Spiked Eggnog Dark Chocolate
Please tell me you’re not totally sick of eggnog just yet? I cut myself off after three cartons of the store-bought stuff and several rounds of my homemade smoothie-esque version, but now I’m back at it. This time, in the form of chocolate!
Chocolate. Chocolate. Chocolate!
This is pretty much my brain’s mantra every evening after dinner. And okay, mid-afternoon too. I’m picky about my chocolate though, and the brands I like the most are pricey (hello, $9 bar of Mast Brothers). Making homemade chocolate that rivals the best isn’t completely inexpensive when you like to use raw cacao butter as the base, but it’s a heck of a lot more affordable than regularly purchasing $9 bars. Confession: It’s easy too.
For my latest chocolate recipe, I wasn’t quite ready to give up on December’s holiday spice. Inspired by my love for all things egg nog, I adapted my original chocolate recipe to include vanilla bean powder and freshly ground nutmeg, with a wee pour of bourbon, of course.
I kid you not—this is some of the best chocolate I’ve had, $9 bars included. And while I wish I could take all of the credit, it really does come down to the ingredients: high quality, rich, raw cacao butter and cacao powder, plus ever-so-slightly grainy, caramel-y coconut sugar. The texture is similar to Taza, minus the price tag.
Spiked Eggnog Dark Chocolate
Spiked Eggnog Dark Chocolate
Serves: one 8 x 8 inch pan
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 10 mins
Rich, dark, and inspired by my love for all things eggnog. This chocolate is some of the best I've had, with a texture similar to Taza, minus the price tag.
Cuisine: Gluten Free, Vegan Servings: one 8 x 8 inch pan
Prep Time: 1 hour Cook Time: 10 mins
Rich, dark, and inspired by my love for all things eggnog. This chocolate is some of the best I've had, with a texture similar to Taza, minus the price tag.
Instructions
- Line an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Add the cacao butter to a medium saucepan and melt it over the lowest heat setting.
- While the cacao butter is melting, whisk together the cacao powder, powdered coconut sugar, vanilla bean powder, nutmeg, and sea salt in a separate bowl.
- Once the cacao butter has melted, whisk in the dry ingredients and bourbon until well-combined, making sure the coconut sugar has had a chance to dissolve completely (about 5 minutes).
- Turn off the stove and pour the chocolate into the prepared pan.
- Place the pan in the refrigerator for an hour, or until the chocolate is completely solid.
- Lift the parchment paper and chocolate out of the pan and transfer the chocolate to a cutting board. Break the chocolate into pieces and enjoy!
Notes [1]
Leftover chocolate can be stored at room temperature for a softer texture (assuming the cacao butter is solid at room temperature), or in the fridge.
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