For Valentine’s Day I’m giving raw goji berry chocolate to some of my friends, yoga teachers and professors. It feels so great to give homemade treats and people appreciate it so much! I have been SO unconditionally happy lately and a huge part of that has come from giving more. Upon waking up, I ask myself ‘How can I best be of value and service to those around me today?‘ and then I set the intention to LOVE and be there for others in any way that I can. When we get into the habit of giving and being unconditionally kind, we realise how powerful we are in influencing the lives of those around us. And because of this beautiful and abundant world that we live in, all that love comes back to us tenfold 🙂
“I will be generous with my love today. I will sprinkle compliments and uplifting words everywhere I go. I will do this knowing that my words are like seeds and when they fall on fertile soil, a reflection of those seeds will grow into something greater.” – Steve Maraboli
You may have seen those images that joke about chocolate being salad because it comes from a tree. Well, if you happen to be eating raw chocolate then you’re totally not far off! Raw cacao has significant medicinal value – it contains the highest concentration of antioxidants of any food in the world and is an excellent source of magnesium, iron, chromium, manganese and zinc. It effectively shields our DNA from free-radical damage, and can directly improve our mood and energy levels. When used in it’s raw state and not heat-processed like conventional chocolate, cacao is a superfood that can do incredible things for our bodies and minds.
Many recipes use coconut oil as a base for raw chocolate, but it is important to use cacao butter if you are gifting or bringing the chocolate somewhere. Using cacao butter ensures that the chocolate remains solid at room temperature, and for the same reason, I recommend using unrefined coconut sugar as opposed to liquid sweeteners like pure maple syrup or liquid stevia. If you’re making chocolate for keeping at home and are able to store it in the fridge or freezer, then using coconut oil and/or a liquid sweetener is perfectly fine.
PrintRaw Goji Berry Chocolate
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 18 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup grated or finely chopped raw cacao butter
- 1/2 cup raw cacao powder
- 3 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup goji berries
- 1 inch (3 cm) vanilla bean (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
- 1/8 tsp pink himalayan salt
- Handful of dried coconut, rose petals and marigold petals for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Fill a pot of water and allow the water to heat up, but not boil.
- Put the cacao butter (grated or finely chopped) into a large bowl, and then place that bowl over the pot of hot water. This will cause the cacao butter to melt without exposing it to enough heat to destroy the nutrients.
- Once the cacao butter has melted, add the cacao powder, coconut sugar and vanilla bean/extract. Mix until smooth, then add the goji berries.
- Pour chocolate into your chocolate silicone moulds.
- Sprinkle with salt, then top with dried coconut, rose petals and marigold petals (or whatever you want!).
- Place in refrigerator or freezer to set. Once set, store in refrigerator (these will also remain solid at room temperature).
Minus the goji berries, this is my go-to recipe for raw chocolate, so I recommend bookmarking it or writing down the proportions somewhere for your chocolate making endeavours in the future. You can really add whatever you want into the chocolate and there are endless combinations of toppings. I topped these raw goji berry chocolate hearts with dried coconut, rose petals and marigold petals.
“Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world. All things break. And all things can be mended. Not with time, as they say, but with intention. So go. Love intentionally, extravagantly, unconditionally.” – LR Knost
When we talk about the darkness of our times, I find that people are simultaneously in tune with this immense light that is growing around the world. All of this suffering has awakened in many of us a divine sense of compassion and love, to a magnitude previously unmatched by any time period in our planet’s history. This is incredible, and serves as a reminder that our our actions every single day have the power to incite real change.
I guarantee you have the power to change AT LEAST one person’s whole day today. Small gifts are just one way to be thoughtful – it could be as simple as saying ‘good morning’ to a neighbour, handing an apple to a homeless person or lending an open ear to a friend in need! These actions influence lives, and how incredible is it that this power is all yours 🙂
Let me know if you make this raw goji berry chocolate and thanks so much for coming to my blog, it means so much to me!
Sat Nam,
Emilía
Anna says
How beautiful candy! Send me some over the ocean 😉
★★★★★
Izzy Bruning says
This looks so yummy! x
Izzy |https://pinchofdelight.wordpress.com
Emilía Rún says
Thanks Izzy! 🙂 Loving your blog too!
Yoga For Weight Loss Llina says
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