Make Chocolate

Celebrate love:

Love yourself so fully, that from this place of fullness, you shine that love back outwards to illuminate the lives of all you encounter, in turn.

Share love with homemade chocolate. Why not go wild and make a big batch for the whole office? Your whole street? Town? Everyone needs some love.

Making chocolate is easy. By controlling the amount of sugar and other ingredients, you also control the health benefits received.

Here's 2 different recipes for making your own chocolate:
- make it from scratch with "Bare Chocolate"
- rebuild from another bar with "Chocolate Truffles"

Have fun, get creative, and share with everyone!
Love, Jiling

Bare Chocolate

Ingredients
1/4 C cocoa butter
4 T cocoa powder
2 T sweetener (adjust as desired)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1. melt cocoa butter in double boiler on low heat
2. stir in cocoa powder
3. add sweetener/ vanilla
4. add herbs/ nuts/ seeds/ fruits/ etc (optional)
5. pour into molds
6. let cool. Once solid, release from molds, and enjoy! 

Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients
8 oz dark chocolate
2/3 cup coconut milk
2 tsp vanilla
spices/ herbs (optional. ie cinnamon, nutmeg, etc)
powdered cacao/ roses/ coconut/ etc (optional, for coating)

1. break chocolate to small pieces.
2. add vanilla + spices/ herbs (optional) to chocolate.
3. warm coconut milk in double boiler until fully melted, then remove from heat
4. pour chocolate- mix into coconut- milk. Let stand until melted, then mix
5. place into fridge to let cool, until you can roll it into balls
6. roll into balls (you can scoop it out with a tablespoon)
7. roll in powder (optional)
8. yum!

Adding Herbs
You can add herbal powders into both recipes. For Truffles, you can infuse herbs into coconut milk, or add herbal powders into the coating- mix. Have fun and experiment! Here's some herbal ideas:



More Resources

• Turmeric Chocolate
• Sweet Medicine
• Herbal Aphrodisiacs
• Herbal Lube

Jiling Lin, L.Ac. 林基玲

acupuncture . herbs . yoga

www.JilingLin.com

Tumeric Chocolate

It's finals week. I have a sudden flurry of people asking me for this recipe. So, here you go. Tumeric is often touted as a wonderful anti-inflammatory agent, and is sold over the counter in pill form. However, the phyto-constituents are not bioavailable without fat and black pepper, which is why it's traditionally cooked in curries. I love chocolate. I love embedding powdered herbs into foods. I took a "food as medicine" type herb class with herbalist Bevin Clare two years ago at a conference. This recipe is adapted from Bevin and her daughter, Penny. I tend to process a pound of chocolate at a time, bringing 3 pieces with me for my long days at school, indulging extra whenever I want more energy beyond a Camellia sinensis kick, or am experiencing premenstrual cravings. That pound lasts for months stored in a Mason jar in the fridge, and feels nutritious and uplifting beyond store-bought chocolate. Enjoy.  

Tumeric Chocolate

(Recipe adapted from mother-daughter team herbalists Penny & Bevin Clare)

16 oz bittersweet dark chocolate

8 oz Coconut Oil

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

½ - 1 cup Turmeric

½ - 1 teaspoon black pepper (coarse ground)

1 cup walnuts (finely chopped)

salt (coarse ground Hawaiian Black Sea Salt, or Pink Himalayan Salt)

Optional: 2-3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger, other herbs/ spices

1. Melt Chocolate & Coconut oil together over low heat.

2. Stir in Vanilla, then add herbs (turmeric, black pepper, etc). Stir out any lumps.

3. Stir in nuts.

4. Pour into shallow baking dish. Place somewhere cold to harden (ie, fridge).

5. When it sets a little, sprinkle top lightly with salt (and any other optional toppings). Then, back into fridge. (If you place toppings on too early, then they sink to the bottom. If too late, then they don’t stay on. Try setting a small corner with your topping, before you commit to the full piece.)

6. Right before it fully sets, score chocolate with knife, to make it easier to break, later. Back into fridge.

7. Once it’s solid, break into pieces. Store in fridge, as it melts easily. Enjoy.

Other additions/ considerations

Nutritive: coconut flakes, Maca

Nervines: Rose, Tulsi, Damiana

Adaptogens: Ashwaganda

Warming: Cinnamon, Cayenne, Nutmeg

See my Botanica Aphrodisiaca and Botanica Erotica class handouts for other chocolate recipes and herbal considerations/ ideas. Have fun!  

(Photo from San Gabriel National Monument, my backyard. Chocolate not pictured in image, but it's a place where I enjoy enjoying chocolate, tea, and other happy healthy meals and snacks.)