Easy homemade dark chocolate with less than a handful of ingredients!
In case anyone actually needs another reason to reach for some chocolate…..
5 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 contributing to improved resilience to stress. Another study 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’s made with only 5 ingredients: cocoa powder (or cacao), coconut oil, honey, and sea salt. All you need is about 5 minutes of melting and whisking plus time to set 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!
Homemade Dark Chocolate
Easy homemade dark chocolate - only five ingredients!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (105g)
- 4 tbsp honey or more for taste (85g)
- pinch of sea salt
- 1 cup unprocessed 100% cocoa powder or cacao powder (118g)
Instructions
- In a small pot over a low heat: melt the coconut oil.
- Stir in the honey, 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. Leave out at room temperature to cool and fully set. 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. Just keep in mind that maple syrup contains more water than honey and could leave you slightly grainy chocolate.
- 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.
- I no longer recommend cooling/setting in the fridge or freezer. Firming up at room temperature will take much longer, but the chocolate is much less likely to melt at room temp/in your hand this way.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size:
30 grams Calories: 143Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 9gSodium: 15mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 4gSugar: 7gProtein: 2gShop this Post
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Denish says
Fascinating !
Thanks for sharing your receipe.
Also your replies to every individual post motivated me to write back. 🙂
I am trying it today. Just a question though. If I am using cocobutter instead of coconut oil, Should I be using the same quantity of coco butter ?
(I.e half cup or 105 gms.)
Thanks,
Denish
Sarah says
Hi Denish!
I’ve never made this using coconut butter but I do think it will work out pretty well – it will probably make for a really lovely texture! That being said, I can’t say for sure but I do think you should be able to use the same amount of coconut butter as you do coconut oil. Hope that helps!
Denish says
Hi Sarah,
I Finally made it tdy. It was silky smooth. I used cocoa butter instead of coconut oil. And as u suggeated, i used the same qty as coconut oil.
I just felt that it was a little more dark. But, my wife loved it, so I am happy. Thank you for your suggestions.
Had you not put the receipy here I would have not known that its way too simple and delicious.
Best Regards,
Denish
Sarah says
Yay! Glad your wife enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know what you thought!
Pat says
when I combine all the ingredients what temperature does it need to be on the candy thermometer when it is ready to pour into the molds. I have been having trouble getting it to combine and not separate.
Sarah says
Hi Pat! I’m afraid I don’t know! At what stage are you having trouble with separating?
Nancy says
I made these chocolates and they were good right out of the freezer.
The next day the consistency was a little grainy.
I used the amount of honey called for in the recipe and cocoa butter.
Any ideas of why this would happen?
Sarah says
Hi Nancy! How was it stored in the fridge? Sometimes if the extra moisture in the fridge causes the chocolate to seize which is what makes it grainy. Next time (if you hadn’t already) try storing the chocolate in an airtight container/making sure it’s properly sealed and that might help!
Roy says
Great recipe!. Only issue is that the chocolate, although firm to the touch after 1/2 hour in freezer and 3/4 of an hour in the refrigerator, gets on one’s fingers when handling. It has perfect taste. Any suggestions to solve the melting of chocolate in fingers? Also if important, I only heated the refined coconut till it melted and sligtly warm before mixing the chocolate powder, honey etc. Also I did not add the pinch of salt.
Thanks
Sarah says
Hi Roy – so glad you liked it! Unfortunately the nature of making homemade chocolate like this without using cocoa butter/typical chocolate equipment it’s almost impossible to make a chocolate that won’t melt easily in your hands. Sorry I couldn’t be more help here!
Chhavi Gupta says
Hi Sarah, I had tried a similar recipe once but without vanilla essence and sea salt. However, the chocolate smelt a lot like coconut oil which made it very untempting even though it froze well. How should I reduce the smell of that coconut oil? Also, is it ok to use iodised table salt instead of sea salt? Please for reply. Thanks in advance.
Sarah says
Hi Chahvi! Sometimes the type of coconut oil can make a difference in how strong the smell is – more refined coconut oils tend to have a more neutral taste than virgin oil. The main difference in how they’re made is that refined coconut oil is more from dried coconut as opposed to virgin oil coming from fresh coconut. This post goes in to a little more detail here: https://www.nutiva.com/kitchen/virgin-vs-refined-coconut-oil-5-things-you-need-to-know/
As for the salt – iodised table salt is totally fine to use here if you prefer! Hope this helps!
GB says
Hi Sarah – how should these be stored?
Sarah says
In the fridge would be best!
Ja says
I am no baker so what ever can go wrong will go wrong. But any tip why this happened? :
I melted the coconut oil. Then added the ingredients. Looked great. then suddenly, started turning to a gummy like consistency and I couldn’t whisk any more, I tried remelting, but of course it wouldn’t and only the coconut oil melted off the side. I ate a bit when it was in this state, it was like chewing gum chocolate, but wasn’t great at all. I left in the fridge and each day it did got better but not quit like dark chocolate. What did I do wrong, any advise?
Sarah says
Oh no! The only thing I can think of is maybe the heat was too high when incorporating the remaining ingredients which caused it to kind of burn up.
Alicia says
Has anyone tried this recipe with Splenda?
ann says
I use stevia. Splenda should work.
Libby says
Can you use olive oil instead? Thanks for the recipe😀
Sarah says
Hi Libby! Olive oil won’t work for this in place of the coconut entirely because the coconut oil is what makes this solidify when cold. I’ve seen olive oil infused dark chocolate before so there might be a way of adding some olive oil if you’re looking for a certain flavour, but I’m not sure sure how much you would need before the chocolate no longer works. Wish I could be more help here!
Yolanda says
What modifications do I have to do to the recipe to make it around 75% dark chocolate instead of 85%?
Sarah says
Hi Yolanda! It mostly just comes down to taste/personal preference. You might not need as much sweeter since 75% chocolate will naturally have a little more sweetener already. I’d recommend reducing the the sweetener by 1 or 2 tablespoons to begin with. If it’s not sweet enough go ahead and add the rest