Who doesn’t like chocolate? But choose-your-level? What on earth does that mean?
If you have been following me on my blog, you know that I advocate for cutting back and minimizing refined and added sugar. Most commercial chocolate on the market these days is not only filled with sugar but all sorts of other ingredients and chemicals.
Therefore, most chocolate and candy bars on the market these days are a far cry from being the “superfood” that many claim cacao is.
Dark chocolate, on the other hand, contains significantly less sugar than its milk chocolate counterpart. The higher the percentage of cacao, the lower the sugar content contained in the chocolate.
The taste for some, however, is acquired. Dark chocolate with a high percentage of cacao can have a bitter taste if you’re not accustomed to it. As your taste buds change over time, you will enjoy higher percentages of cacao.
I usually suggest with commercial dark chocolate to start with 70%, and slowly work your way up to 85% then 90%. There exists 99% and 100% chocolate, which we will use in this recipe. On its own 100% chocolate is not sweet at all, therefore I absolutely do not suggest you start here.
The key to this recipe is that you can adjust the sweetness and flavours according to your taste buds. If you are new to dark chocolate, start with the higher amounts of sweetener, and add some flavour extracts. The more you become used to the taste, you can start lowering the sweetener levels, so that you can enjoy the benefits of cacao without all the extra sugar.
I have provided the basics for a small batch, in case you want to make multiple batches for multiple flavours, or just to test it out. For one large batch, just multiply all the ingredients to make more.
A simple and flexible chocolate recipe that allows you to choose the amount of sugar and flavour, depending on your taste preferences. It only takes minutes to prepare! If you are not accustomed to dark chocolate, it is best to start with the higher level of suggested sweetener and add a flavour, and slowly reduce the amount as your palate becomes accustomed to the rich chocolate flavours. However you enjoy your chocolate, there is an option for everyone!
5 minCook Time
5 minTotal Time
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Ingredients
- 2 oz 70%, 85%, 90%, or 100% unsweetened chocolate (you can usually find this in the baking chocolate aisle)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil or other fat of choice (butter, tallow, bacon grease...yes bacon grease! Just omit the salt)
- Dash sea salt
- Sweetener: choose-your-level of sweetness between 1 tsp and 2 tbsp of maple syrup or honey, or alternatively, 1-3 drops of stevia, or a combination. Or no sweetener at all if you have become accustomed to high percentage chocolate!
- Optional: 1-3 drops of flavour extract of choice, such as peppermint, orange, cherry, banana, vanilla, or a combination. (I was surprised how well banana turned out!)
Instructions
- Use a double boiler, or heat a pot of water and place a bowl over the water. Bring water to a boil, and place the chocolate and coconut oil in the upper chamber or in the bowl
- Once melted, remove from heat, and add the sea salt, sweetener and optional flavours. Stir well to combine.
- Carefully pour the chocolate into candy molds (I use silicone molds), and place in the fridge for 2 hours to set.
- Store chocolates in the fridge. Because of the coconut oil content, the chocolates will have a tendency to melt on your fingers if left at room temperature. But the texture from the coconut oil is so worth it.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Remember: if you want to make more chocolate at one time, just multiply the ingredients by however many ounces of chocolate you want to use (ie 2 tbsp coconut oil for 4 oz chocolate, etc)
Also Remember: The higher the percentage of cocoa in the chocolate, the less sugar it contains. So 70% chocolate will contain the most amount of sugar compared to 85% or 100%. I don't suggest adding extra sweetener to 70% or 85% chocolate, but that's just me!
