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Healthy Homemade Chocolate Recipe

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chocolate recipe
Wellness Mama » Blog » Recipes » Healthy Homemade Chocolate Recipe

If there’s one guilty pleasure all moms enjoy, it’s chocolate! Thankfully there’s a way to justify indulging a little because chocolate (like wine) has some fantastic health benefits. The key is to choose quality chocolate from the right sources … or make your own homemade chocolate recipe.

It’s quick and easy and you have total control over the ingredients (and maybe even get to lick the spoon!). This recipe takes just a few ingredients. Melt over the stove, pour into molds, and … there you have it! The best chocolate that’s also healthy.

Why a Homemade Chocolate Recipe is the Best

It turns out that there are biological reasons why women crave chocolate. It may be for the magnesium boost (yes, chocolate contains magnesium). Or it could be for the feel-good serotonin and dopamine release that helps mood and sleep.

All chocolate is not created equal and most store-bought chocolate brands contain a lot more than cocoa powder. High fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, soy lecithin, artificial flavoring, and carrageenan make the list of objectionable ingredients in many commercial brands.

Then there’s the sugar content, which is a problem … just 1/3 of a Cadbury chocolate bar has 22 grams of sugar. That’s not to mention white chocolate which is made with milk powder, cacao butter, and lots and lots of sugar.

Thankfully more brands are making healthy chocolate options with less sugar and quality ingredients. One of my favorites is Spring and Mulberry. It’s sweetened only with dates (no refined sugars!) and they have delicious flavors like lavender rose, pear and ginger, and mixed berry.

Making your own is cheaper though, and you can easily control the ingredients.

You can stock up on the few ingredients needed to make chocolate (as well as a few silicone candy molds to make fun shapes). It’s a delicious way to whip up a batch of healthy chocolate!

How to Make Chocolate at Home

In search of a GAPS friendly (and gluten-free, dairy-free, etc.) healthy chocolate, I realized I wanted to make my own. This homemade version is smooth and delicious. You can avoid the artificial ingredients when you make your own chocolate from scratch.

Some recipes just involve melting semisweet chocolate chips, but then you’ll still need to search for a healthy chocolate to start with. Instead, I opted for unsweetened cocoa powder as the base.

If it’s your first time making chocolate, here’s how to do it step by step.

Making chocolate at home involves melting cocoa butter, cocoa powder, honey, and vanilla on the stove. I use a double boiler (or heat-safe bowl set over a pan with water). Next, you’ll pour the chocolate recipe into molds for it to set.

Choosing a Shape

I used these silicone heart molds to make fun bite-size chocolates (great gift idea!). This mini loaf pan is great for bar sizes. You can even find silicone molds in a chocolate bar shape if you want to be really authentic!

I’m gifting little jars of homemade heart chocolates for Easter this year. They’re great for Christmas, St. Nicholas Day, and other holiday gifts too! You can easily find silicone molds that match any holiday theme (or just make bars).

Different Flavor Options For Homemade Chocolate

Our family prefers the taste of dark chocolate over milk chocolate so the chocolate recipe isn’t overly sweet. If you prefer a bittersweet bar then reduce the honey to 1/4 cup for a more intense chocolate flavor. It’s easy to add a variety of different flavors and mix-ins to create a specialty taste.

Here are some flavor options to try!

  • Mix in dried fruit
  • Add a pinch of salt to the chocolate mix for a sweet and salty taste
  • Add chopped-up marshmallows to the molds before pouring the chocolate in
  • Try some healthy trail mix sprinkled on top
  • Add coconut flakes or chopped nuts
  • Use herbs like lavender or rose petals
  • Flavor it with peppermint, orange, lemon, almond, or vanilla extract
  • Add a teaspoon of brewed espresso for a mocha bar
chocolate recipe

Healthy Homemade Chocolate Recipe

A simple and delicious homemade chocolate that’s GAPS, paleo, and kid-approved! Customize the recipe to make your favorite flavor.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Cooling Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Calories 529kcal
Author Katie Wells

