Holiday Chocolate

There is something about this chocolate that makes it irresistibly delicious and deeply satisfying at the same time. 

This chocolate keeps my sanity throughout the holiday season, literally. If I don't have something rich and chocolately around to cleanse my palate I'll end up diving into something not worth the calories, and not near as satisfying. This, however, is worth it. And watch out, it's so good, and leaves you not as heavy feeling, that you'll find yourself eating it all before it's set out to serve. And since it uses all-natural ingredients that your body knows how to use, it doesn't quite have the same harmful effect. (At least my Type-1 diabetic body likes it much better than a dark chocolate bar.)

So go on and indulge without feeling bad.

Merry Christmas!

Oh, P.S. One final note to add is that when I made what you see here, I had special dark cocoa powder and carob powder on hand, rather than raw cacao. You can use almost any type of cocoa that you'd like. But for some reason the special dark and carob combo gave it an almost brownie-mix-like texture when I mixed it together. (Especially since it's winter and our place here in Virginia runs below 76 degrees, causing the coconut oil to be firm.) Let's just say 'divine.' Whichever chocolate powder you have on hand, I say just go with it. You may have to adjust the sweetener, however, since every substance has a flavor all it's own. Whatever you do, have fun and enjoy!

Ingredients
1/2 c. special dark cocoa powder + 1/4 c. carob powder
1/3 c. plus 2 T. organic cane sugar*
4 pinches salt
3/4 c. coconut oil
1 c. lightly chopped walnuts (I like my pieces large)

*Note: Using the right amount of sugar is actually pretty key in this recipe. I've found that honey and other liquid natural sweeteners can "sink" to the bottom, creating an uneven flavor. However, if mixed well and refrigerated promptly, they can be used. I have found that you need to adjust the amounts, though. Some are simply stronger than others (i.e. maple syrup and agave are much lighter in taste than honey).

Directions
1. In a medium bowl mix together the cocoa/carob powders, raw sugar and salt.
2. Add in coconut oil and mix well. (If your coconut oil is a little more solid it might be more work to mix in. But don't melt it down! Having it in a more solid state actually helps the salt and sugar to mix in evenly. When it's in liquid form, the salt and sugar seem to sink to the bottom when poured into your pan. So cooler weather is a plus!)


3. Stir in walnuts and mix well.
4. Spread mixture into an 8x8 pan and refrigerate until hard. Cut into squares and devour.