It is the cacao butter that makes these chocolates so special! Cacao has a richer chocolate flavor that I really enjoy. The unsweetened baking chocolate along with the sunflower lecithin give these chocolates that melt in your mouth, silky-smooth texture that I love.

Cacao not Cocoa

I use cacao for my homemade dark chocolates, and not cocoa, like most recipes. Specifically cacao butter and not cocoa powder. So what’s the difference?

Cacao refers to products made from unroasted cacao beans, meaning cacao is cold-pressed cacao beans. Cacao is minimally processed and also raw for those on a raw diet. Whenever possible, I prefer products with the least amount of processing. What are the benefits of cacao? If you do a quick Google search you will find that it is believed that cacao is one of the highest sources of antioxidants.

Cocoa powder is heat-treated and processed. The roasting of the beans reduces some of the nutrition but it is more cost-effective which is why many chocolate recipes use cocoa powder.

• Organic Raw Cacao Butter

  • I prefer Terrasoul Superfoods Organic Cacao Butter but if that is not available I will use Navitas Organics Cacao Butter.

  • Terrasoul Superfoods Organic Cacao Butter is cold-pressed and made from the finest Peruvian Criollo variety cacao beans, and it is USDA Certified Organic, Non-GMO, Earth Kosher, Raw, Gluten-free and Vegan.

• Unsweetened Baking Chocolate (100% Cacao)

  • I typically buy Bakers Premium Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Bar 100% Cacao but I have also used the Ghirardelli 100% Cacao Unsweetened Chocolate Baking Bar

  • Baking chocolate makes these chocolates melt in your mouth

Sweetener of Your Choice

I like this recipe because I can use whatever sweetener I am in the mood for, and I can taste as I go to get the sweetness just right. Make sure whichever sweetener you use is in powdered form and not granular. Powder/Confectioners sweetener is important because it dissolves better. Granular sweetener doesn’t dissolve as well. I made that mistake before, and my chocolates were not smooth. I grind my sweeteners in a coffee grinder to make them into powder.

• Organic Raw Cane Sugar

  • Most people prefer cane sugar. This will make your chocolates taste similar to store-bought chocolate but better.

• Erythritol (Keto Friendly)

  • Erythritol is Penguin’s preferred sweetener. He likes Granular Swerve but lately, I have been using a sweetener that is a mix of both an erythritol and monk fruit extract.

• Lakanto Pure Monkfruit 30% Extract (Erythritol Free)

  • If I am avoiding sugar then the only sweetener I like is Lakanto Pure Monkfruit 30% Extract. I don’t like erythritol because I experience the cooling effect.

• Organic Raw Honey or Maple Syrup

  • If honey is your preferred sweetener, then add the honey earlier on in the cacao butter and baking chocolate melting process to make sure it completely dissolves.

  • Don’t wait till the chocolate mixture is removed from the heat to add the honey or it may not fully dissolve causing the chocolates to be sticky and difficult to remove from the candy molds.

  • I do not recommend candy molds that are thin, large or have a lot of detail if using honey or maple syrup because even if you mix well these sweeteners could still have a little bit of stick causing the chocolates to break when getting them out of their molds.

Why add sunflower lecithin?

The lecithin gives these chocolates that silky smooth consistency and prevents the ingredients from splitting. It also acts as an emulsifier and helps dissolve erythritol. You could try to use soy lecithin but I try to avoid soy products. Whichever lecithin you use make sure it is liquid or powdered lecithin and not granules.

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