This will make your heart sing with joy.

It really is that good. I'm amazed myself because I am the quintessential chocolate lover but after going through a particularly large chocolate sized hole I decided (quite grown up actually) that I really needed to get a grip and not eat so much processed chocolate.

This recipe is so easy, I made it up in 10 minutes. I've seen raw brownies or similar things here and here but as I rarely have the internet in my kitchen and not having the time to try and find recipes I made it from what I had, my memory and tastes I like. The waiting for it to set and get cold is the hard part. Go for a walk. A long walk so you can't eat it before it's time.

There are also so many variations (see the very end) to this recipe that switching it up could become a regular thing meaning you will never get bored. Be careful when you've had a little too much wine as you'll wake up with half the thing gone…

Let's talk about dates. I adore them, literally could eat them till I'm sick. Especially the medjool date. It's a sticky, sweet moist little piece of fruit that contains good, natural sugar. It was one of four fruit used to help curing throat and chest problems back in the early medicine days and because of it's high good natural sugar levels it's great for those of us who do physical exercise regularly or heavy work.

I love that its considered one of the most ancient symbolic forms of the Tree of Life in subtropical desert regions, among Egyptians it is the symbolic Tree of the Year because it produces a new set of branches every year. Isn't nature amazing?!?

I'm warming up to the hazelnut outside of Nutella. I find it quite a nutty nut if that makes sense and sometimes I'm just not sure. But following the Nutella theme that hazelnuts and chocolate go well together I figured why not. Classically people seem to always pair almonds and chocolate and it works. But I like to be a little different. 

The hazelnut although tiny, is good for your teeth and gums. It is quite hard to digest even for those with a good digestive system so don't go crazy on them! They are also pretty good for normalising metabolism so lets go with a couple a day rather than a handful.

Two other ingredients were used in the making of this. The chia seed and raw cacao powder.

There is big talk about the chia seed at the moment and it's becoming a fad but it's still a great little thing of goodness. The plant itself is actually a member of the Sage family, which surprised me! Next to flax seeds, chia are the highest source of Omega 3 and back in the day these little seeds roasted and crushed were eaten to give enough energy to go desert walking in Central America. A lot of people make a chia pudding by soaking a teaspoon of seeds in almond milk. They swell up a little and form a jelly like surrounding and end up being similar to tapioca. I love it and it certainly energises me.

I used raw cacao (and cacao nibs to decorate) instead of cocoa powder as it's natural. There are so many benefits to raw cacao that range from reducing cataracts to improving heart function and alleviating stress. It's said that the theobromine which is naturally found in raw cacao is a mild, non-addictive stimulant that some people even believe can treat depression. Pretty good stuff huh?!?

RECIPE:

2 cups of dates that I soaked over night as I didn't have medjool.

½ cup of hazelnuts, chopped up 

1 ½ dessert spoons of cacao powder

3 teaspoons of chia seeds

handful of cacao nibs to decorate.

If soaking dates, put them in a bowl and cover with water overnight. Next day, discard the water and put dates in a blender. Whizz till a pulpy mush that is not too lumpy. The smoother the better, but with a spoon mush it around a bit and see if it's a texture you're happy with. I had no lumps. Add the cocao powder, chia seeds and chopped hazelnuts. Whizz again and then spread out into your dish. Sprinkle the cacao nibs over the top, cover and freeze for at least 2 hours. Longer is better!

Variations: 

add a handful of cranberries

use almonds instead of hazelnuts

add hemp seeds 

add a little bit of rock/flaky salt

add a little desiccated coconut.

Homemade Chocolate

Yes you can. Have one that is. These bad boys of bittersweet goodness can be completely sugar free (and if not only contain agave syrup) and will impress your friends no end when you tell them you've made your very own chocolate!

It is so simple and produces such a large amount that it is one of those that I adore to make. Kids will have a blast and parents will love doing it with them because nothing can go wrong! It can be used to dip candied peel in, strawberries and other berries, make a sin-free hot chocolate, add fruit, nuts. Anything you want really!

