Homemade Chocolate, I Kid You Not

Until yesterday, I thought chocolate was something that just could not be made at home. You know. Like hot dogs. Fruity Pebbles. Or Cheetos. All the recipes I have ever found for homemade chocolate involved buying chocolate, melting it, mixing other things into it, and saying, “See? Homemade!”

I am here to tell you that you can make chocolate – not fudge, not sauce, but real, honest-to-goodness chocolate candy – from pantry ingredients in minutes with no cooking at all. The secret ingredient is this: coconut oil. You may not have it in your pantry right this minute, but they sell it at Walmart so it’s not going to be difficult to get your hands on it. Coconut oil is special because it has such a useful melting point – 76 degrees Fahrenheit. That means that at any temperature below 75 degrees it “freezes” or solidifies. (Therefore, if your house is cooler than 75 degrees you may have to gently melt your coconut oil before you mix your chocolate.) With coconut oil you can do things like make your own shell topping for ice cream that will harden just like the store brands. And, of course, the chocolate.

When you mix the ingredients, stir the cocoa and oil together first. Then mix in the rest, scrape into a mini muffin liner, and stick in the freezer for a few minutes. It hardens up beautifully! (If you live somewhere that the room temperature is significantly higher than 75 degrees – like here – you’ll need to keep your chocolate in the fridge until you’re ready to eat it. You can see that my chocolate started melting while I was fiddling with the camera.)

Rich Whipped Chocolate

1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp sweetened whipped cream

Approx. 78 calories

Dark Honey Chocolate

1/2 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp honey

Approx. 45 calories

I like my chocolate super-dark. I haven’t figured out a good diluted recipe yet, but fortunately I don’t have to please anyone but myself when I make my little chocolates. Try it! It’s so much fun.