By Angela (from the Happy Raw Kitchen)
For many people the word Halloween is synonymous with chocolate. You can indulge in a piece of healthy raw chocolate once in a while, and Halloween is a great excuse.
Don’t worry, making raw chocolate doesn’t have to be scary, unless you want it to be!
Halloween Raw Chocolate Recipe
This recipe uses mostly cacao butter and just a spoonful of coconut oil to enhance the melt-in-your-mouth quality. It is a harder chocolate that will stay hard at room temperature, as long as your room is less than 80 degrees.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup grated cacao butter, ½ cup measured when melted (see Grating Cacao Butter tip below)
- ¼ cup agave, or substitute a scant 1/4 cup maple syrup or coconut nectar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- Pinch salt
- Candy molds, lollipop sticks, and clear plastic treat bags to put over the chocolate
How to Make It:
- To melt cacao butter, place grated butter in a glass bowl placed inside a pot or larger bowl filled with hot water. You can use water that has been warmed on the stove to just below a simmer. Check the temperature of the melted butter with an instant read th
ermometer. It should stay below 90 degrees when melted. Cacao butter may also be melted in a bowl in the dehydrator. Do not allow the water to get into the chocolate, as it will then clump.
- Once the cacao butter is melted, add agave, cocoa powder, coconut oil, and salt.
- Allow the mixture to cool slightly, until it starts to appear a bit dull and has thickened.
- Carefully spoon the chocolate into the molds. Tap the mold on a counter to level the chocolate. Place lollipop sticks into the chocolate and turn once to fully coat stick with chocolate. Tap again on the counter to level, if needed.
- Place the filled molds into the fridge to harden. This should fill two average chocolate molds, depending on their size.
- When fully hardened, turn the mold up-side down and gently press the back of each mold to release the chocolate. Special treat bags are available to cover the lollipops.
Grating Cacao Butter
To grate cacao butter, use the fine shredding blade on your food processor.
The entire pound of grated cacao butter can be stored in a quart sized mason jar once grated. Cut out the name (for identification) and nutrition label from the package it came in for reference. The melted amount is about 1/2 of the dry grated butter measured out.
All molds, sticks and bags are available at large department stores and craft stores.
This is a very versatile chocolate recipe. It is awesome with dried fruits and nuts added. Try adding some buckwheaties for a Nestl*s Crunch kind of treat. Great for dipping fruit like strawberries, too!
About Angela of The Happy Raw Kitchen
In February 2007, Angela discovered the benefits of raw food. Since then, she has enjoyed the challenge of creating healthy, delicious meals using fresh vegan ingredients. You can read her blog filled with scrumptious and original recipes on her blog, The Happy Raw Kitchen.
Join us starting on October 24th for the Healthy Halloween Howl! Avoid the sugar bowl and while your loved ones are unbuckling their belts at dinner, you’ll be slipping into skinny jeans this holiday feeling healthy and slimmer than ever!