For my fellow dark chocolate lovers, this might just be my best recipe yet. However, before we get to the recipe, let’s discuss some health reasons to indulge in dark chocolate, my three tips for selecting a healthy dark chocolate (for those who would rather indulge in store-bought) and then finally I'll show you how to make your own healthy Dark Chocolates with Smoked Sea Salt!
“The first death by chocolate occurred in the 17th Century in Mexico. The people were so addicted to chocolate they refused to adhere to a chocolate ban that forbid them from eating it during church services. The Bishop who passed the law was later found dead due to poison being mixed into his daily cup of chocolate.”
Just a fun fact you can share with your friends and family while serving them today’s recipe for healthy Dark Chocolates with Smoked Sea Salt. One bite and you will think you’ve died and gone to chocolate heaven.
Healthy Reasons to Indulge in Dark Chocolate
In recent years, dark chocolate earned “super food” status, due to its high polyphenol content. The polyphenols in dark chocolate have been reported to:
- Combat inflammation
- Reduce blood pressure
- Inhibit oxidation of cholesterol
- Improve blood flow
- Increase levels of serotonin in the brain
Now, before you reach for a Hershey's Special Dark, understand, the health benefits of chocolate do not come in packages loaded with sugar or milk. Milk chocolate, by the way, has far less, if any of the health-promoting properties of dark chocolate. In fact, studies done on the health benefits of chocolate, use cocoa powder or dark chocolate with a high cocoa content.
3 Tips for Selecting Healthy Dark Chocolate
With a large number of chocolate options available, it can be confusing to understand which chocolate bars offer health benefits, and which are little more than extra sugar and fat. Don’t be misled by the advertising on milk chocolate products claiming the health benefits of dark chocolate consumption.
1. When shopping for dark chocolate, look for 80% or higher, cocoa content. Typically, the higher the cocoa percentage, the less sugar in the bar.
2. Like coffee, if you are concerned about fair wages and working conditions, look for chocolate that is fair trade. Pesticide use is widespread on cocoa farms. Organic chocolate starts the process off right by using cocoa beans grown without the use of pesticides.
3. To get the most for your chocolate buck, check the ingredient label, there should be three maybe four ingredients; cocoa, cocoa butter, sugar and vanilla.
Make Your Own Dark Chocolate
I freely admit, I am a dark chocolate snob (I'm a coffee snob as well). I have sampled my fair share of 80-99% dark chocolates and if I had to pick my all-time favorite, it would be Alter Eco 85% Dark Chocolate Blackout. I usually pick up a few, okay, more like four, bars, each week on our Saturday shopping trip to Whole Foods. No, it's not all for me, my husband indulges in daily dark chocolate as well.
I've made different variations of dark chocolate several times, combining ghee and coconut oil, however, never experimented with raw cocoa butter. Boy, even though I adore my other recipes, using cocoa butter amps it up to a whole new level. I am hooked. I even got my husband hooked. Oh, and by the way, the addition of smoked Celtic sea salt, is out of this world.
Just like selecting a healthy dark chocolate bar, making homemade healthy dark chocolate starts with high quality ingredients. Be sure to click on the hyperlinks provided in the recipe below for the products I used.
One last word to the wise, the best way to enjoy dark chocolate is to put it in your mouth and let it melt. I introduced a friend to 90% dark chocolate once and she took a bite and promptly spit it out. Said it tasted like dirt. It's kind of like drinking wine versus water, sip and enjoy, don't chug.
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.” ~ Charles M. Schulz
Ingredients
- 2 oz. Cocoa Butter
- 2 oz. Cocoa Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 1/16 tsp. (pinch) Pure Stevia Extract
- Smoked Celtic Sea Salt
Directions
- With a box grater, grate cocoa butter. Using a kitchen scale, weigh out 2 oz. Save any extra for your next batch.
- Fill large mixing bowl with very hot tap water.
- Add grated cocoa butter to Pyrex measuring cup with pouring spout and place inside large bowl (filled with hot water).
- With a spoon, stir gently until cocoa butter is completely melted and smooth. Takes about 3-5 minutes. Be very careful to not splash any water into cocoa butter.
- To melted cocoa butter add cocoa powder, vanilla extract and stevia.
- Mix again until smooth.
- Line mini-muffin tin with non-stick liners or use silicone candy molds and then fill evenly.
- Sprinkle each chocolate cup with a small pinch of smoked sea salt.
- Speed set in freezer for 15 minutes and then transfer to refrigerator for storage in a sealed container.
- Feel free to add another sprinkle of smoked sea salt to the top before indulging.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition Information Per Chocolate: 50 calories, 5 g fat, 3 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 2 g NET CARBS, 1 g protein
Click +1 Below. Do you like dark chocolate?
Yes, this certainly may be your best recipe ever! Finding dark chocolate not made on lines that also process wheat is also a concern here so this is great. Pinning it and making it soon!!
I am more sensitive to dairy cross contamination. Some dark chocolates even though they don’t contain dairy end up in a dairy reaction in my body.
What exactly is cocoa butter?
From the Navitas Naturals website: Navitas Naturals Cacao Butter is the pure, cold-pressed oil of the cacao bean – the source of all cocoa products. Critical to chocolate recipes, cacao butter is a nontoxic solid that melts at body temperature. Cacao butter is made by pressing ground, milled cacao nibs to make a cocoa paste. This process separates the thick and creamy butter from the fibrous powder. Low temperature processing ensures that quality standards are met, and no chemicals or solvents are ever used in the process.
body temp….. so this will also melt on your fingers when you hold it to eat right? Must. Stay. In. Fridge. ?
Yes
Just made these, but decided to add some shredded unsweetened coconut flakes to the chocolate and add a little erythritol to the sweetener, and it came out fantastic. What a simple and great recipe. Can’t wait to make the next batch – may try adding extract or flavoring next time, or perhaps even a pinch of cayenne!
This looks wonderful! Wondering if there are other sweeteners I could use… honey? Stevia leaves an aftertaste for me that resembles the artificial sweeteners even though everyone assures me it’s good. I’m a little slower to get on sweetener bandwagons. When I finally decided to try agave, I learned that most of it is poorly processed. I’m not opposed to using cane sugar in my sweets.
Kim, I have only tried stevia in this recipe.
My kids only know dark chocolate. 🙂 They love it.
I make our own with coconut oil, raw cocoa powder, and raw honey or coconut sugar. My 2 year old gets little pieces as rewards for using the potty. 🙂
I had heard from a friend, but haven’t researched, that cocoa is high in phytic acid. Is that true?
Do you think this would be a good recipe to make chocolate chips for baking?
Example; I make the chocolate, let it set up, then chop it into ‘chips’. Afterward, could I then add them to grain free chocolate chip cookies and bake them?
I think they would melt too quickly.
When you add the vanilla extract, doesn’t the liquid cause clamping and separation as would water cause it?
Thank you!
No, not when you make it with cocoa powder.
Thank you so much!! I’m so excited to make this!
This is another recipe I can add when I speak to women about Ovarian Cancer that you can treat yourself. You stated let it melt in your mouth. I add a glass of red wine, savor both the wine and the chocolate. You not only enjoying both, but you are also teaching your body to slow down and relax.