Raw Chocolates
Noah and I had so much fun making these. This batch made about 75 little chocolates in our mini tart molds. These are really rich, so maybe reduce the cacao from 1 cup to 1/2 cup or even remove them completely?
Noah and I had so much fun making these. This batch made about 75 little chocolates in our mini tart molds. These are really rich, so maybe reduce the cacao from 1 cup to 1/2 cup or even remove them completely?
- Carbohydrate 0 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 0 g
- Saturated Fat 0 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (9g)
- Sodium 0 mg
- Sugar 0 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Calories 0 calories
Step-by-step
- Whole Foods & Earth Fare had no idea what "Coconut Cream Concentrate" was. I figured it would be the equivalent of condensed milk, so I bought a can of coconut milk thickened with Guar Gum & it worked. The amount of sweetener you will add will be determined by whether or not the coconut milk is already sweetened
- MELTING:
- With raw, nothing can be heated over 118 F. Melt cocoa butter & add coconut cream concentrate & cacao nibs (in hopes they will melt! If they won't melt, don't fret. Everything solidifies anyway & it will still taste good. It's more important to not overheat as that compromises the nutrients). Consider reducing from 1 c cacao nibs to 1/4 or 1/2 cup. This is so rich, it could probably do without the nibs.
- Take pan away from heat, then slowly stir in other ingredients.
- POURING INTO MOLDS:
- Then, for the fun part! Be as creative as you want.
- Separate part of the mixture into 2 bowls & add sweet orange essential oil to 1 bowl & peppermint essential oil to the other.
- Put coconut shreds in some of the tart molds prior to pouring.
- Fill one tray of tart molds 1/2 full, then placed about 1 tsp peanut butter in the mold, then cover the rest of the way with chocolate (little peanut butter cup!)
- Fill one tray of tart molds, then stuff a cashew, almond, macadamia or other nut inside.
Operating on a strict budget requires careful management of expensive items like cocoa butter and coconut cream concentrate. Raw confections demand strict temperature oversight because exceeding 118 degrees Fahrenheit degrades raw nutrients and ruins the smooth mouthfeel. Adapting this formulation for different dietary restrictions is straightforward when adjusting the sweetener ratios to match unsweetened coconut bases. Scaling down the yield from seventy-five pieces is simple by halving all components proportionally.
- Keep the melting vessel below 118 degrees Fahrenheit using an infrared thermometer to verify safety limits.
- Substitute coconut milk thickened with guar gum for coconut cream concentrate at a one-to-one ratio if specialty stores lack stock.
- Stir sweeteners in slowly after removing the pan from the heat source to prevent seizing.
- Store finished confections in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
- Reduce the cacao nib quantity from one cup down to one-half cup if the texture turns excessively dense.
Cold storage hardens the cocoa butter fats quickly into a snap finish. Standard mini tart molds create uniform portions suitable for gift giving.
