Homemade Dark Chocolate

Here’s a simple and easy recipe to make your own vegan/organic chocolate at home, with little-to-no equipment!

My love for chocolate is probably first on my list of things to satisfy on a daily basis (terrible habit, I know). But I thought I’d nourish my cravings in a cheaper and healthier way by using ingredients straight out of my pantry (no extra costs) and by knowing that the ingredients going into the making of this chocolate are pure, sugar-free and my cocoa essentials are even locally sourced from the Dominican Republic.

I had no idea that chocolate could be made from simply mixing cocoa butter and cocoa powder. All it takes is to heat up the butter, whisk in the powder, and freeze it to achieve a solid consistency. Now, some recipes I read substitute the cocoa butter with coconut oil which is more affordable and easily found at any grocery store. But I chose to make my chocolate as chocolate-y as possible by jam packing everything cocoa I had. And doing half/half cocoa butter and coconut oil.

The process took a little longer to evenly whisk the honey and the cocoa powder to ensure that the sweetness level was equal throughout and that the chocolate didn’t have a grainy texture. I would suggest using a sweetener in liquid form to facilitate the mixing process. Perhaps Drizzle Honey will be next on my list to use in my chocolate making?

You’ll know that your chocolate mix is ready for pouring when it looks like this: not too liquid and not to viscous. Add more powder if it’s too runny or add more oil or sweetener if the mixture is too thick. Then give it a taste to see if it meets your expectations. The worst thing to have happen is to completely finish a batch of goodies and realize that it tastes awful. There’s no rush to pouring the chocolate so take your time and add whatever else you need to make it taste fantastic.

Total time: 2-3 hours
Makes 20-25 small chocolates

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup cocoa butter
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup maple syrup honey (can use any sweetener of choice)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp sea salt

Instructions:

1. Melt the cocoa butter and coconut oil over low heat.
2. Once the oils are fully melted, add the honey and vanilla extract and start whisking.
3. Slowly add the cocoa powder (two tablespoons at a time) and continue whisking the mixture.
4. Once all the cocoa powder is in the mix, sprinkle the sea salt and finish stirring.
5. The consistency should be pourable but not too runny. Grab a small spoon and start pouring the mixture into your preferred molds. (You can find yours on Amazon!)
6. Place your filled molds in the freezer for at least an hour. You can check the solidity of your chocolates by feel.
7. Keep them refrigerated so they don’t melt!