Vegan & Sugar-Free Chilli & Orange Chocolates

Serves: 15 Cooking time: 5 minutes

Who knew sugar-free and vegan chocolates could taste so good? Joanne Wood, from The Balance Kitchen, did and created this brilliant recipe for us.

Note: You will need a silicone mould.

Ingredients:

Option 1: Coconut Oil

  • 100g coconut oil
  • 25g raw cacao powder
  • 1.5 tbsp of Total Sweet Xylitol - Ground to a powder in a coffee grinder, or similar
  • 2 tsp orange zest
  • 1 pinch of chilli powder

Option 2: 100% Dark Chocolate

  • 100g 100% cacao dark chocolate
  • 1.5 tbsp of Total Sweet Xylitol - Ground to a powder in a coffee grinder or similar
  • 2 tsp of orange zest
  • 1 pinch of chilli powder

Option 3: Cacao Butter

  • 100g cacao butter
  • 25g dark cocoa powder
  • 1.5 tbsp of Total Sweet Xylitol - Ground to a powder in a coffee grinder or similar
  • 2 tsp of orange zest
  • 1 pinch of chilli powder

Method:

Option 1: Coconut Oil gives a creamier texture and tends to melt more easily in warmer weather if left at room temp.  Cheapest option and easy to prepare.

Option 2: 100% dark chocolate is becoming more widely available in supermarkets and shops. This recipe is the mid-price, of the three options, is easy to prepare and gives a nice, hard consistency for finished chocolates.

Option 3: Cacao Butter is more expensive and harder to source (health shop or buy online) but can be kept in the freezer and melted down as needed.  Best bought in button-sized pieces for ease of using the quantity needed.  Gives a harder consistency than coconut oil for the chocolates once prepared.

  1. For all options, begin by melting the Coconut Oil / Dark Chocolate / Cacao Butter in a bain-marie (place a bowl over the top of a pan which has two inches of water in it. Heat the water over medium heat until the ingredients have melted, stirring continuously. Do not allow the bowl to touch the water.
  2. Once the coconut oil / dark chocolate/cacao butter has melted, remove the bowl from the pan and turn off the heat. Place the bowl on a heat-proof surface and stir in the raw cacao or dark cocoa powder (NB: you do not need to add chocolate to the 100% dark chocolate option).
  3. Next, add the powdered xylitol and a pinch of chilli powder and stir until combined.
  4. Place the chocolate silicon mould onto a moveable flat surface (a baking tray or chopping board works well).
  5. Sprinkle a small amount of orange zest into each mould.
  6. Now spoon the chocolate mixture on top until each mould is full.
  7. Leave to set in the fridge for a few hours before removing each chocolate from its mould and storing it in a suitable airtight container.
  8. It is best to eat these within 4 days of making them (not that they will last that long) as the chocolate can start to crystallise after then.

An example of the kind of silicone mould you'll need can be found here.

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