I also use a raw cacao powder instead of unsweetened cocoa powder because is full of antioxidant flavonoids and polyphenols. Plus, it’s is a good source of manganese, magnesium and sulfur.
You can decide how sweet you like your chocolates. I recommend using 1/4 to 1/2 cup of either real maple syrup or raw honey. I used 1/3 cup, and they came out perfectly.
I made the dark chocolates in the image above with some candy molds that I have had for years. You can also use silicone candy molds or chocolate bar molds. You can even just pour it into a baking dish and make one large bar of chocolate. Get creative. These healthy chocolates make excellent gifts.
What I use to make flavored chocolates:
Sometimes it’s nice to add a bit of flavor to your homemade chocolates. Peppermint is always fun. But for Valentine’s Day, I like to add either Orange or Lavender. I do this by adding just a few drops of essential oil to my chocolate recipe. Have you ever tried lavender chocolate? So good! But I think orange chocolates are my favorite.
I hope you enjoy!
xo,
Katja
PrintHealthy Homemade Dark Chocolates
Ingredients
- 1 cup cocoa butter (like this)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup real maple syrup or raw honey
- 1 cup raw cacao powder (like this) or unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp unrefined salt (I use THIS brand)
- OPTIONAL: 2 drops of orange or 1 drop of lavender essential oil (where to buy good quality essential oils)
Instructions
- Gently melt cocoa butter and coconut oil in a double boiler. (I use a glass bowl on top of a cooking pot.)
- Once melted, remove from heat and stir in sweetener of choice until completely smooth. Add cacao powder, vanilla, and salt. Mix again until well incorporated and smooth. (add optional essential oils here)
- Pour chocolate into molds or baking dish. Place into fridge or freezer to harden for several hours.
- Store at room temperature or in fridge.
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plasterer bristol says
Ive never tried making this myself before. Great recipe, thanks for sharing.
Simon
Nadine says
Hi Katya,
Could this recipe be made with stevia? Any input would be so appreciated : ) I love your blog btw!
Katja Heino says
Hi, Nadine! I have actually never cooked with stevia so hard to say. But seems like you could totally try it out. Please let me know if you do. Thanks for the kind words. 🙂
George says
Hi! Just wondering, how much chocolate does this recipe yield? Seems like a great recipe, thanks for sharing.
Katja Heino says
Hi, George! It totally depends on how big your molds are and how full you fill them. I got about 12 chocolates from my molds. 🙂
Marilyn says
I bought a high quality Cacoa powder but I’ve read alot of warnings from many that the cacoa carries samonells and others as it happens some time during fermentation and the temperature is kept below 114 can you suggest away to kill any chance of tgese parasites this as i cook fir kids senditive ones?
Thank you
Katja Heino says
Unfortunately, I don’t know enough about this to comment. It’s something I’f have to fact check. But I’ve been using raw cacao for years without issue. But if you’re worried, I would find out more. 🙂