I really try not to eat much sweet foods, but oh chocolate, dark chocolate, well that is my vice. I crave it sometimes and yes there are days that I do but some, but the best by far, is the chocolate that I make. Cos you get to choose what flavour, if any you want in it.
A few days ago, I fancied some dark chocolate, with cacao nibs and orange zest. I added some goji berries, as I do like a bit of chew in my chocolate sometimes and chopped up goji berries are perfect for that. You can see them all above with some cacao butter in the jar.
I am not one for measurements, I just make a rough judgement and put it in, but I have been making chocolate for a few years now, so I do know what I like. Above is the melted cacao butter.
To that I added some raw cacao, about 3 tablespoons, I think. Again it really depends on how strong you like your chocolate, so just experiment and see.
I then added one spoonful of coconut sugar, I don't want my chocolate too sweet, but again, you decide what is best for you. Experiment, experiment.
Then I added the cacao nibs, which are basically chopped up cacao beans. I do like to eat these, as they are. Just a little handful ever now and again. But they give such a lovely crunch.
Then it was time for the goji berries and orange zest. I love chocolate and orange together, but I know some people don't. So maybe try coconut or nuts instead, even a little chilli is real good too.
Like I said I really like orange in chocolate, so I added the juice of half a freshly picked orange. So good, and the fusion of both the cacao and orange smells so, so good.
Then it is time to mix it all up and have a wee taste, to make sure it is to your liking. This mix tasted divine!
Then It is into the molds it goes. I always make a bit of a mess, but that's okay cos then I get to eat what I spill, as do my girls. I put these into the fridge for a few hours, until they are nice and firm.
Me and my girls ate most of them, before I remembered to take a picture. Plus the photo was taken at night, which is not the best quality, but the taste really makes up for that.They never last long, but one a day is enough to satisfy me and that I reckon is the sign of good chocolate, when I piece fulfils your needs.
So to recap, here are the ingredients.
- Cacao Butter
- Ŕaw Cacao
- Coconut Sugar
- Cacao Nibs
- Goji Berries
- Orange Zest plus freshly squeezed orange juice.
I sometimes add vanilla essence and Lucuma if I have some. Like I said up above, experiement with different flavours. Making chocolate, really is a great time to be creative and it is super easy to make. I would love to hear about other people's chocolate making skills. @samstonehill , shared some wonderful chocolate he made with his son Esteben yesterday, it looked great. Do go check it out, to get even more inspired.
