Ingredients

Directions

Chocolate Base:
• 1/2 cup (~110g) coconut oil (melted as instructed below)
• 1.5 tsp (~3-4g) soy lecithin powder
• 100 g cacao butter (melted as instructed below)
• 100 g cacao paste (melted as instructed below)
• 1/2 cup honey (melted as instructed below)
• 100 g pitted and diced dates (about 5 or 6 whole dates)
• 1/8 to 1/4 tsp (~1/5 g) sea salt (salt to taste)
• ½ tbsp Vanilla Extract
• ½ tbsp Cinnamon

Dry Add Ins:
• 50 g cacao powder
• 65 g coconut (shredded or flakes)
• 65 g dried goji berries
• 50 g maca root powder
• 50 g cacao nibs
• 50 g fresh bee pollen (dried is also fine)

Optional Toppings/Stuffings/Flavors:
• Herbs! I’ve used 14 g of finely busted peppermint for a very subtle and neat taste, next time I’m going to try 28 g for a stronger flavour – I love peppermint! I may also experiment with Basil or Lemon Verbena in the future.
• Creamed honey, peanut butter, or anything else you might want to stuff or top your chocolates with! You could also easily make your own chocolate covered almonds using this recipe.

Suggested Equipment:

• Large shallow pot (or several smaller pots)
• 4 ‘heat-safe’ glass containers (mason jars, measuring cups, etc.)
• Kitchen scale
• Mixing Bowl
• Rubber Spatula
• Wooden Spoon
• Sharp knife
• Optional – Molds for chocolates

To prepare the chocolate:

1. Melt the solids. Don’t use the microwave or stovetop. Low heat is key to keeping the chocolate raw and healthy! Plus, who wants to blast their food with microwave radiation!?

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. The water level should be low enough to accommodate the 4 glass containers without overflowing into the containers.
• Measure out the coconut oil, cocoa butter, cocoa paste, honey, and soy lecithin. Put the ingredients into individual glass containers, with the exception of the soy lecithin; mix this with the coconut oil.
NOTE: It would be wise to warm up your containers by running the outside under hot water prior to putting the ingredients in (to avoid mixing in water by accident). This is to prevent the glass from shattering due to extreme temperature fluctuation.
• When the water has started to boil remove it from the heat and let it sit for 2-3 minutes.
• Place the glass containers into the hot water to melt the solids. Stir occasionally. The solids will melt faster if they are chopped/broken into smaller pieces before being placed into the containers.
• Optional – If you are using any herbs for your chocolate mix them into the coconut oil/soy lecithin container now.

2. Dice the dates. While your solids are melting, remove the pits from your dates and dice them into very small pieces. The pieces will stick together, but should break apart easily when mixed with the coconut oil in the coming steps. Put the diced dates into the mixing bowl.

3. Mix in the melted solids.

• First, mix in the coconut oil and break apart all the pieces of dates as best as you can using the rubber spatula.
• Mix in the honey
• Mix in the cocoa butter
• Mix in the cocoa paste
NOTE: Be sure to mix thoroughly after adding each ingredient to ensure an even blend!

4. Add the sea salt, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Mix thoroughly!

5. Add in the dry ingredients. I usually will mix all the dry ingredients together first, then mix them into the chocolate base all at once. Mix thoroughly!

6. That’s it! The only thing left to do is form the chocolate into whatever shape you want and place it in the freezer to set. I use an ice cube tray that makes bite sized chocolates (as shown in the picture). You can also roll the chocolates into balls (messy!); press it into a large flat piece using two baking sheets and wax paper, or anything you want. You could even leave it in a giant lump and cut pieces off as you go! Get creative! Just make sure to mix up the chocolate each time you take some out to ensure you get an even blend all the way through.

Enjoy!