If you’ve never tried raw chocolate before, you’re in for a treat.
This post is designed to take you from raw novice to advanced practitioner in just one delicious sitting.
I’ll give you my three favourite raw chocolate recipes (one is unbelievably simple – and low fat). I’ll also reveal my favourite raw chocolate company.
First, a let’s dive into why we should be switching from conventional chocolate to the real, raw stuff.
Is chocolate a superfood?
If you’re a chocaholic, like me, you were probably very happy when science decided that chocolate is good for us.
Raw, unprocessed cocoa beans are some of the best antioxidant foods on the planet.
What about the bad stuff in chocolate?
Unfortunately, cocoa is rarely unprocessed, and it’s often combined with unhealthy ingredients to form our favourite chocolatey snacks.
Here are some of the things in regular chocolate that offset cocoa’s natural health credentials:
Sugar
Oh, sugar. We probably don’t yet accept how truly bad you are.
From breakouts to diabetes to cancer, sugar is blamed for everything.
While many believe that it is OK in moderation, I would be happy to avoid the addictive, white, processed version forever. If I could keep maple syrup and honey, that is.
Fat
While most people no longer believe that fat is bad for us or that fat makes us fat, there are still problems with the fat in chocolate.
Firstly, calories. If you want to reduce your weight (like me) you probably want to minimize energy-dense foods – even the good ones like nuts and avocados.
But the quality is far more important than the quantity, because fat is so important in the body. Put simply, ‘bad’ fats cause cell damage.
Processed, heated vegetable oils become toxic, due to a change in their molecular structure.
Cheap chocolate probably means cheap oil, while raw chocolate usually contains raw cocoa butter, coconut oil or nut oils.
Additives
From pasteurised dairy to soya to artificial colours and flavourings, your favourite chocolate could be harbouring something very nasty.
Watch out for GM ingredients and stuff you can’t pronounce.
So, is raw chocolate better for health?
Without these things, raw chocolate is probably much better to eat than regular chocolate. But really, I would eat it anyway. It’s delicious.
My favourite (easy) raw chocolate recipes:
1. Raw walnut fudge
Minimal faff for maximum flavour. I like to enrich mine with extra virgin olive oil. It’s delicious, and olive oil is a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids – difficult to find in our modern diets.
2. 3 Ingredient raw chocolate truffles
I love this recipe! There’s no hard-to-find raw butter or oil here. And it’s easy to whip up in an emergency. Yes, chocolate emergencies exist. If you add a fourth ingredient, make it vanilla or sea salt.
3. Salted almond butter freezer fudge
Angela’s recipes always require a bit of work. But they’re so worth it. These sweet-and-slightly-salty treats are like an angelic version of Reece’s Pieces and are great for occasions. Store them in the freezer.
And for those days when life wins…
Try The Raw Chocolate Company. Everything they make is simply sublime.
Have your say!