As I write this, both Valentine’s Day and Easter are fast approaching. Such holidays bring a certain amount of excitement but also dread to chocoholics everywhere. I’m one of those people, and I know I’m not alone 🙂

I know I’m not the only one who has a secret stash hidden somewhere. Or worse: who has secretly eaten from their children’s chocolate stash without asking! Or worse still: has kindly and sympathetically helped my child search for his missing chocolate, all the time knowing that I’d actually scoffed it myself the night before!!

Should I feel guilty eating my chocolate?

We’re confused by messages in the media which tell us, on the one hand, that chocolate is full of calories, makes us gain weight and should be eaten in moderation, for example, one square a day. (I nearly fell off my chair laughing in disbelief – I have NEVER been able to stop at just one square!)

On the other hand, there are also studies showing the benefits of chocolate. Raw cacao is full of healthy minerals and antioxidants. And dark chocolate may even improve blood flow and thereby lower blood pressure. Some other claims are that chocolate reduces cholesterol, reduces the risk of stroke, and is good for your brain. And of course, no one needs to tell us women that it helps to release more serotonin and therefore makes us feel happier!

It seems that the best way to eat chocolate is to buy dark, organic chocolate which is sweetened with something other than sugar. You can find various brands at a health food store, all with varying tastes and at higher-than-average prices. Imagine my glee, therefore, when I discovered, whilst browsing the internet one day, that you can make your own!

It’s actually really simple, and when I added up the cost of my homemade version it worked out at just under £2 per 100g. That’s actually a lot cheaper than most health food store equivalents. It’s cheaper still if you use coconut oil instead of cacao butter. So without further ado, here’s the recipe:

Easy Homemade Chocolate

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 5

Freezing Time 1

Total Time 1 15

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

1/2 Cup organic cocoa butter/coconut oil or around 80g
3 Tbsp organic cacao powder or around 20-35g depending on the density of your cacao powder
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup or around 35g

Method

Measure out the ingredients into a small, heat-proof bowl.
Heat gently over a saucepan of boiling water (a bain-marie) until the ingredients have all melted.
Remove from the heat, stir well, and pour into the chocolate moulds (you'll need two of the moulds shown), being careful not to overfill each one.
Carefully place the moulds, flat, in the freezer and freeze for one hour.
Pop out the chocolates and either eat straight away or store in an airtight container either in the fridge (if you've used cacao butter) or the freezer (if you've used coconut oil).

Notes

It’s best to use cocoa butter, as it makes the chocolate more creamy and doesn’t melt as quickly, but coconut oil is cheaper and is fine too.

Instead of maple syrup, you could use agave nectar, which gives the chocolate a more caramel-like flavour.

Here are links to the moulds and the cacao butter I use.

Enjoy!

If you’re generally not feeling your best and would like to make some changes, there are a lot of simple steps you can take by modifying your diet and lifestyle which can have a hugely beneficial effect on your overall health and energy levels, as well as help ease your symptoms. If you’re interested to find out more, jump on a free, 30-minute discovery call with me, I’d love to hear from you.

BOOK YOUR FREE DISCOVERY CALL HERE!

Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and does not replace advice given by your primary care provider. Please see your doctor if you’re considering making substantial changes to your diet and lifestyle.

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