With just four weeks until Christmas, I’m starting to think of gift ideas for friends and family. One gift that’s always popular is a box of home-made raw chocolates. Dark chocolate lovers go crazy for them (and that includes a few kids I know 😉 )
What I love about these chocolates is that they not only taste amazing, but they’re incredibly healthy! They’re brimming with ‘feel good’ nutrients and antioxidants (see this post for more details). They’re also dairy-free, gluten-free and sugar-free, making them suitable for those with allergies/intolerances as well as diabetics.
I love giving gifts that people are going to enjoy AND that will nourish them ♥
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be making lots of batches of raw chocolates, some for gifts and some to replenish our home stash. These are the chocolates that we’ll be savouring whilst we gorge ourselves on festive films during the holidays 😉
As I make them, I’d love to share a few recipes with you. If you haven’t tried making chocolates before, you should give it a go! I promise it’s very easy!
First up, I’d like to share my Raw Chocolate Goji Almonds Hearts. Whilst you can make these hearts 100% chocolate, I like to fill mine with fragments of goji berry and almonds, for added texture, flavour and nutrients.
I’ve updated my original recipe and measured out the ingredients in cups to make the recipe more accessible to my overseas friends ♥
Makes around 15 hearts
Hands on time: 20 minutes Ready in: 1 hour 20 minutes
Ingredients
65g / 2 1/3 oz / ½ cup cacao butter, very finely chopped
50g / 1¾ oz / ½ cup & 1 TBSP cacao powder
2½ – 3 TBSP Sweet Freedom fruit syrup (agave syrup can be used as an alternative)
2-3 TBSP whole or flaked almonds
2-3 TBSP goji berries
You will also need:
Medium-size saucepan, Heat-proof bowl, Whisk, Spoons, Chocolate mould
Method
Preparation:
Make sure that the utensils, mould and bowl are completely dry. It is very important to ensure that no water makes it way into the chocolate as it will ruin it.
Add a small amount of water to a saucepan and place a heat-proof bowl on top. Gently heat the water. Throughout the chocolate making process, you want to keep the water gently heated. On my electric hob, once the water has reached a simmer, I turn the heat down to 2. On a gas hob, I suggest turning the heat off once the cacao butter has melted and just give it an occasional blast of heat, if needed.
Finely chop the almonds and goji berries (I pulse them together in a mini chopper)
Finely chop the cacao butter. (If you run a sharp knife down the edge of the cacao butter it will flake into tiny shards)
Ready, set, go!
Place the cacao butter in the heat-proof bowl. Once melted, whisk in the cacao powder. Stir in the liquid sweetener. I use about 2½-3 TBSP Sweet Freedom. If using agave syrup, 2 TBSP should be sufficient. Taste test, and add more sweetener, if needed.
Tip the goji berries and almonds into one side of the heat-proof bowl and coat in half of the chocolate.
Pour a little of the plain chocolate into one of the heart moulds (this ensures that the chocolate will have a smooth top), then back-fill with some of the chocolatey fruit & nut mixture. (I use 2 teaspoons for this task so that I can direct the chocolate more accurately and avoid spillage). Repeat this process until the moulds are full up.
If you have any chocolate left over, spread it onto a silicon mat or piece of non stick baking paper and make yourself a mini chocolate bar 🙂
Allow the chocolates to cool before placing them in the fridge (I find this helps to prevent condensation forming on the chocolates). Leave for at least an hour. When they’re set, pop the chocolates out of the mould.
Raw chocolates are best stored in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer, where they’ll keep for weeks.
If you’d like to see some step-by-step pics of how to make these hearts, check out this post. It’s very old, and the pics are poor quality, but you’ll get the idea.
[This recipe has been submitted to Ricki Heller’s Wellness Weekend)
GIVEAWAY TIME!
It was Elements for Life that first ignited my passion for raw chocolate. This month marks their 3rd anniversary and, as part of their celebrations, they have very generously offered to give away three of their new-look Raw Chocolate Making Kits to my lovely blog readers ♥
They’ve recently re-vamped their chocolate making kit and it’s looking very smart indeed! It’s smaller in size, with all the goodies neatly arranged in two tiers. All the packaging is environmentally friendly too, including the cellophane bags which are made from wood pulp!
