raw chocolate

Snickers Moon Balls

Makes about 12 truffles

2 cups peanuts
½ cup raw cocoa powder
7 fresh dates, pitted
3 tbsp maple syrup
pinch of sea salt
peanut butter
100 g / 3,5 oz raw chocolate or dark chocolate, melted

Preheat the oven to 175 Celsius / 350 Fahrenheit degrees.
Spread the peanuts onto a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Roast the nuts in the oven for 15 minutes stirring once after 10 minutes.

Let the nuts cool and pour them into a blender. Blend until fine crust. Separate about ¼ cup of the mixture into a small bowl. Add cocoa powder, pitted dates, maple syrup and salt into the blender. Blend until moldable dough. Take about 1 tbsp of the dough and create a ball. Press your thumb inside the ball to create a hole. Add about 1 tsp peanut butter into the hole. Press the sides of the truffle to cover the hole. Prepare the rest of the dough the same way. Dip each ball into melted chocolate. A good tip is to use a toothpick for dipping. Sprinkle on the peanut crust you saved. Freeze the truffles for 1 hour. Serve and enjoy. Store in the fridge or freezer.

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Vanelja’s Raw Magnums with PB & Jam

(Makes about 6 popsicles)

Ice cream:
1 cup cashews, soaked 5 hours or overnight, then rinsed
½ cup full-fat coconut milk
½ cup coconut yoghurt, natural & unsweetened
1 tsp lemon juice
1 dropperful liquid stevia
1 tsp xylitol
1 tsp vanilla extract

Jam:
2/3 cup raspberries
3 tbsp chia seeds

Filling:
peanut butter

Frosting:
raw chocolate or dark chocolate

Place all the ice cream ingredients into a blender and blend until super smooth. Add a bit more liquid, if needed, but keep as thick as possible. Taste and add sweetness, if desired.
Pour the ice cream mixture into ice cream molds and freeze for 2 hours until solid. In the meantime prepare the chia jam.
Mash the raspberries and stir in the chia seeds. Add some stevia, if you like. Leave to thicken for 2 hours.

Take the ice cream pops from the freezer and remove the molds. Spread about 1-2 tbsp peanut butter on top of each popsicle. The spread on the chia jam. Put in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Melt the chocolate and dip the ice creams in it. Top for example with peanut butter swirls or coconut flakes. Put back into the freezer for 30 mins, until solid. If you store the popsicles in the freezer longer, let them thaw for 15-20 minutes before serving.

Raw Lemon Poppy Seed White Chocolate

1 cup grated cacao butter
0,5 cup cashew nuts (soaked)
1 tsp lemon zest
3 – 4 tbsp local organic honey (or coconut syrup or erythritol)
1 tsp vanilla extract
0,5 tsp poppy seeds

Soak cashew nuts for about 1 hour. Rinse the nuts and add to a blender. Melt the cacao butter in a warm water bath and pour also it into the blender. Add the lemon zest, honey and vanilla extract and puree into a smooth paste. Taste and add more sweetness if desired. Mix poppy seeds into the mixture with a spoon and pour the mixture into chocolate molds. Freeze for about 30 minutes. Serve and enjoy! Store in the freezer.

Rose Strawberry Soft Serve

5 tbsp full-fat coconut milk (the can be refrigerated overnight)
3 ripe frozen bananas
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 tsp vanilla extract (or ½ tsp vanilla powder)
1-2 tsp organic rose water
2 tbsp organic maple syrup, optional

Toppings:
Raw Chocolate Cookie Dough Balls (recipe below)
almond butter
fresh strawberries, sliced
coconut flakes
crushed almonds
edible flowers

Start by preparing the Raw Chocolate Cookie Dough Balls (recipe below). Open the coconut milk can and scoop out 5 tablespoons of the white thick paste to a high-speed blender. Add bananas and strawberries and blend until smooth. Add vanilla and rose water and blend again. Taste and add more spices or a bit of maple syrup, if needed. Pour the soft serve into bowls. Top with a drizzle of almond butter, strawberries, coconut flakes, and crushed almonds. Add a couple of Raw Chocolate Cookie balls as well. Serve and enjoy right away!

