By Caroline Edgar
Magic Ingredients:
1/2 cup raw almond butter
1/2 cup whole organic almonds, chopped
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp cashew butter (or an extra tbsp of almond butter)
2 tbsp almond meal
4 tbsp coconut flakes
1 tbsp cacao nibs
10 dried dates (cut into quarters)
1 tbsp coconut sugar (or a splash of vanilla essence)
What To Do:
On a low heat in a small saucepan, slowly melt the almond butter, cashew butter and coconut oil together until you reach a thinner consistency and everything is melted.
In a flour blender or food processor, blend whole almonds into smaller chunks (or you can chop them by hand, but a blender is quicker!)
Take the almond butter off the heat and stir in the almond meal and coconut sugar, mixing well with a wooden spoon and thickening up the mixture
Place in the chopped almonds, dried dates, coconut flakes and cacao nibs and stir them throughout. Make sure it’s evenly distributed through the wet mixture to get the right texture!
Line a container with baking paper and use a tablespoon to get the right amount of almond cluster mixture, and remove it off the spoon and onto the baking paper with a teaspoon. Makes 10-14 depending on how big your scoops are!
Place in the freezer for an hour to firm up the clusters, and so that they can be removed from the baking paper with any hassles.
Raw Chocolate
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup cacao butter, melted (or an extra 1/4 cup of melted coconut oil)
4 tbsp coconut nectar
4 tbsp cacao powder (I used 3 tbsp cacao, 1 tbsp carob)
1-2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of fine grain pink salt
Separately melt the coconut oil and cacao butter on a low heat in a bowl over warm water to reach the correct measurements.
Add back both the oil and cacao butter and melt together with coconut nectar and mix well so that the coconut nectar is mixed in evenly.
Take off heat and sift in the cacao powder and cinnamon, and mix well until there’s no clumps of cacao powder in sight! Add a pinch of salt, but it isn’t necessary if you store them in the freezer.
Place the clusters on a tablespoon and lower into the chocolate mixture and flip it over to coat both sides. Carefully lift the chocolate covered cluster off the spoon with your fingers and back onto the baking paper. Do the same for all clusters.
Place the chocolate covered clusters into the freezer for 10 minutes to ensure the chocolate is firm and ready to add another layer. In the mean time, place the chocolate back in the warm water and stir it to thin out the mixture again (as it tends to firm up a bit in the process!)
Re-coat the chocolate the same as you did before by flipping it over in the chocolate and coating both sides. Sprinkle with a touch of cinnamon and place in the freezer for another 10 or so minutes and you’re ready to eat them. Best kept in the freezer as the chocolate melts quickly when you go to eat them!
Enjoy :)