If you’re interested in trying raw chocolate-making, then these kits are perfect for you. They contain everything needed to get you started including:
♥ 100g Ecuadorian Raw Cacao Powder
♥ 120g Ecuadorian Raw Cacao Butter
♥ 100ml Sweet Freedom, Natural Fruit Syrup
♥ Reusable Silicone Chocolate Mould
♥ Product info and recipes
To be in with a chance of winning one of the kits, leave me a comment answering the question featured in the Rafflecopter below. Do make sure you tick the box in the Rafflecopter to register that you have done so! If you’re new to Rafflecopter, it’s pretty easy! You simply ‘log in’ by clicking the ‘Use Your Email’ button and entering a name and email address (which won’t be published anywhere) or you can log in via the Facebook button. A quick demo of how to use Rafflecopter can be accessed via this link.
There are a number of additional ways you can enter in order to increase your chances of winning. You will find these listed in the Rafflecopter. All entries will be verified prior to the winner being selected.
The giveaway is open to all UK residents, aged 18 and over (so sorry international readers but we’re restricted by postage costs!)
The closing date is Monday 9th December 2013 at midnight GMT.
Good luck everyone! xx
Please note: This post contains an Amazon affiliate link – if you click on the link and purchase something I will receive a small percentage which will go towards the development of Bit of the Good Stuff. Thanks in advance!
Ive made peppermint bark at xmas to give as gifts before, would like to make healthier ones like this though
Good luck Leigh!
p.s. I’ve never had peppermint bark myself but I’ve seen it in pics and it looks amazing! I’ll have to check out some recipes and try my hand at making some 🙂
I have made chipotle cinnamon truffles before. I would love to make some raw truffles!
Me too! Raw truffles is top of my list! Elements for Life have an awesome recipe on their site which uses avocado for the truffle centre. Apparently you can’t taste it at all but it gives the truffles a beautiful, silky smooth texture. I’ve got 4 avocados sitting in the fruit bowl and I’m desperate for them to ripen!
Oh wow, I bet the avocados make the raw truffles amazing! Thanks for the great idea!
I’ve made raw chocolate with dessicated coconut a couple of times and found they were very yummy, I would really like to try making some with Lime Essential oil as I have read this goes well with dark chocolate 🙂 xxx
I love the choc & lime combo too! I’ve made Ani Phyo’s Raw Key Lime Kream Bars (https://bitofthegoodstuff.com/?p=5222) and coated them in raw chocolate. They were scrumptious! I’ve never use Lime essential oil in my chocs though. I definitely need to check this out! xx
So disappointed that I can’t enter this competition, it looks really amazing.
I’m so sorry Lilli… I wish the postage costs were lower so we could open it up to overseas 🙁
Wow they look fab! I’ve never made them, but it’s been in my mind for a couple of years. Would LOVE to win this! And btw…. I have a ripe avocado sitting in my fridge, might give these truffles you talk about a go 😀
Yes you must give it a go! The raw chocolate truffles are meant to be amazing. Here’s the recipe that I’ve got my eye on… http://www.elementsforlife.co.uk/recipes/raw-chocolate-truffles If you haven’t got raw chocolate powder & cocoa butter, you might be able to buy it from your local health food store. Otherwise, Elements for Life (mentioned in my post) have a fantastic range of products that you can order online xx
we have made easter egggs before
I made homemade chocolates and fudge for my wedding favours, although because of much stress and time wasted we just ended up melting other cheap chocolate into moulds :S cheater!!
I’m definitely going to have to give lime raw chocolates a whirl. I’ve got plenty of raw cacao and some lovely organic lime essential oils….. Add a twist of lime zest too me thinks… 🙂
These are simply gorgeous Sharon! You already know how much I love gojis and chocolate together.
What a fantastic little kit. I’ve never made raw chocolates using cacao butter before but would love to have a go. I love the heart-shaped mould 🙂
Thanks for the chance to win.
Yum I love making raw chocolates. I need to get some more cacao butter though. I made some nice chocolate orange ones before, I think lavender would be cool to experiment with.
I have not tried chocolate making before but I am interested in trying so I can have more ‘control’ over the ingredients used.
As I am a novice I would try your recipe for the goji hearts first before experimenting.
What fabulous looking and sounding chocolate and good luck everyone on the giveaway
xx
I’ve not made my own raw chocolate before, but after trying ‘raw Chocolate Pie’ whilst in St. Ives, I’d love to have a go!
I’ve never made chocolates at home, I’ve always been too intimidated! These look like they would be awesome to try 🙂
Yummmm I love goji berries 🙂 Ive only made raw chocs once before, these ones a next on my to-make list 🙂
I would love to win this…your chocolates look awesome!
I’ve never made chocolates at home before, but would love to try. I think I would try adding lemon oil with Matcha tea, and Acai with freeze dried raspberry bits. I would also like to recreate a hazelnut praline, that’s always a favourite with me.
No never done anything like it before
I’d love to have a try at making those raw chocolate goji hearts!