By: Sarah NevinsPosted: 1/25/16Updated: 9/1/23
Easy homemade dark chocolate – only five ingredients!
In case anyone actually needs another reason to reach for some chocolate…..
Five Reasons to Eat More Dark Chocolate
You know, for health…
- It’s basically brain food
The cocoa found in chocolate helps increase blood flow to the brain which leads to faster reaction time, better problem solving skills, and improved attention span. Not only that, but increased blood flow to the brain also improves short term memory and decreases mental decline in seniors. - It helps protect against heart disease
The flavonoids in chocolate help increase blood flow to the heart as well which helps to prevent blood clots and hardening of the arteries.Eating a small amount of dark chocolate a few times a week has been shown to lower blood pressure. - Younger looking skin
Quality dark chocolate, not the sugary kind, is full of antioxidants that have anti-aging benefits to the skin. Not only that, but the same flavonoids that increase blood flow to the heart and brain also increase blood flow to the skin giving off a healthy glow. - It’s a“joy stimulant”Cocoa boosts levels of serotonin and endorphins in the brain which leads to improved mood. So when you’re feeling down and you’re craving something sweet it’s likely the boost in serotonin that your body is really craving.
- It helps you stress less
Chocolate is a great source of magnesium which has been dubbed “the original chill pill”. Getting more magnesium through diet leads to better sleep contributingto improved resilience to stress. Anotherstudy found: when test subjects who considered themselves to be highly stressed people ate an ounce and a half of dark chocolate a day for two week had a significant drop in stress hormones.
Keep in mind that these health benefits relate to quality dark chocolate – at least more than 70% cocoa. Conventional chocolate bars filled with lots of sugar and additives don’t have the same benefits and are likely to cause more problems than anything else.
How to make homemade chocolate with Coconut Oil
Making homemade dark chocolate is probably easier than you think. It’smade with only 5 ingredients: cocoa powder (or cacao), coconut oil, honey, vanilla, and sea salt. All you need is about 5 minutes of melting and whisking plus thirty minutes in the freezer and you’re good to go.
If you follow this recipe as is you’ll end up with about 72% dark chocolate, but feel free to customise to your taste adding an extra tablespoon or so of honey. I never used to be a fan of dark chocolate but over time I learned to love it as my eating habits changed and I ate less sugar.
Spruce It Up
Don’t be afraid to experiment with the flavours to make your own special chocolate bar. A few ideas to get you started:
- ground ginger
- orange zest or orange extract
- chili flakes
- chopped nuts
If you enjoy this recipe make sure you check out my recipe for homemade chocolate with cocoa butter!
Recipe
Yield:10 servingsPrep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 10 minutes
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Easy homemade dark chocolate - only five ingredients!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup | 105 g coconut oil
- 4 tablespoons | 85 grams honey or more for taste
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 cup | 118 g unprocessed 100% cocoa powder or cacao powder
Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.
Instructions
- In a small pot over a low heat: melt the coconut oil.
- Stir in the honey, vanilla (or your preferred flavourings) and salt.
- Remove the mixture from the heat. Add the cocoa powder and mix until it's dissolved into the chocolate mixture. You should have a smooth, lump free chocolate sauce.
- Pour the chocolate into silicone moulds or a lined baking pan and transfer to the freezer for at least 30 minutes or in the fridge for at least an hour. Once they've hardened pop them out of the moulds and enjoy.
Notes
- You can also use cocoa butter in place of the coconut oil for a creamier chocolate.
- Use maple syrup or agave for a vegan friendly chocolate. Use maple syrup for low FODMAP.
- Keep chocolate stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Don't pack the cocoa powder into a measuring cup - lightly scoop it into the cup until filled.
Nutrition Information
Yield: 10Serving Size:
30 gramsCalories: 143Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 9gSodium: 15mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 4gSugar: 7gProtein: 2g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© A Saucy Kitchen, Sarah Nevins
Course: DessertsCuisine:Gluten Free
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About Sarah Nevins
Hi, I'm Sarah! Welcome to my little gluten free corner of the internet. I like eating vegetables, but sometimes I get distracted by cookies...
