Ah chocolate… It comforts us in times of joy, despair, and need. And there are few things more satisfying and rewarding than making your own, especially if it requires only minutes. This recipe is the quick and effortless route to rich, smooth, and flavorful gourmet chocolate. It is quite versatile and you can customize it as you wish. Use your favorite nuts, dried fruits, seeds, cookie pieces, etc. Here is my Eastern flavors version with honey, dates, pistachios and sultanas. Preparation will only take a moment while the rich flavors will deceive even you to believe that you worked much harder than you actually did.
INGREDIENTS:
200g good quality dark chocolate / 7 oz
100g good quality milk chocolate/ 3.5 oz
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons coconut oil or additional butter, see notes
3 tablespoons of honey
pinch of sea salt
1 cup (120 g) pistachios or any nut of choice
2 handfuls (about 50 g) of almonds, coarsely chopped
3 dates, finely chopped
1/3 cup (50 g) sultanas/ yellow raisins
METHOD:
- Line a rectangular 10.5 by 7.5 inch pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- Combine the chocolate, butter, honey, coconut oil, and salt in a saucepan over low heat. Stir gently just until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in nuts, raisins, and date pieces reserving some for scattering atop the pan.
- Spread the mixture into your baking pan and scatter the leftover toppings over the top while evening out the surface with a spatula.
- Leave to refrigerate for at least 3 hours, but lightly cover with cling wrap after the first 30 minutes of refrigeration to avoid the absorption of any odors. Once set, remove the chocolate block from the pan and cut into chunks of your liking.
Notes:
- You may substitute the butter with additional coconut oil and vice versa if you wish. Both options are delicious and result in the same texture.
- Use can also use all dark chocolate or all milk chocolate if you prefer one over the other.
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