Handmade Raw Chocolates

This is a basic raw chocolate recipe which you can use to make chocolates in various shapes such as heart-shape or Easter egg shaped etc.

Ingredients:

½  Cup Peruvian Harvest Raw Criollo Cacao Powder

1/3 of Cup Peruvian Harvest Raw Criollo Cacao Butter Drops

½ tsp (or to taste) vanilla powder

1/4 cup or to taste low glycemic sweetener like Coconut Palm Nectar and/or

Peruvian Harvest Yacon Syrup

Optional: to add orange flavour, use 1-2 drops YL Orange Essential Oil

a pinch of Himalayan Sea Salt or to taste

(Note: Peruvian Harvest cacao products have richest cacao taste among the ones we have tried.  If you replace with another brand, you may need to use more amount)

How to make:

Melt cacao butter with double boiler method (au bain Marie) or in the dehydrator (by heating up to 50°C or 122°F)

Mix and whisk the melted cacao butter with the low GI sweetener, vanilla and Himalayan sea salt in a warm bowl.  (Rest the bowl in a larger bowl of hot water.)  Slowly mix in the cacao powder through a sift until the mixture is smooth.

Variations: add Dandelion coffee powder, maca, and/or mesquite powder to the mix according to your own taste.

Have ready your desired silicon mould (available in most baking supplies stores).

Pour the liquid chocolate into a piping bag with a small nozzle (available in most baking supplies shops) and squeeze it into the mould, allowing the liquid to fill the mould.  Gently rock the mould to ensure the surface of the liquid chocolate is smooth and even and let it stand for a couple of minutes.

Put the mould into the freezer until the chocolates are set (which takes about 15 to 20 minutes).

Remove the chocolates from the silicon mould by turning the mould upside down and rolling it inside out.

For making egg shapes: you will need to get an egg mould (best to use mini- egg sized one) and after freezing two half of the eggs join them together by cementing them with some liquid chocolate kept warm from earlier, or gently warming the chocolates on the flat side and quickly joining the two halves together.

Silicon gloves are recommended when you handle the chocolates to avoid finger prints and smudges on the chocolate surface and for hygiene reasons.

From this basic recipe, you can also develop and create fillings in the chocolates, e.g. coconut flakes, buckwheat, nuts, or even ice cream!