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.

Chocolates are usually made through a complicated process that begins with harvesting cocoa beans, followed by stages such as refinement and fermentation. The roasted and grinded beans are then mixed with milk and sugar to provide flavor, and the resulting viscous liquid is stored for chopping up into smaller units. Converting this into an herbal product requires a few tweaks to the traditional recipe.

The new recipe may include a variety of natural ingredients and herbs that can be used to make chocolates without any harmful content or excess calories. A simple choice is to use cocoa powder and some cocoa butter with honey. Additional flavoring can be added using mint, cinnamon and rose petals.

It doesn't have to be a specific recipe. The core items are milk and dark chocolate. Those who need it to be sweet can replace sugar with honey, which then serves as the third key ingredient.

The cocoa should preferably be in powdered form, so that it can be easily and precisely added in just the right measure in combination with the rest of the items in the recipe. For optimum results, add two tablespoons of honey and three cups of milk for every three spoons of cocoa. The rest is just a matter of experimentation to get the right balance of flavor and health benefits.

It's possible to create chocolates with a vanilla flavor simply by adding two spoons of organic and gluten-free vanilla extract. Those who favor a minty edge to their concoction just need to throw in a few drops of peppermint oil. This is an organic and highly concentrated form of mint, and excessive use will overpower all other flavors and tastes.

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.

There's no way for these experimental recipes to be as famous and easily available in the market as the ordinary chocolates produced by big brands with their factories and global network of distributors. But that's not stopping people from finding these healthy alternatives for indulging their insatiable appetite for sweets. There's always the option of whipping up a batch of herbal chocolate at home. Either way, it is an ideal gift for family and friends during the holiday season, and for birthdays and other celebratory events.




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