{Guest Post} Recipe Collection: Chocolate Bars

This is a guest post by Letitia of “Sometimes I Feel Like a Porcupine” with some additions and graphics by Rustina.

Why have I been buying chocolate at the store!? Well, it’s because I’m lazy, but that’s not the point. The point is, chocolate is so easy to make at home and it can actually be kind of healthy!

These are the ingredients in a Hershey’s chocolate bar: MILK CHOCOLATE (SUGAR; MILK; CHOCOLATE; COCOA BUTTER; LACTOSE; MILK
FAT; SOY LECITHIN; PGPR; EMULSIFIER; VANILLIN; ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR). 

Why consume all those additives when you can make real, healthy chocolate at home?

This recipe is one my mom makes on occasion that I adapted to fit my tastes. Are you ready? Seriously, this is the best chocolate and so easy to make!

Homemade Chocolate Bars

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cacao powder
• 1 cup coconut oil (could probably be lessened a bit)
• 1 cup coconut palm sugar (This can be lessened or increased depending on taste. I did 3/4 a cup and it still tasted great.)

Optional: almonds, coconut flakes, vanilla, cinnamon, peanut butter, dried fruit, Cream Cheese Frosting for filling, Butterscotch Sauce, etc. Basically anything you can imagine that you would like to add. This time, I decided to add chopped walnuts and dried blueberries. I also did some with a layer of this recipe, cream cheese frosting, and covered in melted baking chocolate.

Fun facts about these ingredients:

• Coconut palm sugar has a low glycemic index of 35.  The glycemic index rates carbohydrates on a scale from 0-100 in terms of how quickly blood sugar levels rise after eating it. For comparison, an apple has a glycemic index of 40, high fructose corn syrup is 87, and fructose is 100. In general, the higher the glycemic index, the faster the food is absorbed which causes a rapid rise in blood sugar.
• Cacao is the raw, unprocessed form of chocolate. In addition to containing more antioxidant flavonoids than blueberries, red wine, and black and green teas, cacao also contains vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, and healthy fats! Is it also a fermented food (you know, like yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi, those kinds of things)! You want raw, unprocessed cacao powder, not cocoa powder. Cocoa powder has been processed and stripped of most of its nutrients.
• Coconut oil is a good fat. It is a medium chain fatty acid (MCT) unlike other cooking oils that are longer chain fatty acids (LCT).
  While LCTs are stored as fat, MTCs are burned up quickly and actually increase the body’s metabolism, aiding in weight loss. The medium chain fats in coconut oil are very similar to the fats in breastmilk and offer similar health properties. Coconut oil also contains lauric aid which has anti-microbial and anti-viral properties. 

Now, back to the important things. Here’s the hard part: mix everything together, put it in a pan, and stick it in the refrigerator. DONE. Now that’s my kind of cooking.

All done! Now it is in the refrigerator to harden so I can partake of its yummy delectable-ness. You will need to keep it in the refrigerator or freezer because coconut oil will liquify at around 76 degrees (unless of course you want chocolate sauce).

If you’re wondering if I’m still sticking to my healthy weight goal, yes, I am. I usually get one healthy treat per day and that’s when I chose to eat a small piece of this.

It’s seriously good, people. Try it.

So, did you try it? 

*This post contains affiliate links for products that I own and love*

I am a stay at home mom to two beautiful little boys. They are 26 months and 8 months and into everything! My husband is a wonderfully supportive and strong person and I am blessed to be his wife. I try to find balance in all areas of life, but sometimes there is a mountain on one end and a mole hill on the other. I have enjoyed writing for as long as I can remember and I recently took the plunge into internet blogging. Prior to becoming a stay at home mom, I was a teacher and a guidance counselor. Maybe when the boys are older I will return to counseling in some form. I am a logical realist on the outside, but I am an artist at heart and I am so excited to be sharing my victories, disappointments, and everyday ramblings with others. Visit her at “Sometimes I Feel Like a Porcupine.”

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