Chocolate Is Healthy

With traditional chocolate chips replaced by cacao nibs and sugar replaced by agave nectar and fruits, you won’t miss the butter and sugar in this no-bake healthy chocolate chip cookie recipe.   Minimal processing of ingredients, and less of a “sugar spike” make this a healthy chocolate treat. It’s also a great treat for kids to make on their own, while learning to measure and combine ingredients.

Clean Eating Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1 ¼ cup raisins
½ cup pitted dates
2 cups whole oats
1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
4 tbsp. agave or honey
2 tsp. cinnamon
Pinch of salt, to taste
½ cup cacao nibs

Directions:

1. Place raisins and dates in food processor and chop into small pieces.
2. Add oats, agave or honey, cinnamon and salt. Process to mix well.
3. Empty into a mixing bowl and add cacao nibs. Mix well.
4. Use a tablespoon measure to portion cookies.  Enjoy immediately or chill before serving for firmer texture.

Clean Eating: Kid-Friendly and Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies | Healthy Endeavors: Developing Healthy Eating Habits for Life!.

We found this killer list of delicious chocolate gifts including bars, truffles and even chocolate spa treatments.   While we can’t say that every item on this list is healthy, there are some wonderful options either on their own or to create a chocolate gift basket.

Here are a couple of our healthier chocolate favorites:

Alter Eco Dark Cacao Chocolate

“Alter-Eco is a San Francisco based gourmet food company that offers a full line of Fair Trade gourmet chocolate. The ingredients used in the chocolates are sourced from marginalized farming cooperatives in the global south – providing fair wages, direct trade and funding for community development, scholarships, women’s empowerment programs and more. The company offers a unique variety of chocolate bars crafted with passion by a master chocolatier in Switzerland from all natural ingredients and Fair Trade Certified ingredients. Alter-Eco’s Dark Cacao Chocolate blends a fine dark chocolate (73% cocoa) with crunchy nibs of roasted Organic cacao beans—the perfect balance of bitter and sweet! The chocolate is both Fair Trade Certified and USDA certified organic. To make this chocolate, Alter-Eco uses the finest ingredients harvested by the members of the El Ceibo cooperative located in the heart of the Bolivian Amazon who use sustainable farming methods that preserve the local agricultural biodiversity. www.altereco-usa.com

Navitas Naturals Make-Your-Own Organic Chocolate Superfood Kits

Navitas Naturals is making it easy for people to bring home the art of chocolate making with their innovative new Organic Superfood Chocolate Kits. Available in three delicious organic superfood varieties – Goji Berry, Cacao Nib and Goldenberry. Each fun and unique Kit creates 12 organic chocolates. Navitas Naturals Organic Superfood Chocolate Kits are full of healthy antioxidants, and these treats can be prepared in just minutes. In addition to the Kit ingredients, the only other items needed to complete the easy recipe are a knife, a small bowl, a large bowl and an ice cube tray. Each Organic Superfood Chocolate Kit contains raw: organic cacao butter, organic cacao powder, organic mesquite, organic lucuma, organic maca and the specific organic superfood which is featured in the chewy center of the chocolates (Goji Berry, Cacao nib, or Goldenberry).”

Chocolate Gifts – Chocolate Gift Guide for 2009.

Here’s a deliciously healthy raw chocolate smoothie recipe.  In addition to raw cacao nibs, it includes Hemp seed oil, which is high in Omega-3 fatty acids.   The recipe also calls for maca powder, which is derived from the root of an Andean plant called the maca and is known as a superfood.  It also includes raw almonds, banana, spices and agave nectar for sweetening. read more »

Vegan food blog Cruelty Free Kitchen shares two wonderful cookie recipes, 100% vegan, that incorporate cacao nibs.  If you haven’t heard us go on about cacao nibs before, here’s the scoop: One of the best ways to consume organic raw cacao is in the form of cacao nibs. Similar to chocolate chips, they are great as an addition to trail mix, yogurt or blended into a chocolate shake. They are unroasted and often unsweetened but taste like true chocolate.  And perfect, we’ve learned, to add to cookies. read more »

This is not the most healthful recipe incorporating cacao nibs, but we are delighted this wonderful food appears in the September issue of Bon Appetit, as the highlight of this delicious gelato recipe.

Cacao Nib Gelato Recipe

yield: Makes about 3 1/2 cups
The ice cream custard needs to infuse with the flavor of the cacao nibs overnight, so start preparing it two days ahead.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup cacao nibs*
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
5 large egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar

Special equipment: Ice cream maker
ombine 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, 1 cup whole milk, and 1/2 cup cacao nibs in heavy large saucepan. Scrape in seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean; add bean. Bring mixture to simmer. Remove from heat. Cover and let mixture steep 30 minutes. Uncover and return to simmer.

Whisk 5 large egg yolks and 3/4 cup sugar in large heatproof bowl until mixture is pale yellow and slightly thickened. Gradually add hot cream mixture to yolk mixture, whisking until well blended. Return mixture to same saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens and coats back of spoon when finger is drawn across and instant-read thermometer inserted into custard registers 170°F, about 5 minutes (do not boil). Transfer custard to medium bowl. Cover and chill overnight. Whisk 5 large egg yolks and 3/4 cup sugar in large heatproof bowl until mixture is pale yellow and slightly thickened. Gradually add hot cream mixture to yolk mixture, whisking until well blended. Return mixture to same saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens and coats back of spoon when finger is drawn across and instant-read thermometer inserted into custard registers 170°F, about 5 minutes (do not boil). Transfer custard to medium bowl. Cover and chill overnight.

Pour custard through fine strainer set over bowl; discard solids in strainer. Transfer custard to ice cream maker and process according to manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer gelato to freezer container. Cover and freeze until ice cream is firm, at least 8 hours or overnight. do ahead Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep frozen.

* Bits of shell-roasted cacao beans; available at many specialty foods stores and from chocosphere.com.
Cacao Nib Gelato Recipe at Epicurious.com.