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Home-made dark chocolate

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Arabella Forge's home-made chocolate Easter eggs are made with a base of cocoa butter, coconut oil or a mixture of both.
Arabella Forge's home-made chocolate Easter eggs are made with a base of cocoa butter, coconut oil or a mixture of both.Eddie Jim

This gluten-free, dairy-free recipe has a smooth, creamy flavour; similar to a very dark couverture chocolate. It has a melting temperature of roughly 28- 30C, which makes it suitable for gift-giving (if the weather is mild!)

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Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup (55g) cocoa butter

  • 1 1/2 level tablespoons of coconut oil (at room temperature – it should be soft, but not liquid)

  • 5 tablespoons raw cacao

  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon mixed spice

  • 2 generous tablespoons honey*, rice malt syrup or other sweetener (* honey is not vegan)

  • dash of vanilla

Method

  1. Melt the cocoa butter gently in a steamer or place it in a small bowl in a saucepan of hot water over a stove top on low heat. Stir frequently until it melts. Be patient. Do not let it overheat or boil. Then, let it rest at room temperature, but make sure it doesn't harden again.

    Make sure the coconut oil is soft, but still reasonably firm; like thick cream. If it is too runny (like liquid), you will need to place it in the fridge for a little while to harden, and it if it is solid you will need to soften it in a bowl of luke-warm water.

    Place the coconut oil in a deep mixing bowl. Add the cocoa butter and begin to whisk. When they are blended together and smooth, add the remaining ingredients, and keep whisking. It should thicken a little bit as the mixture cools.

    Check for flavour; if you want a richer chocolate, add more cocoa. For a sweeter blend, add more honey. Pour into chocolate moulds and refrigerate immediately. Remove from moulds and serve cold.

    VARIATION

    Goji berry chocolate: Add 2 tbsp finely chopped goji berries to the melted chocolate before pouring it into the moulds.

    For more variations, see full story.


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