Have you ever tried to make your own chocolate?
If you never tried because you thought it was not your stuff or because you thought it was too difficult to make, from today on you won’t have any excuse!
Probably a maitre chocolatier would be horrified in listening how I temper my chocolate, but well, it works and it works pretty well too.
You might ask why should you make your own chocolate. Here I have three good reasons:
First of all, because it is much fun;
Second, because you can use coconut sugar instead of the super-refined white sugar;
Third, because buying raw chocolate is usually very expensive.
I do have a forth reason, though: you should give it a try because it is so damn delicious that you won’t buy any chocolate bar anymore! I promise.
Furthermore you can “personalize” it as you like, by adding maca, mesquite or cinnamon powder for example or toasted hazelnuts, almonds, cacao beans or salt on top.
You can basically make any flavor you like. Be creative!
As you may know already, the most difficult part in making chocolate is tempering it. You should have a marble table, but because I bet most of you, like myself, don’t have it -sigh!-, I found a very easy and accessible way to temper my chocolate. What do I use? Well, I use a big aluminum bowl -like the one you can find at IKEA- and it works great.
Since we are getting closer to Christmas, I thought of posting this recipe so that you might use this raw chocolate as a presents for your loved ones. Who doesn’t like chocolate, after all?
Raw Cacao: is it a superfood?
There are two different way of thinking regarding chocolate.
According to some people raw chocolate has to be considered a “drug” -like coffee, cocaine and marijuana for example- because of its caffeine and theobramine content. Theobramine stimulates the central nervous system, possibly creating addiction. This is the main reason why some people doesn’t consider chocolate a superfood, but a stimulant. Furthermore chocolate contains oxalic acid, which reduces calcium absorption in the intestines.
According to others, though, chocolate is a “magic” food because of its high content of antioxidants -which are taught to play a major role in the absorption of free radicals that can damage our cells and tissues-, and minerals. The most abundant mineral is magnesium, known as the “anti-stress mineral”, making in very important for relaxing our muscles and our mood.
So what should we do? As latins used to say “In media stat virtus” which means that you can enjoy it, but in moderation.
Note that I spoke of RAW chocolate -or RAW cacao-, which is way different from commercial cocoa powder used to make sweet treats. Also common chocolate bars are not made with raw chocolate, so they only keep the negative effects discarding all the good once which is a shame. So, please stay away from commercial chocolate bars, rich in white sugar too, and enjoy them only once in a while.
RAW DARK CHOCOLATE
Ingredients:
1 cup cocoa butter
1/2 cup raw cocoa powder
1/2 cup raw coconut sugar (powdered in a high speed blender)
1/2 cup raw cocoa powder
1/2 cup raw coconut sugar (powdered in a high speed blender)
Additions:
2 tbs mesquite / maca powder or
2 tsp cinnamon / ginger powder
Sea salt flakes / cacao nibs / coconut sugar / toasted hazelnuts / almonds
Directions:
- If you have a block of cacao butter, grate it or cut it in small pieces with a knife.
- Melt cacao butter in a metal bowl over water filled pot or stovetop at low heat (you should never heat over 110 °F or 45°C).
- Stir until all lumps are gone and take off the heat. Stir in cacao powder and stir to make sure you dispel all powder lumps. Than add coconut sugar. Whisk vigorously until smooth -you can also transfer it in a high speed blender if you wish-.
- Transfer to a large metal bowl and using a spatula, rapidly spread the mixture along the entire surface of the bowl in order to lower its temperature (tempering). Keep tempering the chocolate until the bowl is cold.
- Line a baking try with paper parchment and pour tempered chocolate over it. Spread it heavenly with the help of a spatula. Set in the fridge for 30 minutes. Once the chocolate is set, turn out onto serving platters or wrap nicely.
- You can keep it both in or out of the fridge.
- Melt cacao butter in a metal bowl over water filled pot or stovetop at low heat (you should never heat over 110 °F or 45°C).
- Stir until all lumps are gone and take off the heat. Stir in cacao powder and stir to make sure you dispel all powder lumps. Than add coconut sugar. Whisk vigorously until smooth -you can also transfer it in a high speed blender if you wish-.
- Transfer to a large metal bowl and using a spatula, rapidly spread the mixture along the entire surface of the bowl in order to lower its temperature (tempering). Keep tempering the chocolate until the bowl is cold.
- Line a baking try with paper parchment and pour tempered chocolate over it. Spread it heavenly with the help of a spatula. Set in the fridge for 30 minutes. Once the chocolate is set, turn out onto serving platters or wrap nicely.
- You can keep it both in or out of the fridge.
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