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Reader Interactions
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Larry Robinson says
If I want to use maple syrup, what do I use it in place of? The honey; honey and vanilla; or add the maple syrup as another ingredient?
Reply
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Larry! That’s a great question – you can swap the maple syrup out for both the honey and vanilla extract. Just use the same a mount of maple as you would honey and just omit the vanilla extract.
Elena M. says
Can you keep these frozen and if so, for how long? I love this recipe. I followed your directions exactly and it came out delicious.
Reply
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Elena, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
You can freeze it but I recommend you refrigerate it first for a day then pack up well in an airtight/freezer safe bag or container to freeze. This is done to avoid temperature shock (sudden, extreme temperature changes) which can effect both taste and texture. When you’re ready to thaw it again, you also want to let it thaw in the fridge for the same reason.
When your chocolate defrosts you may likely notice it ‘sweat’. This is when you get condensation built up (little water droplets) form around the outside of the chocolate. When the water dries/evaporates it will form white streaks. It’s still totally fine to eat – it’s just the result of the changes in temperature and exposure to water and humidity.
Hope this helps 🙂
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Lynna Karanutsos says
😍this‼️
Soooooooooo HEALTHY.JUST what I needed and I did use Coconut Butter🥥
Reply
Sarah Nevins says
Thanks Lynna! 🙂
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Kim says
Have u ever tried butter instead of c oil?
Reply
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Kim! I don’t recommend using butter as a substitute for coconut oil – it has a much high water content than coconut oil (15%-30% depending on the type) while coconut oil has next to none. The water in the butter will cause the chocolate to seize up and develop a grainy texture. Chocolate made with butter also won’t solidify in the same way that coconut oil-chocolate would.
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Norman says
I always wanted to make homemade dark chocolate. I found this recipe yesterday, looked simple, and decided to try it. I followed the directions exactly and poured the chocolate mixture into silicone candy bar molds. After sitting in the frig for over an hour I couldn’t wait any longer. Wow! The chocolate came out perfectly and tasted great. It’s not overly sweet which is what I like in a dark chocolate. It was VERY easy to make. The candy will literally melt in your mouth even being cold from the frig.
Tips: Make sure you melt the coconut oil completely. As suggested by a poster, I used unrefined coconut oil, but I’m not sure if that really made a difference. When mixing in the honey make sure the mixture doesn’t get too hot or tries to boil. Don’t pack down the cacao powder into the cup. The sauce will have the consistency of chocolate sauce. Final tip. Don’t leave the bar of chocolate out in front of you. You will eat the entire bar in one sitting. 🙂
Reply
Sarah Nevins says
Thank you so much, Norman – I’m so thrilled to hear you enjoyed the chocolate! I also very much appreciate the tips. I’ve even added your note about not packing in the cocoa powder when measuring as I think that’s something a lot of people accidentally do. I also agree with your final tip – too relatable 🙂
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James says
If I want to make it milk chocolate, how much powdered milk would I add?
Reply
Sarah Nevins says
Hi James! It depends on how much sweetener you plan on using, but I’d recommend at least adding 1/2 cup (65 grams) of milk powder to get a milk chocolate. The way to figure out the percentage is to add up the weight of the cocoa powder and cocoa butter by the total weight of all ingredients.
(cocoa powder + coco butter) ÷ (total weight of all ingredients) = .xxxx or x%
So let’s say you use 1/4 cup maple syrup (79g) – you’ll probably use more than this.
Cocoa powder + cocoa butter = 338g
combined ingredients = 482g338 ÷ 482 = .7012 or 70%
70% and below is usually considered milk chocolate. As long as you use more than 1/4 cup maple or honey or add an extra tablespoon or so of milk powder you should end up with a milk chocolate.
I hope this makes sense and is helpful!
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