How to make your own chocolate

Are you an abstainer or a moderator?

Years ago, I read about this and discovered I was an abstainer. If that makes as much sense to you as it did when I first heard it, let me explain.

I need to not buy chocolate if I want to avoid devouring the sweet chocolatey goodness in one hit, maybe two. A block of Lindt in one day? Easy! The addictive nature of refined sugar works on me. Definitely an abstainer.

You?

Perhaps you are one of those bewildering people who has chocolate in the cupboard for days, weeks and sometimes even months, unfinished and even more bizarrely, untouched.

How do you do that?!

In my efforts to lean more towards moderating than abstaining when it comes to chocolate, because I ain’t giving it up, I’ve tapped. Of course! ?

And now, I no longer desire sickly sweet blocks of chocolate on my weekly shopping list. Because that’s how they taste to me now, sickly sweet. Tapping works on cravings too. ?

But good chocolate that’s not filled with refined sugar? Yes please!

And so, I now make my own. Gooey and delicious without the sugar hit, and I’ve become a moderator. But two weeks max and definitely not months.

Here is my version of the recipe for chocolate bars from The Healthy Chef. (I don’t buy her powder mix so make my own version, but lots of great recipes on her site!)

DIY chocolate

1/2 cup cacao butter (or coconut oil if it’s ok for your belly)
                ! Melt this while you mix the other ingredients together.
1/2 cup tahini, peanut butter or a nut butter (the butters are sweeter so may require less sweetener)
                ! If it’s been in the fridge, I add this to the warm cacao butter to help it soften before mixing.
1/3 cup cacao (or cocoa if like me, cacao leaves you buzzing)
1/3 cup protein powder (vanilla adds nicely to the flavour)
1/3 cup maca powder or carob powder (carob is sweeter)
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
2 tablespoons maple syrup or rice malt syrup (add last so you can adjust the amount to taste)
Add coconut, buckwheat crisps, berries, peppermint, cinnamon or whatever takes your chocolatey fancy.

Spread the mixture in a lined 20 x 20cm dish and leave it in the fridge until set and ready to cut. Or the freezer if you really can’t wait. ?

Enjoy! And let me know what you think.

xo Justine ?