If you have a sweet tooth as I do or you simply like trying out recipes, here is good news for you.
With just four main ingredients, three of which are available in abundance at Organic Trade and Investments, you can make delicious homemade chocolate at home.
These are Natural or Alkalised Cocoa Powder, Natural Raw Cocoa
Butter and Raw Wild Honey.
The best part is, this recipe is wholly organic, sugar-free and dairy-free thus, making it perfect for everybody.
The benefits of all the ingredients make dark chocolate a healthy power-packed confectionary.
Research suggests consuming cocoa powder can increase your body's anti-inflammatory response, and reduce the risk of stroke and cardiac-related diseases.
Researchers in Germany have said substances found in cocoa, fruit and tea could help healthy people keep their heart and circulation in good working order as they get older.
In an article by the Guardian, it is stated that “the EU-funded project used powdered drinks provided by Mars which contained flavanols extracted from fresh cocoa beans. But the same substances are found in other foods, such as apples, pears, pomegranate and tea. The study is one of the first to look at the effects of flavanols in healthy people”.
A doctor at the University Hospital Düsseldorf, Christian Heiss, stated that while most research into the health effects of flavanols was centered on people with high blood pressure or other medical conditions, the latest pilot study suggested the compounds might benefit healthy people too.
Cocoa butter on the other hand contains vitamin E that maintains healthy skin and eyes and helps to boost your immune system. Vitamin K helps blood clotting, therefore, enabling wounds to heal quickly.
Honey which will be the sweetener in this recipe is famous for its antifungal and antibacterial properties.
Research has shown that raw honey can kill unwanted bacteria and fungus as it naturally contains
Below is the step by step process to help you make delicious dark chocolate.
Things you need: 1. Double boiler (Improvise by putting a steel pan over a pot of boiling water). 2. Candy molds or chocolate molds.
Ingredients
1 cup OTI Natural Cocoa Powder
⅓ cup OTI Raw Wild Honey (or maple syrup for vegan or if preferred)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Cooking Instructions
Place cocoa butter chunk(s) or pieces into the upper insert of the double boiler (the ban in the hot water bath), approximately get one cup of melted cocoa butter. Be sure no water touches the bottom of the pan or gets inside.
Alternately, you can slowly melt the butter in an oven-proof pan at 200 degrees.
Pour the melted, measured cocoa butter into a medium-sized mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients.
Stir thoroughly to mix well.
Fill moulds to suit your preference to get a solid shape.
Refrigerate the mould for at least 3 hours to fully harden the chocolates.
After this, you can unmold your chocolates as they are ready to eat or stored at a steady room temperature.
Storage Instructions:
Keep your chocolates at a steady room temperature or in your refrigerator to protect them from fat bloom. This occurs when chocolate is exposed to fluctuating temperatures, rising above 75 degrees Fahrenheit and then dropping in temperature.
The cocoa butter rises to the surface and leaves white speckles on the surface. Keep them in well-sealed, cool, dry storage jars.
We are leaving you with this short video on how to make homemade chocolate candies with OTI Natural Cocoa Butter. Give it a try and let's know what you think of this recipe.
