What is the difference between raw chocolate and commercial chocolate bar?

 

All chocolate is made from cacao (the edible part of the cocoa bean) after it has been harvested, dried, fermented, and hulled. These beans have some of the most valuable nutrients available to us containing over 300 identifiable chemical compounds. Cacao has more antioxidant flavonoids than blueberries, red wine, or black and green teas. In fact, it has up to four times the quantity of antioxidants found in green tea. No wonder  the Spanish called it ”Black gold”.

Unfortunately, many of those properties are destroyed by cooking, processing, and refining. According to studies, dairy products block the absorption of antioxidants in chocolate. Most commercially produced candy and chocolate bars contain low levels of cacao bean compared to other ingredients such as sugars, milk fat, hydrogenated oils, and artificial flavorings.

So it definitely pays off to make your own raw chocolate.

Here’s my raw chocolate pops recipe:

 

 

·      ½ cup almonds

·      ½ cup cashews

·      6 pitted medjool dates

·      pinch of pink salt

·      1tsp vanilla

 

 

Chocolate:

 

·      2tbs coconut oil

·      1tbs pure maple syrup

·      1tbs raw cocoa powder

 

 

 

Process all ingredients, and roll the dough into balls. Freeze while you prepare the chocolate. Insert a straw in the middle of the dough and dip the balls into the chocolate. Store in cold.

 

 

Source: Naturalfood.com