Healthy Homemade Chocolate Candy

Candy-making ratio

I promised you my favorite healthy homemade chocolate candy recipe, didn’t I?  I’ve been tweaking this one for about 2 years, and I’ve found a version that suits my particular health needs perfectly.

Translation:  no gluten so that I’m not sicksicksick, no sugar so my blood glucose doesn’t soar, and extra virgin coconut oil which my body does well with to maintain my weight.   I usually consume 1-2 tablespoons of high quality coconut oil a day, and this is the most pleasant way for me to do that since I don’t like coffee with coconut added.  A lot of my paleo and diabetic friends are loving this recipe, too.

I have recently added a few extras–coconut flakes and slivered almonds…and sometimes cranberries.  It’s up to you what you want to add but here’s what works for me, step by step.  Play with the ratio if you want a different taste and play with the ingredients if you want a different consistency.   To make it bitterer, add more cocoa.  To make it sweeter, add more xylitol.

– Xylitol to sweeten.  (you can try stevia, but for baking and candies, I prefer Xylitol, the diabetic’s sugar)

– Organic unsweetened cocoa  (sometimes I go for dark cocoa vs the lighter shade)

– Extra virgin coconut oil (skip the cheap, big jar that costs you only $5 for a six-month supply!–invest in the extra virgin or at least virgin)

Ingredients I use:

– Xylitol to sweeten.  (you can try stevia, but for baking and candies, I prefer Xylitol, the diabetic’s sugar)

– Organic unsweetened cocoa  (sometimes I go for dark cocoa vs the lighter shade)

– Extra virgin coconut oil (skip the cheap, big jar that costs you only $5 for a six-month supply!–invest in the extra virgin or at least virgin)

The Mold

I initially made this recipe using tiny muffin tins or just wax paper on top of a cake pan, but last year my daughter spotted this flexible silicon candy mold from Wilton at a Michael’s store in Destin and I knew exactly how I’d use it!

I’ve discovered that for this particular mold, I need to use 12 tablespoons of cocoa, 12 of oil, and 12 of xylitol.  However, if I add yummy extras like coconut flakes and almonds, I need only 9 tablespoons of each.  You’ll have to play with your amounts, depending on the mold you use.

Ingredient #1 – Xylitol

I like to measure out all my ingredients in advance, mainly because I’m a little ADHD and get distracted.  Here, I’ve measured out 9 tablespoons of my preferred sweetener.  All sweeteners will affect blood sugar, but for me this one has the least reaction and it mixes best with this recipe when melting and then cooling.

Ingredient #2 – Cocoa

The second ingredient in my recipe if organic unsweetened cocoa.  If you’re not aware of it already, cocoa is extremely bitter.  But no worries–the Xylitol will temper that bitterness.  Here I’ve measured out the first tablespoon of 9.

Ingredient #3 – Coconut Oil

Ingredient #3 is coconut oil– the purer, the better. This is one of my favorite brands but not the only one that’s high quality.  My grocery stores don’t carry it.  I usually find it locally at a health food store or a speciality grocery store across the bridge in Destin.

Coconut oil is solid to semi-solid at room temp.  If your kitchen is hot, you store it up high, or it’s extra warm in the house, it may be completely liquid.

Here, I’ve scooped out 9 level tablespoons of  oil and emptied them direct into the pot I’ll use to melt the ingredients.

Over medium heat, the goopy semi-solid oil quickly melts to clear oil.

The best way to mix:

I’ve tried this several different ways and the best and cleanest way to get the right blend of bitter and sweet with the oil is stir in the cocoa first, until it is melted over medium heat.  You’ll have a light oily chocolate, thin consistency when the cocoa has completely dissolved.

Last, add in the Xylitol.  Stir it in over medium heat.  Just keep stirring as it dissolves.  Try to make sure that the power has dissolved completely so there is no powder or chunks left.  You should have a thicker consistency but completely liquid.  Be careful of the heat so that you don’t burn your chocolate!  Turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner.

Adding extra goodies:

I prefer to add unsweetened coconut flakes and slivered almonds to this candy, not only because I like the taste and texture but also because the extra ingredients help keep the xylitol and oil from separating as quickly in the freezer where I tend to store these candies…though they don’t get stored very long (I usually make this recipe once a week).

I barely cover the bottom of each square in the candy mold with coconut flakes.  Then I do the same with almonds.

To finish:

With or without the added ingredients of coconut flakes and almonds, I simply spoon the liquid chocolate into each square, then pop the entire tray into the freezer until the candies are solid.  After, I store them in the refrigerate or longer term in the freezer.

Question to the reader:

How did you tweak this recipe to make it yours?

If you liked this recipe:

Please consider picking up Magick’ly Delicious, the cookbook I wrote several years ago. Warning: I wrote it before I drastically changed my diet, but there are still some fun things in there.

Or, if fiction is your thing, check out my paranormal suspense thriller, The Secret Lives of Librarians, or one of my suspense novels or romance novels in the columns to the right. Thanks!


Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *