A vegan dark chocolate recipe that is so easy it means that chocolate is only ever a recipe away!
Since ditching my food rules, particularly the one where I’d tell myself I couldn’t have chocolate on weekdays, I feel much more relaxed around chocolate. I can have a bar of chocolate last for days in the fridge or on the kitchen benchtop when, in the past, I’d feel that I needed to eat it all. I felt I needed to get it out of the house!
As a consequence, I felt out of control around chocolate. I felt that I couldn’t trust myself around it.
I now know that my restriction and deprivation led to the uncontrollable feelings I had around chocolate.
Once I let go of trying to control my consumption of chocolate and turned my attention to being mindful of every mouthful, the overeating dissipated. It’s counterintuitive, I know.
It is the attempts to control our eating that leads our eating to feel out of control.
Now, I pretty much have chocolate available in the house at all times. Or at least keep ingredients on hand for making my own or some other chocolatey dessert, such as chocolate avocado mousse or truffles.
Allow me to share my vegan dark chocolate recipe.
Vegan Dark Chocolate
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup cacao butter
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup or other liquid sweetener such as rice malt or agave nectar
- ½ cup cacao powder
Instructions
- Finely slice the cacao butter (similar to the thickness of Parmesan cheese shavings).
- Melt cacao butter and coconut oil in a bowl submerged in hot water. Do not allow the water to boil or to contaminate the mixture as it will ruin the chocolate.
- Combine the cacao powder and chosen sweetener until a smooth consistency is achieved. Adjust sweetness if necessary.
- Pour into dry mould or patty pans and place in the fridge to set (minimum 15 minutes). Ensure moulds are thoroughly dry and handle chocolates as little as possible to preserve the gloss finish.
- Serve straight from the fridge.
Notes
Cacao Butter
Cacao butter can be expensive and hard to come by. But it is the best way to create a firm, snappy chocolate.
If you can’t access it, not to worry. You can omit the cacao butter and use coconut oil only in its place. The main difference is it will melt at room temperature and rapidly between your fingers. However, the taste is similar.
Vegan chocolate made with coconut oil is delicious shaved on desserts, as a topping for slices or as a crunchy topping on ice cream. However, it will be best straight from the fridge.
Agave Nectar
Agave nectar and natural sweeteners have had a bad rap in the media. Yes, they are predominately simple sugars, as is cane sugar, and therefore should be eaten in moderation with consideration of total sugar consumption.
I chose maple syrup or agave nectar for my chocolate recipe because they create a smooth finish. Honey can become gritty when refrigerated and is not vegan. However, you’re welcome to use honey if you’re not vegan or you don’t mind the texture of honey. Over to you!
Have you tried making your own chocolate?
I’d love to hear what recipe you followed and how it turned out. Or let me know if you give this recipe for vegan dark chocolate a go.
Love chocolate?
Me too. I believe that chocolate is one of life’s joys!
Thus, you’ll find many other chocolate recipes on this website, such as:
