Dark chocolate chilli and orange flowers
Author Notes:
After a life-changing medical experience, Joanne Wood decided to have a complete overhaul of her diet and now shares her experiences and recipes on her popular blog The Balanced Kitchen and Instagram account.
To make these you will need silicon moulds.
There are 3 recipe options:
- Coconut Oil gives a creamier texture and tends to melt more easily in warmer weather if left at room temp. Cheapest option and easy to prepare.
- 100% dark chocolate is becoming more widely available in supermarkets and shops. This recipe is mid-price, of the three options, is easy to prepare and gives a nice, hard consistency for finished chocolates.
- Cacao Butter is more expensive and harder to source (health shop or buy online) but can be kept in the freezer and melted down as needed. Best bought in button-sized pieces for ease of using the quantity needed. Gives a harder consistency than coconut oil for the chocolates once prepared.
Ingredients
Option 1: Coconut oil
100 g coconut oil
25 g raw cacao powder
1.5 tbsp xylitol – powdered xylitol ground to a powder in a coffee grinder
2 tsp orange zest
1 pinch chilli powder
Option 2: 100% dark chocolate
100 g 100% dark chocolate
1.5 tbsp xylitol – powdered xylitol ground to a powder in a coffee grinder
2 tsp orange zest
1 pinch chilli powder
Option 3: Cacao butter
100 g cacao butter
25 g dark cocoa powder
1.5 tbsp xylitol – powdered xylitol ground to a powder in a coffee grinder
2 tsp orange zest
1 pinch chilli powder
Instructions
1
For all options, begin by melting the coconut oil / dark chocolate / cacao butter in a bain-marie (place a bowl over the top of a pan which has two inches of water in it. Heat the water over a medium heat until the ingredients have melted, stirring continuously. Do not allow the bowl to touch the water.
2
Once the coconut oil / dark chocolate / cacao butter has melted, remove the bowl from the pan and turn off the heat. Place the bowl on a heat proof surface and stir in the raw cacao or dark cocoa powder (NB: you do not need to add chocolate to the 100% dark chocolate option).
3
Next, add the powdered xylitol and a pinch of chilli powder and stir until combined.
4
Place the chocolate silicon mould on to a moveable flat surface (a baking tray or chopping board works well).
5
Sprinkle a small amount of orange zest into each mould.
6
Now spoon the chocolate mixture on top until each mould is full.
7
Leave to set in the fridge for a few hours before removing each chocolate from its mould and storing in a suitable airtight container.
8
It is best to eat these within 4 days of making them (not that they will last that long) as the chocolate can start to crystallise after then.
Categories:Desserts
Lara Balsam
