Here’s an easy and delicious dark cacao treat from Willie Harcourt-Couze.
The chocolate isn’t tempered in this recipe, so you’ll need to keep these bars in the fridge to stop them from blooming. And as they’re made from 100% cacao with no added white sugar, flour or butter, I’m sure they must be quite healthy, right?
I amended the recipe slightly to include my intoxicated figs, but please feel free to use whatever dried fruit and nuts you have on hand.
- 180g 100% cacao or unsweetened chocolate (see note)
- 100g walnuts, hazelnuts or Brazil nuts, chopped (I used Brazil nuts)
- 100g dried fruit, chopped (I used a mix of intoxicated figs and raisins)
- 100g crystallised ginger, sugar shaken off, chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I used homemade)
- 1 Tablespoon honey, optional
- Splash of rum or cognac
Note: I used Callebaut Cocoa Mass, but the recipe was designed for Willie’s Cacao. If you don’t have either of these, you could try using 70% or 85% chocolate, and omit the honey. Try to use the best you can though, as the cacao is the dominant flavour here. Note that you won’t be able to substitute powdered cocoa in this recipe.
1. Line the base and sides of a 20cm square tin with parchment paper or cling film.
2. If the cacao is in a block, chop it roughly. Place it in a large pyrex bowl and melt in the microwave in short bursts on high. Heat only until mostly melted, then stir with a rubber spatula until smooth. Take care not to scorch the cocoa mass or it will turn bitter and grainy.
3. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir to coat well. Scrape the mixture into the lined tin, smooth the top and refrigerate until firm, preferably overnight.
4. Remove from the tin and cut into bite-sized pieces. Store in the refrigerator in a covered container.
Click here for a printable version of this recipe
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
They look simply beautiful! I would like a little piece right now, sigh.
Do you eat them cold from the fridge or at room temperature? I have one block of Willie chocolate in the garage somewhere, maybe this is the recipe to use it on? What do you think?
Jo, the recipe is from Willie’s mother Anna, and it’s very easy, because you don’t have to temper the chocolate. Warning though – it’s very dark, probably not the thing for the milk choc fans. Original recipe said to melt the cacao in a heatproof bowl over simmering water (for those without microwaves :)). I eat them out of the fridge, but they’re fine at room temp – you just can’t store them like that, as they’ll bloom.
The recipe makes quite a lot of small “bites” – about 40 – and it would work just as well halved if you didn’t want to invest your whole block of Willie’s Cacao in it.
what an awesome dessert! it looks very similar to the homemade chocolate my grandma used to make. it’s a popular treat back home, but i’ve never had one so dark. all versions have some ratio of cacao and powdered milk. and butter. i’ll have to try this, but definetely i’ll halve it, because most likely i’ll be the only taker. oh, and i’m typing this and munching on spiced nuts :). they’re great, thanks!
Celia, as i noticed that these have both fruit and nuts in them, I would assume they are almost a sort of health food and thus very healthy!!
Dana, thanks for trying the nuts! I find them very addictive. Would love to know how your grandma made her chocolate bars…
Amanda, that’s my argument too! Fruit, nuts, a little honey, 100% chocolate – surely all those things are good for us? :)
i’ll dig up the recipe this weekend. possibly i’ll even make a batch… it’s too long since i’ve had them last.
I would like one right now for breakfast.
Hehe…it would be a perfect match to small girl’s pain au chocolat… :)
Loving the green jewelled figs peeking through! I think these would be a great treat to give away to guests for a wedding or similar event too-they’re special but great that you can make a large lot of them! :)
Fat free…….almost! Love the photo
Oz, yes! Apart from all the fat in the chocolate, that is.. :)
Lorraine, they would be nice as a party favour, but I think in that case you’d need to temper the chocolate first, so they’d keep their gloss.
Hi Celia, I think I’ve said this before – your kids are the luckiest on earth!
And thanks for the homemade vanilla extract recipe. Didn’t know that there’s vodka in it! No wonder it tastes so good :D
You’re so sweet, Wink, thank you! :)
I don’t know that most vanilla extract has alcohol in it – it used to, but they changed the formula years ago when teenagers discovered they could buy bottles of extract from the supermarket shelves and get themselves wasted! The commercial stuff these days tastes good because it has some sugar added – the version made with alcohol tasted like vanilla flavoured booze! :)
Hello Celia!!
These home made vaars look fantastic & so awesome!
Yum! Yum! yum!
Thank Sophie! They were quite fun to make too!
Definitely healthy and how can you go wrong with intoxicated figs thrown in. These do look pretty and oh so very good.
Finally caught up with watching Willie on iplayer (we don’t have TV), so saw these being made. They are of course on my list.
Am trying, rather unsuccessfully so far, to see if I can source something like your callebauts or a cheaper version of Willie’s 100% chocolate. I shall keep trying.
I’m making this as soon as I get home!
I love the mix of dried fruit and DARK chocolate!
I make my own vanilla, as well! We had a great afternoon several years ago, tasting all the available vodka to choose the smoothest for vanilla purposes. We decided on Grey Goose- although by the time we came to a decision, it was ALL tasting pretty good!
Choclette, there are a couple of places that google turns up in the UK if you search for “Callebaut bulk UK”, one of them might be able to get you the cocoa mass? Be prepared to have to buy it in a 2.5kg bag though, as it’s a commercial product, so you’re unlikely to find it in smaller quantities.
Heidi, if you don’t have good unsweetened chocolate (although I know it’s quite easy to get in the States), you could use a high % cacao choc and omit the honey. I never thought of having a vodka tasting (purely for scientific purposes, of course, to decide which suits the vanilla best :)) – I usually just buy whatever is on special! :)
Isn’t the name just spot on for these chocolate treats, ‘Jewels’. Cutting thru the dried (tipsy!) fruit to reveal the colors against the very dark chocolate, exquisite.