All you need for this is equal amounts of Cocoa butter and Raw Cocoa Powder. I used 300g and 300g (doh!). Melt the cocoa butter in a bane marie. This is basically where you put water in a saucepan, put a bowl in the saucepan but not touching the water. Put whatever you are trying to melt into the bowl and turn the heat on. Once the water comes to a boil, turn it off.

Once your Cocoa butter has melted (it will look like melted butter) simply add in the Raw Cocoa powder. Take the time to sieve it in otherwise you'll be there far longer trying to get the lumps out!

At this point, you can add Agave Syrup. I adore my chocolate bitter and add just a teeny weeny squeeze but if you like yours a lot sweeter, add more. It is utterly taste dependant so add and try, add and try.

If you do add Agave Syrup, you will notice the consistency gets a lot gloopier and thick and lovely! It will also thicken as it cools.

At this stage either leave it to cool so you can roll it into truffles (dusting with cocoa powder and salt is a fav option of mine) or pouring it in to moulds. If rolling into truffles you will have to go back every 10mins or so to check it hasn't completely solidified! I only had an old ice tray lying around and not really sure if it would work, I gave it a go. Bob is most definitely my Uncle as it worked like a charm!

Or if you want bark type pieces line a flat tray with baking paper and spread the mixture over. I did it this way too and used some apricot kernels as my nut of choice…turned out soooooo good!

Happy making.

There are lots of people making this recipe (all with variations but in general the same) and I should really give them a mention! Sorry I didn't before…..here, here and here.

Chocolate Fudge Bite Madness

If only I had a picture of the student stampede that shook through the Ballymaloe Kitchens today due to the the Chocolate Fudge Bite Madness….

Having just joined UK Bloggers it seemed like a fab idea to do a recipe swap blog post. My very very first one (I was and am excited) with the lovely Alyssia and this is what she says….

'Hey there! I'm Alyssia from http://alyssiarose.blogspot.co.uk. Ever since I can remember I have always loved baking, but it wasn't really until I came to University that I started messing around with baking. My favourite things to bake are cupcakes, because they are just too cute, and too yummy! When I saw that Jette wanted to do a recipe swap I jumped at the chance. I was seriously pleased with the recipe that she gave me, which you can check out over on my blog! Now for a bit about the recipe I gave her:

I actually got the recipe for Chocolate Fudge Cake Bites from the 'Step-by-step Baking Book' by Caroline Bretherton. (As a side note I think all keen bakers should own this book). Anyway this recipe is one that I have made many times and it always goes down a storm with my friends. So I hope that you enjoy it and maybe give it a go yourself!

Thanks again Jette for organising this swap, it's been really fun!'

So, here goes...
Generally in the kitchens of Ballymaloe Cookery School it's mayhem and madness and if one thing is started on one day, it rarely gets remembered the next to be finished but I managed it. All by myself, no notes or alarms. Proud aren't you?!

The recipe Alyssia sent me seemed a little complicated, especially for a girl (me) who gives up on recipe instructions if they go on and on (sorry Darina) and kind of just makes it up but, I stuck to it. Pat on the back. And oh yes, were they a hit. Within 5 minutes of putting them in the dinning room they had vanished into the tummies of my fellow Ballymaloe students. I did vary size but generally stuck to small so that it didn't feel quite so waist-increasingly-sinful to eat more than one.

The recipe is time consuming but yes, absolutely worth it. I can see it being great for kids parties and then doing some more decadent (add some booze) ones for a dinner party.

Now I did have some several awful moments. One was where my balls had been out of the fridge for quite a while and as I tried to coat them with white chocolate they proceeded to melt into the chocolate. Not a pretty effect but definitely a lesson learned…keep them cool!

All in all though a recipe that is well worth the effort and made one happy girl (me) and plenty of satisfied people in the dining room.