Homemade Chocolate (vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free)

Blend together dates, coconut milk powder and vanilla. Make sure not to use vanilla extract (use powder or bean) because the liquid would make them clump up. Blend until it resembles together the texture of coarse sand and stop if you notice it clumping up.

Melt cacao butter on low heat on the stove or in the microwave. Using a double-boiler (or putting a larger bowl on top of a smaller pot of boiling water works best) If you have a strong enough blender, you can also add chunks of cacao butter and let it run till it melts.

Pour the melted cacao butter over the date/coconut milk mixture in the blender and add the cashews. Start blending on low heat gradually increasing to max speed. Use the tamper of necessary to push things down gently and scrape the sides. It’ll look like a clumpy mess at first, but then it’ll turn into a smooth liquid.

When the mixture turns smooth, pour into chocolate molds. (There should be enough mixture for 6 bars if you use the suggested mold) You may want to pour some of the mixture as is first and sprinkle some Mimalayan or Maldon salt for Salted Caramel Chocolate. And add cocoa powder into the remaining mixture to make Vegan Milk Chocolate. Or even combine the two to make White/Dark Chocolate like Milka Happy Cows! The possibilities are endless, so feel free to experiment with your own flavour combinations.

After pouring the mixture into molds, sprinkle chopped pistachios (or any other nuts) on top.

Place in the fridge until firm. This should take about an hour. These are best kept in the fridge to maintain its hardness and will last for at least one month. Enjoy!