I had only a block of unsweetened baker's chocolate in my cupboard, which was - irritably - very far from tasting like Lindt chocolate. I can tell you that no matter how many times you wish for it, or nibble at it, the unsweetened baker's chocolate sitting in your cupboard will not taste good. That's the tough reality.
So then I remembered that I have a bucket of dates - and I'm pretty sure dates fix everything, right?
In a desperate attempt to put together something edible that looked like chocolate, I heated a pot on the stove and threw in a little bit of this, and a little bit of that. A few drops of Stevia from the bottle that never leaves my pocket, and BAM! Housten, we have chocolate. :)
Recipe
- Unsweetened baker's chocolate
- Pitted dates
- Pinch of ground coffee (I used decaf)
- Milk - {I used skim, but any non-dairy kind would work too}
- Water
- Liquid stevia {or any other natural sweetener - honey, maple syrup, etc.}
- Sea Salt - {optional}
*Note - I did not include measurements, as chocolate is a very personal thing. Add more or less of whatever until you get the ride consistency and taste that you're looking for.*
- Heat a pot/pan on the stove on medium-high heat.
- As the pot is heating, mush a handful of dates into a paste.
- Place the baker's chocolate in the pot, and add a little splash of water so it doesn't burn. As the chocolate melts, stir it around quickly to further avoid burning. Continue to add water (only a tablespoon at a time) throughout the process, but make sure the mixture stays thick and not too watery.
- Once most of the chocolate is melted, reduce the heat to low, and add the date paste. Mix the heck out of it, until most of the date chunks are gone - (a few are okay, because you get wonderful 'caramel' chunks in your chocolate!)
- Add the tiniest pinch of ground coffee & stir it in well. This is just to bring out the flavour of the chocolate, you aren't supposed to taste the coffee at all, unless you're into that. Personally, I'm into that, so I added a big pinch of coffee to get that 'mocha' vibe.
- Now add the milk slowly with one hand while continuously stirring with the other. Add only a little bit, taste it, then add more if you need too. Repeat until you're happy with the consistency and flavour.
- Here is where I go nuts with the Stevia - I won't even tell you how much I put in. But add as much sweetener as you like, and a pinch of sea salt.
- Continue to stir the mix on low heat to give all the flavours a chance to blend - and feel free to add milk if it's starting to look too thick/burn.
- After a minute or two, turn off the heat and immediately poor the mixture onto a plate lined with parchment paper - {or a chocolate mold}. Let cool, then place in the freezer. Allow the chocolate to freeze for a few hours, then go ahead and stuff your face!
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