Dark Chocolate Recipe | Eat Chocolate & Adventure On!

I love dark chocolate, and I decided it was time to start making my dark chocolates again. This homemade dark chocolate recipe is divine, has only six ingredients is dairy-free, and has different sweetener options. I love chocolate and I love adventures! I always pack a few to-go for our hiking, skiing, and exploring adventures. Eat chocolate and adventure on! UPDATED: 04/17/2022

Ingredients

3 oz (85 grams) Cacao Butter
2 1⁄2 oz (71 grams) Unsweetened Baking Chocolate (100% Cacao)
Preferred Sweetener: Powdered/Confectioners Erythritol (4-6 TBSP) OR Lakanto Pure Monkfruit 30% Extract (1/8-1/4+ tsp) OR Honey/Maple Syrup (2-3 TBSP)
1/4 tsp Liquid Sunflower Lecithin
1/8 tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Silicone Candy Molds

Directions

1) Grind salt using a mortar and pestle until it is super fine, almost like powder. Set aside.
2) If your sweetener is not in a powdered form, and you are not using Pure Monkfruit 30% Extract, then grind your granulated sweetener to a fine powder in batches for 30 seconds to 4 minutes using a coffee grinder. If you do not grind to a fine powder you will end up with gritty chocolates. Set aside.
3) Chop cacao butter and unsweetened baking chocolate.
4) Melt cacao butter and baking chocolate in a double boiler over low heat. You don’t need to bring the water to a boil, just a simmer. We don’t own a double boiler so I put a large metal bowl (I think I prefer the metal bowl) or a large glass Pyrex bowl on top of a 2 1/2 QT pot with a few inches of water in it. Do not let the water in the pot touch the bottom of the bowl.
5) Once cacao butter and baking chocolate are about half melted, stir in the sweetener, a little at a time, tasting as you go.
6) Stir in salt.
7) Stir in sunflower lecithin powder.
8) Heat until everything is smooth and dissolved.
9) Remove from heat.
10) Stir in vanilla extract.
11) Place silicone candy molds on top of a cutting board and then pour the melted chocolate mixture into the molds.
12) Let chocolates cool on the counter or refrigerate until firm.
13) Once firm, remove the chocolates from their molds. Since this chocolate is untempered it needs to be stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight jar.

Recommendations

You can buy most of these ingredients from Amazon. Don’t have the ingredients on hand? Save this to Pinterest and treat yourself later. If you love dark chocolate, I promise you won’t regret it.

  • Cacao Butter

  • Unsweetened Baking Chocolate (100% Cacao)

  • Sweeteners

    • The most important thing about the sweetener is to taste as you go!

    • Powdered/Confectioners Erythritol: Penguin likes Swerve

      • Everyone’s preference for sweets differs but it should be between 4-6 TBSP. Penguin prefers 5 TBSP, and others prefer 6 TBSP.

    • Lakanto Pure Monkfruit 30% Extract

      • I use 1/8 tsp when I want very dark chocolate, and 1/4 tsp when I want a little sweeter.

      • I purchased mine directly from Lakanto

    • Honey or Maple Syrup

      • 2 - 3 TBSP. I have used Trader Joe’s Organic Raw Honey and Bourbon Barrel-Aged Organic Maple Syrup.

      • Read my tips about using honey or maple syrup here.

    • Organic Raw Cane Sugar

      • 30-45 grams. Beware that sugar does not dissolve in cocoa butter.

      • You need to grind your cane sugar to an extremely fine powder but even then you made end up with gritty chocolates. They still taste good but are not as smooth as I prefer.

  • Sunflower Lecithin Powder

  • Salt: I use Kirkland Ground Himalayan Pink Salt

  • Vanilla Extract: I use the Pure Vanilla Extract from Costco

  • Silicone Candy Molds:

    • Webake Chocolate Molds Silicone Candy Molds: I like these molds because of the three different shapes. I can make different flavors and tell them apart. I also like these molds because I can vary how full I make them. If you want to make a smaller chocolate don’t fill them as much.

    • HIC Penguin Molds: I make my Penguin, Penguin chocolates :)

What makes these chocolates divine?

Wondering what makes these chocolates divine? Wondering why I add lecithin? Read more about these recipe ingredients in my What makes these chocolates divine? article.

Customize the Flavor

Customize the flavor of your homemade dark chocolates. Check out my Customize the Flavor article for suggestions.

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