Valentine’s Day will soon be upon us and what’s a better excuse to indulge in some chocolaty goodness? Heck, we don’t need Valentine’s to eat chocolate, and we are sure you don’t either. Dig into these easy yet delish chocolate recipes that will have you going ‘yum!’ any time of the year.
Raspberry and vanilla chocolate bliss balls
INGREDIENTS
½ cup cashew butter (homemade or store bought is fine)
3 tbsp rice malt syrup
½ cup desiccated coconut
½ cup coconut flour
½ tsp vanilla paste
Zest of 1 lime, plus juice of a half
¼ cup freeze dried raspberries
1 bar of Pana Chocolate
½ tsp coconut oil, melted
METHOD
1. Place cashew butter, rice malt syrup, lime juice and zest into bowl & mix together.
2. Break off 2 squares of Pana Chocolate, chop into small cubes.
3. Combine the dry ingredients, crumble the freeze-dried raspberries and sprinkle in the chopped chocolate, and massage together with hands to combine.
4. Divide the mix into 10 portions, then roll into balls and place them in the fridge.
5. Melt remaining chocolate in a bowl over another bowl filled with boiling water, add coconut oil to help it melt to a nice smooth consistency.
6. Take the bliss balls from out of the fridge and drizzle the melted chocolate over them with a spoon.
7. Return to the fridge to set the chocolate.
Chocolate covered strawberries
INGREDIENTS
150g organic dark chocolate, chopped roughly
500g fresh organic strawberries (stems on), washed
Optional: 50g organic milk or white chocolate, melted
METHOD
1. Add dark chocolate to a heat-proof bowl over simmering water, stirring until chocolate is smooth and melted.
2. Holding strawberries by their stem, dip each one in the melted chocolate (about ¾ of the berry) then lightly place on a baking paper-lined wire rack, stem side down. Place wire rack in the refrigerator until chocolate is hardened.
3. Optional: drizzle melted milk or white chocolate in crisscross lines across the hardened chocolate, then place back in the fridge until set.
Raw brownies
INGREDIENTS
2 cups organic walnuts
1 cup organic raw cacao
¼ tsp sea salt
2 ½ cups Medjool dates, pitted
1 cup organic walnuts, roughly chopped
METHOD
1. Blend 2 cups of walnuts until finely ground. Add cacao and salt to blender until combined.
2. Add dates gradually to blender. Mixture will appear crumbly, but should be slightly sticky when pressed. Add more dates if needed.
3. Transfer to a large bowl and add the roughly chopped walnuts. Press into a lined baking tin and refrigerate or freeze until ready to serve. Sprinkle with extra cacao powder lightly then enjoy!
Recipes and pictures courtesy Flannerys Organic & Wholefood Market