08 Mar Raw Chocolate Bark

Posted at 00:00h in Recipes by

I’ve been known to enjoy chocolate. Enjoy it so much I experiment with homemade and often raw options. Most raw chocolate recipes rely heavily on coconut oil which is good and good for you; however, it can quickly melt and be messy to eat. Not wishing to deter anyone from enjoying the health benefits of raw chocolate (richest food source of important magnesium), I decided to swap out the coconut oil for raw cacao butter. Cacao butter stays solid at room temperature and has a higher melting point than coconut oil. Cacao butter is also the main ingredient in white chocolate. It’s easy to work with, shelf-stable and smells DIVINE!.

Since cacao butter comes in various sized chunks, I decided to weigh the amount rather than use traditional measuring cups. Weighing is an excellent option for awkward shaped items, and a scale is a great investment for every kitchen. (Just in case you don’t have a scale, the volume was roughly 3/4 cup.)

Please be creative with toppings. We had leftover toasted coconut from Robb’s Father’s Day carrot cake (thank you, Ben), and I love how pretty goji berries and pumpkin seeds look. Of course, I take every opportunity to sprinkle hemp hearts on things….but use what you have and use what you love.

Raw Chocolate Bark

100 grams cacao butter -approx 3/4 cup (I used Giddy Yoyo)
6 tablespoons raw cacao powder – taste after 5 T – that may be enough (I used Giddy Yoyo)
2 tablespoons maple syrup (taste after 1 T – that may be enough)
2 tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons goji berries
2 tablespoons toasted coconut flakes or shredded coconut
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
pinch of salt

Warm cacao butter in a double boiler until it becomes liquid. Once liquid, add maple syrup and cacao powder – tasting as you go as you may prefer more or less of each. Pour onto parchment-lined pan  (I used an 11 x 7 inch pan). Set in fridge for 10 – 15 minutes.

Once partially set, add remaining ingredients. By letting mixture sit a few minutes, your ingredients won’t “sink” to the bottom of the mixture and will look decorative. I made this mistake the first time, adding ingredients right away and they went straight to the bottom. The bark was still tasty, but I think it looks better when the added toppings are sitting nicely on the surface.

Once firm, break into pieces and store in fridge or freezer. This is healthy enough to enjoy for breakfast – I’m not kidding!