Raw Chocolate Cookie Dough Balls

makes 6-8 small balls

1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup almonds
5 fresh dates, pitted
3 tbsp raw cacao powder
½ tsp ground cardamom

Place pecans and almonds in a blender and grind until rough crust. Add dates, cacao powder and cardamom, and pulse until you get a nice moldable dough. Pour the dough into a bowl and with the help of your hands, form small balls. Place the balls into a freezer for a few minutes to set. Store any leftovers in the fridge.

Vanelja’s Chocolate Muffins

1 cup organic gluten-free flour blend
½ cup almond flour
5 tbsp raw cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
tiny pinch of salt
½ cup coconut sugar
1 cup oat milk or other vegan milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
¼ cup peanut butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 175 C / 350 F degrees. Cover a muffin pan with muffin liners or use silicone molds. Mix flour blend, almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and coconut sugar. Melt the coconut oil and peanut butter in a warm water bath until liquid. Stir in the oat milk, apple cider vinegar and vanilla. Mix with dry ingredients. Pour into muffin molds and cook for 15 minutes. Take out of the oven and let cool.

Vanelja’s Raspberry Chocolate Truffles

1 cup almond flour/almond meal
½ cup coconut flakes
4 tbsp coconut butter
¼ cup raspberries
4 tbsp maple syrup or coconut syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:

Raw chocolate, melted

 

Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth dough. Pour the dough onto a plate and form truffle balls with your hands. If the dough feels too soft, add some almond meal so that you get a consistency that is easy to mold. You can also keep the truffles in the fridge for 1 hour which helps them to harden. Dip the truffles into melted chocolate and freeze for about 1 hour. Store in the fridge.

Raw Snickers recipe from It's a Pleasure cookbook by Virpi Mikkonen

Vanelja’s Snickers Bars

BASE:

5 tbsp grated raw cacao mass
5 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp local organic honey or coconut syrup or maple syrup

NOUGAT FILLING:

0,5 cup almond flour
5 tbsp peanuts
0,5 cup coconut milk
5 tbsp melted coconut oil
2 fresh dates
0,5 tsp vanilla extract

TOFFEE FILLING:

5 tbsp peanut butter
5 tbsp local organic honey or coconut syrup or maple syrup
¼ cup coconut milk
0,5 tsp vanilla extract
4 fresh dates, pitted

NUT FILLING:

¼ cup slightly ground peanuts
0,25 tsp sea salt

CHOCOLATE ICING:

¼ cup raw cacao mass
2 tbsp smooth nut butter
4 tbsp cold-pressed coconut oil
1 tbsp local organic honey or coconut syrup or maple syrup
0,25 tsp sea salt

Tin size approximately 6 x 8 inches

BASE. Melt the raw cacao mass in a warm water bath. Add the peanut butter and honey. Mix. Pour the mix into a tin greased with coconut oil or covered with parchment paper. Place into the freezer.

NOUGAT FILLING. Grind the peanuts in a blender. Add the almond flour, melted coconut oil, coconut milk, dates and vanilla extract. Mix well. Take the base out of the freezer, and pour the filling on top. Return back into the freezer.

TOFFEE AND NUT FILLINGS. Mix all ingredients in a blender.
Break ¼ cup of peanuts for example with a mortar & add a pinch of salt.
Take the dish out of the freezer and pour the toffee and nut filling on top. Smooth with a spoon. Return to the freezer.

CHOCOLATE ICING. Melt the raw cacao mass in a warm water bath. Add the nut butter, coconut oil and honey. Mix well. Add a pinch of sea salt. Bring the dish out of the freezer and pour the chocolate icing over the toffee filling. Pop back into the freezer for half an hour.

Take the dish out of the freezer. Cut and serve.

Vanelja’s Raw Chocolate Covered Gingerbread Fudge

⅓ cup coconut oil, melted
5 tbsp coconut sugar
5 tbsp coconut syrup
2 tsp gingerbread spice mix
½ cup almond meal
½ cup coconut flour (or rice flour or half & half)
1 tbsp flax meal

Frosting: Raw chocolate, melted

Place the coconut, coconut sugar and coconut syrup into a small pot and on medium/low heat bring to a simmer. Mix well. Pour in the spice mix and take from the stove. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl, pour into the pot and mix everything into a smooth batter. Press pieces of the dough into chocolate molds or form tiny balls. Place into the fridge and let thicken overnight or for about 1-2 hour in the freezer. Take the fudges out from the molds and dip them into melted raw chocolate. Store in the fridge or freezer.