Grab these three ingredients and you'll be ready whenever a chocolate craving hits. It's so much better (and cheaper!) than the store-bought kind, plus raw cacao has tons of health benefits.
¾cup (about 100 g)raw cacao butter, chopped into small pieces
½cup (about 40 g)raw cacao powder
¼cuppure maple syrup or honey
dashfine sea salt
pink Himalayan salt or more sea salt(optional)
Instructions
In a medium saucepan, bring about 2 inches of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, set a large glass mixing bowl on top to create a ‘double-broiler’ (the bowl shouldn’t touch the water). Add the chopped cacao butter into the bowl and cook until completely melted (4-6 minutes), stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, prepare your mold or muffin liners (see note).
Remove the bowl from the heat and stir or whisk in the maple, cacao powder and a dash of sea salt.
Set the mold onto a cutting board or pan that will fit in your fridge or freezer. If you want salted chocolate, grind some pink salt or more sea salt into the bottom of the mold, and then pour half of the mixture into the mold, filling it up to the edge. Carefully move the mold to the fridge to set for 30 or so minutes, or the freezer for about 10 minutes. Once fully solid, pop the chocolate out of the mold and enjoy! Store in the fridge for about a week or in the freezer for a month.
This recipe makes exactly enough for 2 bars in that mold. You can either leave the remaining chocolate mixture out while the first bar is setting and then make the second immediately after, or keep the mixture in the fridge until you’re ready (it will last about a week). Either way, microwave it for as long as needed to remelt it to the same consistency, and stir well.
Notes
I used Viva Naturals Organic Cacao Powder and Terrasoul Organic Cacao Butter.You can also use regular-sized or mini muffin liners instead of the mold. Divide the chocolate among the liners to desired thickness, set in the fridge for about 5 minutes, and then add salt (or any other toppings).After trying a few different combos, I think this is the perfect 'neutral' dark chocolate - it doesn't taste bitter like a super-dark bar from the store might. But feel free to experiment and find your favorite version!