Thanks to Nourished Kitchen for the recipe and photo. Homemade chocolates – who can resist? I have made these many times. These are for people who don’t like their chocolates too sweet, but feel free to add in some dried cranberries or chopped prunes/dates for sweetness.
Ingredients
- 280g chocolate with high cocoa content, chopped coarsely
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp chilli powder (optional)
- 1 vanilla bean or ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste/powder
- 1 dash unrefined sea salt
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk (a little less than 250 ml)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- cocoa powder for dredging truffles
Method
- Toss chopped chocolate into a mixing bowl with the zest of one orange, cinnamon, chilli powder, the contents of one vanilla bean (or paste/powder) and a dash unrefined sea salt.
- Bring coconut milk and coconut oil to a slow simmer in a saucepan over a moderate flame.
- Pour coconut milk and oil over the chopped chocolate and seasonings then stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is thoroughly melted and the mixture, or ganache, becomes thick, uniform and glossy.
- Transfer the mixture to a plate lined with parchment paper, molding into a log as best you can and allow it to harden in the refrigerator for eight to twelve hours, or overnight.
- After the Mayan chocolate has hardened in the refrigerator for eight to twelve hours, remove it, unmold it from the parchment paper and carve it into irregular bite-sized chunks.
- Toss the chunks with cocoa powder and serve.