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2011/03/04

Love chocolate? Got a food processor?

I've been dying for chocolate lately. Not Snickers crappy chocolate-esque stuff, but real, dark, bitter chocolate. However, as Nourishing Days recently pointed out, if I crave sugar I'm probably not ready to add it back to my diet yet so I figured even my 3-ingredient fudge was out for now. Considering that I'm only halfway through my (admittedly wobbly) 30 days that's not surprising, but still sad for me. BUT! The rule is no added sugar of any kind. Reading a Slightly Indulgent post I was reminded of this panforte nero recipe I've been meaning to make for ages, and subsequently how sweet natural figs can be.

So I toddled into the kitchen this (late) morning and, while my eggs were frying, tossed together the following ingredients. It's still setting up in the fridge but, from my spatula-licking, it tastes fantastic! This being a first attempt, I didn't measure. Sorry. And my poor stab mixer attachment on my hand mixer just can't go through dried figs so well, so the oil isn't as integrated as I'd like. Can somebody please tell me if this is a) tasty, and b) possible with the right equipment?

5 dried figs, roughly chopped and stems removed (this is a test-sized batch)
1.5 - 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c melted ghee/coconut oil blend (this is my regular cooking oil; use one or the other if it's what you've got)
couple of grinds of black pepper, plus a little bit o' chili flakes (personal taste - I also planned to add orange peel and almonds, but decided to give the mixer the rest of the morning off)

Blitz, cool, and either cube or roll into small balls. The ball idea would be conducive to rolling through more cocoa or powdered coconut to keep fingers clean later.

Please let me know if you try this out!
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EDIT: I tried this with ginger, orange peel, cinnamon and chili flakes, and found that the flavours developed over time and eventually overwhelmed the chocolate. I still like the combination of spices, but I'd maybe double the cocoa. That would also soak up some of the oils.

There's also a similar recipe by a real cook over here, which uses a mix of figs, dates and raisins.

3 comments:

  1. Follow up: It was lovely. Junior and I ate is with glee. And you know what? Sugar craving is gone.
    I'm going to try this again tomorrow with orange peel, something for heat (white pepper? chilis?), nutmeg and cinnamon. I imagine it to be an Andalucian flavour combo, and cinnamon is great for mitigating sugar spikes.

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  2. I enjoyed this post thanks for sharing.

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