Attention Chocolate fiends!

From "The Sunny Raw Kitchen"
For The Love of Chocolate

Ahhhhhhh Raw Cacao!
See pictures, recipes HERE

Gosh, it's hard to believe it's only been a little over a year since I've rediscovered chocolate. As I was mentioning in my All Things Chocolate post, Don and I hadn't had chocolate for many years when we heard the good news, that raw cacao is in fact a superfood, unlike it's infamous cooked cousin. Who would have thunk it, eh? Since then, I've been playing with raw cacao in its different forms - powder, beans, nibs, butter and paste - taking raw desserts to a whole new level. Bliss by the mouthful!


Chocol-Art
Maitres chocolatiers around the world will agree that making chocolate is a skillful art. 'Regular' chocolate is usually obtained by combining roasted cacao, cacao butter, milk, sugar and lecithin. The conventional method consists of a number of delicate steps, including conching and tempering. (See this article about "How Chocolate Works"). I have no doubt that raw chocolate making can be just as intricate a process, but I am in all respects still a toddler in the realm of chocolaterie, so I kept it simple. I've come to learn a few things along the way which I thought you might find helpful too.

One of the questions that immediately springs to mind in regards to making raw chocolate is: "How does one get the finished result to harden?" I've found that it's all about ratios... Most basic recipes seem to call for equal parts coconut or cacao butter, cacao powder and sweetener. From there, you can then experiment in order to achieve the taste and consistency you're looking for. For instance, add more coconut or cacao butter and your mixture will be firmer, a higher ratio of sweetener and you'll end up with more of a chocolate sauce. As is often the case, it's a trial and error thing, but don't be afraid to experiment. After all, the result will almost certainly taste yummy...

The Ingredients
Before I get into all the scrumptious confections I've been making, let's have a quick look at the ingredients that go into chocolate candy:

Coconut Oil/Butter - Coconut butter or oil (same thing, by the way) is firm at room temperature and is often used in order to harden chocolate. You can find coconut oil (make sure the label specifies that it's raw or processed at low temperatures!) at most health food stores. However, I find it can be outrageously expensive, especially when you use a lot. For my part, I prefer to order it online in pails. The Raw Food World sells Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil in a variety of sizes (15oz, 29 oz, 54 oz and 1 gallon pails) at super reasonable prices.

Cacao Butter - This is what white chocolate is made of. Cacao butter is the pure oil of the cacao bean. It melts at approximately 90 degrees Fahrenheit, which means it is even firmer than coconut butter at room temperature. This stuff is simply a-ma-zing!!! Makes for absolute decadent desserts! Cacao butter usually needs to be ordered online. I buy mine from Real Raw Food (a Canadian raw food distributor) or The Raw Food World.

Cacao Powder - The most common and popular form of cacao. Again, I prefer to buy online, as my local health food store sells it at an exorbitant price. You can find it at The Raw Food World in 16 oz packages for $19.95. Even Amazon carries it in its grocery section: 2 16 oz pouches for $25.00! Great price!

Cacao Paste - This is considered to be the best form of chocolate for making chocolate treats. (It's what my friend Chantale uses for the raw chocolate bars she sells at her raw deli.) Cacao paste is raw cacao beans processed into a super smooth consistency. It naturally contains about 50% cocoa butter. As I was working on this post, I found out that The Raw Food World is having a mega sale right now, offering it at cost until June 1st: $22.95 for a 2.2 lb Block - instead of the usual $34.95. Wowsers! If you've been meaning to experiment with cacao paste, this is your chance! But more about cacao paste a little later...

Cacao Beans and Nibs - Technically speaking, these could also be used to make chocolate candy, although it might be difficult to grind them finely enough to obtain a lovely smooth consistency.

Carob Powder - Carob has a sweet taste similar to chocolate, but with less fat and calories. It can be used as a substitute for, or in combination with, cacao powder in any recipe.

Sweeteners: Most recipes I've found call for either agave nectar, or maple syrup. The latter is not raw but provides a particularly rich and voluptuous flavor to the chocolate.

Added flavors - A variety of ingredients can be added to the basic chocolate mixture:

Vanilla (in extract, whole beans or powder form)
Nuts (almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts...)
Raisins
Superfoods - gogi berries, mulberries, lucuma, maca
Various extracts (almond, orange, hazelnut, peppermint...)

By the way, again, The Raw Food World is offering some of these items also at cost until June 1st, in case you'd like to stock up your pantry:

Cacao Beans (Naturally Covered in Dried Cacao Fruit) - $9.95, Normally $14.95
Cacao Beans 16oz - $11.95, Normally $17.95
Vanilla Powder - $13.95, Normally $22.49
10 Vanilla Beans - $13.00, Normally $21.00

She posted a ton of chocolate recipes in her newsletter-
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