That’s what I’m talking about.

One of my biggest vices has always been sweets, mainly chocolate. When I started seeing my Naturopath I told her about my sweet tooth and that I truly enjoy eating chocolate on a daily basis. Since I know that my body reacts very negatively to sugar, especially at this point in my journey, I should be avoiding processed sugar as much as possible. I had settled with fact that at this point in my life I just wouldn’t eat chocolate or at least not as often as I was before.

But then…my naturopath suggested that I make my own chocolate using raw cacao powder, coconut oil, stevia, and almond butter. I am very good at casino games at daisyslots and other clever things. But, why had I not thought of this? Brilliant. She recommended I do some searching online to find a recipe. And that is just what I did.

I found a recipe from Practical Paleo which served as my inspiration. I ended up creating these beautiful chocolates!!

I have been experimenting with different ingredients and amounts of ingredients. I have had a couple of flops (my first batch came out pretty bitter) but I would say that I am getting pretty darn good at making my own chocolates. I cannot believe how easy they are to make!

My friends at Navitas Naturals were kind enough to send me a bag of their Raw Cacao, Raw Cacao Nibs, and Coconut Sugar so that I could continue to experiment in making my own chocolates.

Their mission as a company is “to provide the finest organic superfoods that increase energy and enhance health.” Their products are all organic, non-GMO project verified, and provides a high quality and safe product. I am 100% behind this company. source

So far I have only used the cacao powder, but I know I will be using the other two ingredients at some point. I am super intrigued by the coconut sugar. Coconut sugar has a lower glycemic index than regular cane sugar so it helps an individual maintain a more steady blood sugar versus major blood sugar dips and spikes.

Raw cacao is one of the richest antioxidant sources found in nature. Not only that but it provides other important minerals like magnesium and iron. So yes, the rumors are true that dark chocolate is indeed good for you (in moderation of course).

You’re probably thinking, cut to the chase Melanie, I want to see this recipe! Okay okay here you go. This is my recipe for Mint Dark Chocolate which is my favorite recipe so far (the rest still need some tweaking).

In a microwave safe bowl, mix together 1/2 cup melted coconut oil with 1/2 cup cacao powder. You can use any cocoa powder but raw high quality is best and make sure it is unsweetened. You can find raw cacao by Navitas Naturals at Whole Foods and I found it at our local co-op as well.

Next, mix in 1/2 cup of almond butter. I use homemade but you can use store-bought, just make sure to look at the ingredient label and check that there is no sugar added!

Next, I add in 15-20 drops of liquid vanilla stevia. You can adjust the amount of drops to your liking. More if you like sweeter, less if you prefer not as sweet. Lastly, I add in a minuscule splash of mint extract. I have never really measured this but I would say 1/4 teaspoon or less.

Give this all one last good stir.

Next, drop the chocolate into mini cupcake liners ( I didn’t have these so I just used the normal sized ones) on a baking sheet. Once all of the chocolate is dispersed evenly among the liners, place the pan with the cupcake liners and chocolates in the freezer.

(Side note: the top chocolates in this picture below were an experiment that didn’t turn out to be my favorite so I am not sharing any recipe for those ones until I perfect them!). The chocolates on the bottom are the mint ones before they went into the freezer.

It doesn’t take long for these to set (20 minutes or so) so before too long you have yourself some tasty, sugar-free homemade dark chocolates! 

Since I had to use the normal sized cupcake liners, I cut my chocolates into quarters so that they were more bite-sized and I stored them in a Ziploc bag in the freezer.  If you used the mini cupcake liners you probably won’t need to cut them. You need to keep them in the freezer because they will melt at room temperature.

Now you can have your dark chocolate and eat it too! I hope you enjoy!