Did you know that chocolate (especially this chocolate bark) is actually quite good for you! The raw cacao kind is packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals like calcium, magnesium, sulfur, copper, iron, zinc, potassium, monounsaturated fat, and vitamins E, B2, B1, B5, B3 and B9. The issue with many chocolates out there is the sugar content and addition of preservatives and emulsifiers like lecithin and dairy.
I am IN LOVE with the pure 100% cacao, I’ve recently discovered Changing Habits Pure Cacao Melts. The melts are literally just cacao beans ground into a paste and set into coin-sized melts that you can use as you need. They are extremely bitter though, so I find I prefer to take the edge off them a bit with some more cacao butter (fat) and/or tahini, and a little pure vanilla powder.
This chocolate bark recipe uses the pure cacao melts and is completely sugar free (except for any sugar you use in fruits you decide to add, like incaberries). I have a piece most evenings after dinner!
Makes about 100g chocolate bark
Ingredients:
- 100g Changing Habits Pure Cacao Melts (literally just 100% chocolate)
- 50g cacao butter (I find the cacao melts just a little bitter so the extra fat helps to tone the bitterness down)
- 1 t vanilla powder
- Optional: 1 T tahini (or nut butter of choice)
Toppings
- 1-2 t black and/or white sesame seeds
- 1-2 t pepitas
- 2-3 T incaberries, halved
- optional: sweetener of choice like green stevia leaf powder
Method:
- Melt the cacao melts and cacao butter together in a glass or steel bowl that sits over a bath of very hot water.
- Add vanilla, tahini and sweetener if using and stir well.
- Transfer the melted mixture into a dish or baking tray that has been lined with baking paper (or a silicone mould).
- Sprinkle the seeds and incaberries on top.
- You can leave it to harden at room temperature or place it in the fridge to speed it up.
- It can be stored at room temperature, depending on the climate you live in.