Homemade Chocolates
by Julie at Build, Sew, Reap (http://buildsewreap.com)
Ingredients for the Chocolate:
- 1/4 cup organic unrefined coconut oil
- 1/4 cup organic cocoa powder (please buy fair trade)
- 1/8 cup organic maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp organic vanilla extract (optional)
- pinch of sea salt (optional but I like what this adds quite a bit)
Optional fillers:
- Natural peanut butter (the stuff with sugar would be too sweet in my opinion plus the natural stuff rolls into a ball easier)
- Coconut + an almond
- Banana
- Peanuts
- ?!?!? use your imagination!!
Directions:
1. Put mini muffin papers into 8 mini muffin tin holes. If you don't have the muffin tin, you can just use two muffin papers together for each candy and put them on a freezer-safe plate or tray.
2. Combine ingredients for the chocolate in a small pan over medium-low heat.
3. Stir constantly until all ingredients are combined and mixture looks smooth then immediately remove from the heat.
4. Pour a little dollop into each muffin cup. I think these were each filled about 1/4 of the way.
5. Add your filling.
Peanut Butter: Roll small balls of peanut butter in your hands. If you're using the natural stuff, this should be no problem at all. Put the PB ball in the center of the chocolate.
Coconut & Almond: Sprinkle some shredded unsweetened coconut across the surface of the chocolate. Gently press in one almond per candy.
6. Now pour the remaining chocolate into the 8 cups.
Optional: I like to sprinkle a little coconut on the ones containing coconut since I know not everyone is a fan and don't want any surprises. If I make several different varieties at once, I try to use some system to tell them apart once they're finished.
7. Pop the tray in the freezer for about 30 minutes. When they're firm, you can eat them right away or store them in the refrigerator.
Warning: If you're sensitive to caffeine, these are NOT a good late night snack unless you want to stay up all night crafting. I won't judge.
