For those of you who may be looking for a healthier chocolate for Halloween and the other holidays coming up, here is an amazing recipe that you can use as a base for just about any recipe that calls for chocolate. It’s gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar-free. The best part is it is very simple and very easy. I use honey for sweetness but you could use maple syrup or another preferred sweetener.
You can add nuts, dried fruit, extracts such as vanilla, almond, or peppermint, or anything else you can think of. Or you can simply enjoy it as is.
To make bars or shapes out of the chocolate, you can use any kind of flexible mold. I used a flexible ice cube tray that I got at IKEA for the above picture. You can also buy molds in many different shapes and sizes at craft stores or online.
The only downside of this chocolate is that it will melt at room temperature so it needs to stay in either the fridge or freezer. I hope you enjoy it! Happy Halloween!
Homemade Chocolate Recipe (gluten, dairy, and sugar-free)
- 2 cups raw cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup coconut oil, melted on low heat
- 1-2 tablespoons vanilla extract (optional)
- 1/2 – 3/4 cups honey, raw if possible, to taste (how much it really up to you and how sweet you want it)
Steps:
1. Heat oil slowly over low-medium heat in a saucepan. Mix in the honey and vanilla. Then mix in the cacao powder. Make sure it never boils or gets above medium heat (or 110 F).
2. Pour mixture into an 8 x 8 pan and put it in the freezer or refrigerator to harden. Cut off chunks of chocolate and enjoy. You can also use flexible molds as mentioned above to make it easier to remove as well as make it look like special candy treats for kids.
A note about GAPS: My understanding about cocoa is that once you have been on GAPS for while, you can experiment with cocoa and see if you can tolerate it.
Why does it look purple? Smile. I hope you’re well. Love love love!
Tasnim
HI Tasnim
So funny – someone else asked me this recently. On my computer it looks like chocolate but there must be a hint of purple in the picture to be showing up this way on some people’s computers. I love photography – but I am not a photographer so who knows!
sarah
Honey is on my list of sensitive foods. What could I use in place of the honey for this candy?
Hi Carol,
If you can do any other kind of sweetener, most would work. I would try maple syrup first or another unprocessed sweetener. If you can’t do any of these and can only do stevia, I am not sure it would work because the honey makes up a good part of the recipe. But it doesn’t hurt to try it . I would do a half or quarter batch to start if you are unsure. good luck!
Sarah
i would not be calling it Sugar free, for it is not, honey, maple syrup and all that is still sugar!
HI Dannie,
I agree, it is still sweetened. However, it is not “sugar.” Honey is digested in a completely different way than sugar because sugar is a disaccharide, along with Brown Sugar, Processed Sweets, Pure Maple Syrup (http://www.wellfedhomestead.com/what-kinds-of-carbs-are-allowed-on-the-gaps-diet). It is approved on GAPS and SCD diets because it is easy to digest. Here is a response from a doctor who responded to the same issue in another one of my posts:
“I just wanted to provide a little professional insight to the “sugar free” issue. While honey is a sweetener it isn’t sugar so the terminology is correct. Plus there is a world of difference in how sugar and honey are utilized in the body. Raw honey contains many minerals and enzymes that cause it to be uptaken slowly and it has been used medicinally for centuries because of its constituents. White sugar has NO redeeming qualities. It’s true that all sweeteners can contribute to inflammation but when honey is used judiciously it can be very therapeutic. BTW I’m a naturopath and a biological medicine doc.”
Can’t we use butter in place of coconut oil?
Hi Rupali,
Yes I think this would be fine. The recipe was designed to be dairy-free but I am sure this would work. enjoy!
Looks so good!
Hi There
You say you can use Stevia. I only have powdered Stevia. Would that work instead of the honey?
Thanks