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
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