There's a lot of hype around raw chocolate (Cacao) at the moment. So I thought why not give it whirl, as I love chocolate & if I can make a healthier option then why not try!
Ill be honest I bought the cacao powder from Holland & Barrett months ago and its just sat in my cupboard as I wasn't 100% sure what to do with it. Till I finally took to good old trustworthy Google and Pinterest to get some recipe ideas.
First recipe I tried was for the Raw Cacao Bliss Balls, probably the most simple & easiest things I've ever made! So do not ne afraid. They only have 6 ingredients and no baking is involved.
I then made the Raw Cacao Brownie which is even more simple which has all of 4 ingredient and again no baking.
Cacao Benefits:
- Can lower blood pressure
- Improve digestion
- Known to enhance physical & mental well-being
- It is a huge antioxidant
- Its an aphrodisiac
- The best one of all it is pretty much guilt free (in moderation of course)
So there are just a few reasons why Cacao is good for you, with it being raw & completely untouched.
Below are the recipes for both.
Cacao Bliss Balls
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of cashews blended until smooth (or cheat and but cashew nut butter)
- 2 tablespoons of raw honey or agave nectar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 8 pitted medjool dates
- 2 table spoons of raw cacao powder
- 1 cup of desiccated coconut (for coating)
- 1 cup of chopped nuts (for coating)
Method:
- Place all of the ingredients in the blender (except the coconut & chopped nuts) mix well until smooth
- Use your hands to roll the mixture in to small balls
- Pour the coconut & chopped nuts on to a chopping board and roll each of the balls until coated
- place on baking tray and pop in fridge till hard
These will keep for around 2 weeks
Raw Brownie
Ingredients:
- 1 1/3 cups walnuts
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 1/2 cup cacao powder
- 1 cup pitted medjool dates
Method:
- In a food processor, process 1 cup of the walnuts and the almonds until they are nearly at a crumbly consistency.
- Add in the cacao powder and process till well combined
- Add the dates a couple at a time and continue to blitz until the mixture is sticky and holds together
- If the mixture is a little dry or crumbly, add a few tablespoons of water.
- Press mixture into tin/baking dish lined with baking paper.
- Chop left over walnuts roughly
- Place the chopped walnuts on top of the brownie & push them in slightly
- Place into fridge for 2-3 hours
- If you cannot wait that long, place into freezer for at least 1 hour.
As you can see, I put dried fruits & desiccated coconut on top of my brownie as well.
Hope you enjoyed reading this. Let me know if you try any of these recipes :)
Enjoy x