Servings

5 bars

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a double boiler on the stovetop, melt the cocoa butter over medium-low heat. You can also use a glass bowl on top of a small pan with a few inches of water in the bottom. Be sure the boiling water doesn’t get into the bowl!
  • Once the cocoa butter is melted, remove from heat and add cocoa powder, vanilla, and other flavor extracts.
  • Allow the mixture to cool slightly. When it’s the same thickness as the honey you’re using, stir in the honey. If using a solid raw honey, melt with the cocoa butter.
  • Make sure all the ingredients are well incorporated and smooth. Be careful not to get any water or moisture in the chocolate recipe or it will get grainy!
  • Pour the chocolate into silicone molds or a glass pan to harden. You can also pour it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  • Let chocolate harden for several hours at room temperature until firm and remove from the molds. You can also stick it in the refrigerator to harden more quickly.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Healthy Homemade Chocolate Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 529 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Fat 2g3%
Saturated Fat 27g169%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.4g
Monounsaturated Fat 15.4g
Sodium 5mg0%
Potassium 280mg8%
Carbohydrates 38g13%
Fiber 6g25%
Sugar 28g31%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin C 0.2mg0%
Calcium 24mg2%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

  • These chocolates will stay fresh for over a week at room temperature or in the refrigerator for longer. They can also be frozen.
  • The nutrition data is for 1 chocolate bar but will depend on the size mold you use and how much of the bar you eat. 

Like this recipe? Check out my new cookbook, or get all my recipes (over 500!) in a personalized weekly meal planner here!

This healthy homemade chocolate recipe is easy to make and healthy. It uses honey instead of sugar with cocoa butter and is GAPS, paleo and primal approved!

More Chocolate Recipe Tips

You can use coconut oil instead of cocoa butter. This makes a really healthy chocolate, but it won’t be as thick or creamy (but it’s still very good!). If you use coconut oil, I recommend hardening and storing them in the fridge. This is one easy way to add coconut oil and magnesium to your daily diet!

I’ve melted the mixture in a small pan on very low heat and haven’t had a problem, but it’s not as reliable as the double boiler method. 

Looking for More Homemade Chocolate Recipes? Try:

Have you ever made chocolate at home? What are your favorite flavors? Share below!

Sources

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Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

325 responses to “Healthy Homemade Chocolate Recipe”

  1. amber Avatar

    Hello! I am shopping for cacao butter. I currently use cocoa butter, but would like to switch to raw. Do you have any recommendations?

  2. Anjali Rai Avatar
    Anjali Rai

    This is one delicious recipe! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’d like to use True Elements Chocolate Granola with 100% Dark Chocolate for this recipe here as they are a Clean Label Food Brand which makes it trustworthy. Would definitely recommend this recipe to everyone. Thanks again for sharing such amazing recipe ?

  3. Helen Avatar

    5 stars
    I’ve made this a number of times and I’m having a repeating problem: every time, the honey separates to the bottom of the mold and I get chocolate on the top with a sticky honey layer on the bottom. The recipe tastes great and we happily eat it, but it would be really convenient to not have the sticky mess. Am I doing something wrong?

    1. Katie Wells Avatar

      That’s really strange… I haven’t had that happen before. Have you tried cooling it in the fridge to see if it can harden before it separates?

      1. Helen Avatar

        I let it cool on the counter until it’s not steaming anymore and then put it in the fridge. Maybe I should put it in sooner. I don’t know. It separates every time, without fail.

    2. margaret Avatar
      margaret

      3 stars
      Same is happening to me – all is well until i add the maple syrup. Then the mixture seizes into a lump and i can chase it round the pan like a pancake. left it on the counter to see what happens now. It would possibly still be ok to add coconut to make coconut balls perhaps but I wanted it to coat dates and that is definitely not going to happen with this pancake. 🙂

      1. Jaime Avatar

        This happened to me as well. The trick for me was to use a hand mixer & blend the chocolate before putting into molds. It emulsifies the honey & turned out great.

  4. Angela williams Avatar
    Angela williams

    I just made some date paste. Do you think this would work? Or not because I added water to the dates when I blended them? If not I suppose I could blend up some dates then add the melted butter/powder to the blender with some dates. If I did this how many dates do you think I should use? Maybe 2?

  5. Chi Lam Avatar

    5 stars
    Im finding a Chocolate recipies to help my chocolate project and this is what I need to do it

  6. Archita Garg Avatar
    Archita Garg

    i just want to know that cocoa powder should be sweetened or unsweetened?? and cocoa butter of which company should i use?

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