Sunday, October 6, 2013

Have Your Herbal Chocolate And Eat It Too

By Angel Dudley


Herbal chocolate is a lot more than a passing fad, because it is already an integral part of the healthy lifestyles of millions of people. The core issue is that ordinary chocolate contains around 155 calories for every ounce. It is soaked in sugar and all kinds of preservatives and additives used for artificial flavoring. Eliminating these harmful substances with a healthy recipe helps people enjoy the heavenly taste of chocolates without the weight gain and associated health risks and guilt.

Traditional chocolates are made by harvesting, fermenting, refining, roasting and grinding cocoa beans. Milk and sugar are then added for flavoring and the viscous liquid is stored for molding into smaller units in the desired shape. Going herbal requires a slight modification of this process, with some ingredients replaced by healthier options.

There are any number of herbs and natural ingredients that can be combined to produce chocolates that are just as heavenly, but without the excess calories and harmful contents. For instance, it's possible to make guilt-free healthy chocolates using cocoa butter and cocoa powder with honey. The recipe can be further improved by using natural ingredients such as lavender, cinnamon, rose petals and mint.

There's really no specific formula that has to be followed. The main ingredients included in most recipes are milk and dark chocolate. If sweetness is an essential requirement, then sugar can be replaced with honey as the third main item in the recipe.

The dark chocolate must preferably be in the form for powdered cocoa. This makes it easy to measure and add the right quantity to match other items, and it mixes well with everything else. The optimum combination includes two teaspoons of honey, three spoons of cocoa and three cups of milk. Anything else that goes into it is simply a process of trial and error that each person can do according to their own tastes and preferences.

Adding a couple of spoons of gluten-free organic vanilla extract will produce vanilla-flavored chocolates. To get mint chocolates, just add a few drops of organic peppermint oil. Remember that this is a concentrated and potent oil, so an excess of it will smother the flavor and taste of everything else in the recipe.

The recipe can be further modified by using coconut oil instead of milk. Honey can also be replaced with stevia, which makes the concoction sugar-free and eliminates high calories and carbohydrates. Chopped up mint leaves will add a touch of natural flavoring. This combination works perfectly when the coconut oil is heated and turns into a clear liquid that easily mixes with the cocoa powder and other ingredients.

These and other such recipes are nowhere near as ubiquitous and popular as ordinary chocolates from big brand manufacturers that have factories and distribution networks all over the world. But as the adverse impact of consuming huge amounts of sugar-filled chocolates becomes obvious, people are looking around for healthier alternatives to indulge their sweet tooth. If it's not immediately available in the market, just buy the ingredients required to whip up a batch of healthy herbal chocolate. It also makes for a great gift for family and friends during the holiday season, and for birthday parties and other celebrations too.




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