Homemade raw chocolate is super high in antioxidants. Making it yourself will guarantee the best nutrition. To keep your chocolate “raw,” keep the temperature under 108 degrees F. This will maintain all the great enzymes and nutrition in the chocolate. But beware, the stimulants in raw cacao can be potent. Don’t eat before bed.

• 

• 

• 

Homemade Raw Chocolate

• 12 oz cacao butter*
• ¼ + cup honey or maple syrup to taste (¼ tsp monkfruit extract can be used to cut down on other sweetener as needed)
• ½ t vanilla extract
• Pinch sea salt
• 9 oz cacao powder                         

1. On low heat, warm cacao butter or coconut oil in double boiler until melted. Add sweetener, vanilla, sea salt, cacao powder and mix well as you warm the ingredients.
2. Optional: tempering can be used by cooling, warming, and repeating this cycle a few times. I don’t find it is worth the extra work.
3. Pour into silicon molds and refrigerate until solid. Alternatively, pour over nuts or dried fruit on parchment paper and refrigerate until solid.

*Coconut oil can be substituted for cacao butter to save money but it is not as good and melts in your hands quickly.

*oz measured by weight. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, use 2 cups of chunky cacao butter and 2 cups of cacao powder.

In the past, I have used dried blueberries, apricots, walnuts, almonds, sunflower butter, and more in my homemade raw chocolate. Let me know what variations you use and report back!

Linda is passionate about educating the importance of food on our overall health bringing empowerment and good health to those willing to learn. Linda’s motto, “Attaining health one bite at a time,” is achieved through simplifying nutrition and healthy food preparation without sacrificing taste. Ask about personal plant-based cooking instruction and health consultations.