Valentine’s Day Vegan Chocolates

Some people’s love might be the color of a red, red rose, but mine is the color of chocolate. DIY your valentine gift by making your own chocolate for your loved ones this year!

Valentine’s Day is a time for love, sweetness, and chocolates of course! Store bought chocolates are wonderful and sweet, but wouldn’t it be sweeter to make your own special chocolates for the ones you love? Valentine’s Day is that one time a year where giving the gift of an entire box of chocolates is totally acceptable. But how many people know that making their own chocolate is very simple. All you need to do is melt down the cocoa butter, add a little touch of maple syrup and voila. You can add cocoa powder, cocoa nibs, sea salt, fruits or nuts. Depending on what your valentine preferences, you can personalize these chocolates to their liking.

Raw cocoa butter is 100 pure and obtained from the cocoa bean. It is rich and velvety without all of the added chemicals white chocolate has. Cocoa is high in antioxidants and healthy fats which will give you a boost of energy. Cacao butter is naturally rich in omega 6 and 9 which can support an overall better health and well-being. Cacao butter looks like white chocolate when you purchase it, and it has the same mouth feel. Store-bought white chocolate is filled with added sugars and chemicals. These homemade chocolates are naturally sweetened, vegan, gluten-free, and there are no added ingredients.

You can buy as an assortment of molds to experiment. Since it’s Valentine’s Day, heart shape molds can be found at many retailers, but you can also mold them into squares or bars. Silicon baking molds are highly recommended for this recipe as they are easy to remove. These freeze very well. You can make a big batch, pop them in the freezer and have a guilt free dessert after dinner.

These chocolates are not only rich and decadent, but they are also creamy and simple to make! These chocolates are what dreams are made of. We promise that these chocolates will lead to a cascade of hugs, kisses, and cuddles.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cocoa butter
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• Possible Add-ins: fruit, Sunwarrior Sea Salt, cacao nibs, Sunwarrior Cocoa, seeds, nuts, vanilla extract, mint extract

Directions

Over low heat. Blend the cocoa butter, maple syrup, and any mix-ins. Pour into molds, and removed once they’ve solidified Enjoy with the people you love best!