Homemade Dark Chocolates

These homemade dark chocolates are rich, decadent and easily customizable! Add in your sweetener of choice, and some fruit or nuts and let it set in the fridge. Dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, paleo.

Homemade dark chocolates? But can’t you just buy those in the store??

Making chocolates myself was never really something I thought to try. It’s all too easy to go to the grocery store and select one off the huge display of different sweets.

Well, that is until recently, when I realized that there are a few good reasons why I (and you) may want to give it a try.

Firstly, I am trying to cut back on my waste, and while a lot of chocolates come wrapped in paper, the ones I like to buy are often lined with aluminum foil, which is not recyclable where I live. I decided to try to find an alternative chocolate bar I liked, but was also not willing to switch to plastic packaging, since I’m also trying to cut that down.

I’ve recently discovered Azure Standard (not sponsored, but I do get a small commission if you click my link and place an order), a delivery service to particular locations (all around the US now, I believe).

They carry various sizes of products, including bulk, and you can often purchase products that are organic, and in paper bags. That is huge for someone trying to cut back on their plastic use. I purchase the cacao powder, as well as the cocoa butter through them, and love both products.

Secondly, I love that you can customize the chocolates however you want, when you make them yourself. It’s really easy to toss in a few chopped almonds, or to add a little mint extract and be on your merry way. If you’re trying to avoid sugar, then it’s really easy to use stevia, erythritol or maple syrup.

They take just a few minutes, plus you can control all the ingredients that go in them!

The only two ingredients you need for these homemade dark chocolates are cocoa or cacao powder, and cocoa butter. If you cannot find cocoa butter anywhere, you can also use coconut oil. I recommend refined coconut oil, unless you want them to taste like coconut (which is equally delicious, I might add).

Cocoa butter is my recommendation, if you want a really well-rounded chocolate flavor. It’s rich, nutty and just adds that extra something. But coconut oil does great also, so long as you store them in the fridge, since it melts around 75F.

You will start by melting the cocoa butter or coconut oil in a pan or double boiler. You want to aim for one cup of melted cocoa/coconut. The best way to do this accurately is with a scale, if you have one. One cup of cocoa butter weighs 230 grams. If not, you will want to estimate how much cocoa butter would fill the cup, if it was all liquid.

Remove the melted oil from the heat and add in one cup of cocoa or cacao powder, which weights 118 grams. Mix until combined and there are no clumps.

As far as sweetener goes, you can use any type you like, and in whatever proportion you like. I really like using stevia, and did around 15 drops to suit my taste, but the beauty of this recipe is that it can be eaten raw, so you can taste it as you go. Add just a little sweetener, then taste, and add a little more. Repeat until you find what you like best.

If you want to mix in some chopped nuts, small chunks of dried fruit, or a splash of extract of your choosing, now would be the time. I recommend using dried fruit, rather than fresh, unless you plan to eat them all right away. The fresh fruit will mold within a week or two.

You will want to then pour the liquid into molds before it solidifies. I like these silicone chocolate molds (affiliate link).

How much extract should I use if I want to add some?

I recommend starting with just a splash (1/4 teaspoon), and tasting it to see if its enough. Some extracts are stronger than others, so if you are using something like mint or maple, you may want to start with even less (1/8 teaspoon) and go up from there. You don’t want to overdo it on the extract, trust me!

How should I store these? Can they be left out at room temperature?

I recommend keeping these in the fridge, especially if it’s warm in your house. You definitely don’t want to find that they’ve all melted in your cabinets. You can keep them in the fridge for up to a month with no problems, perhaps even longer (I haven’t tried, since they all disappeared quicky). You can also store them in the freezer, in an air-tight container, for several months.

If you give these homemade dark chocolates a try, please let me know what you think in the comments below. Also be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest so you don’t miss a recipe!

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