This is a totally decadent recipe for a ‘Cherry Pecan Dark Chocolate Bar’ that is full of healthy ingredients. Everyone that I have given samples to loves it. This is just one of the recipes from the Healthy Chocolate Project where I carefully teach you how to make all the healthy chocolate you would ever want without all that sugar.
Cherry Dark Chocolate Bar Recipe Ingredients
Of course, the main ingredient in this recipe for this cherry pecan chocolate bar is chocolate. Chocolate is a favourite for many people and it can be a very healthy food for you. The good news is that there is research suggesting how healthy it is. It is a superfood.
The research did not take into account all the sugar and unhealthy fat added to chocolate treats.
Here are a few of the health benefits of cocoa.
- Cocoa has anti-clotting, blood-thinning properties. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
- The ingredient phenylethylamine that gives chocolate the reputation of being the ‘love food’ raises serotonin and dopamine level which stimulates the nervous system, and even raises libido.
- Chocolate eaters have lower stress levels. Live Science Stress Study Finds
Baker’s Unsweetened Baking Chocolate is all-natural; 100% Cacao, Kosher Dairy and is easy to use for chocolate making or baking.
The cherries in this recipe for a cherry dark chocolate bar add an amazing taste. They’re packed with antioxidants and offer many health benefits, including help with insomnia, joint pain, and belly fat. Cherries could be just what the doctor ordered. Learn the 11 Health Benefits of the Beautiful Cherry
Coconut oil is actually very good for us and makes this recipe for the Cherry Dark Chocolate bar creamy. In tropical climates like Polynesia, Sri Lanka, and the Yucatan where they have a diet high in coconut oil, the people are healthier, have less heart disease, cancer, and colon problems than unsaturated fat eaters. It is now accepted that there is good cholesterol and there are good saturated fats. Learn the 12 benefits of Coconut Oil, this newly declared an Amazing SuperFood.
As I don’t use sugar for my baking I often use stevia which is a healthy option. The stevia plant is incredibly sweet and also incredibly good for you. The leaf is 30 times sweeter than sugar while extracts are 300-400 times sweeter. The best stevia will, therefore, be the one that retains some whole food value and is water-based. Liquid forms will be less processed. Go here to learn How to Get the Best Stevia Without the Bitterness.
Pecans are gourmet nuts with a delicious buttery taste adding a delicious crunch to the Cherry Pecan Dark Chocolate Bar Recipe. Also, pecans have an abundance of health benefits. They are heart-healthy, help lower cholesterol, and are high in antioxidants making them a great superfood addition to our meals and even our snacks!
As an alternative to sugar and honey, brown rice syrup is a good choice as it is gluten-free and vegan.
Lundberg Syrup Brown Rice Syrup
• Lightly sweet, amber-colored and smooth
• A nutritive sweetener that is about half as sweet as sugar
• A tasty alternative for those who watch their sugar intake
• Bake with it, pour it over ice cream or pancakes or stir it into your tea.
If you are a strict vegan then honey is not an option. Honey is so good for you that we have included it in our list of superfoods that should be in your kitchen right now. It helps prevents cancer and heart disease reduces ulcers and other gastrointestinal disorders as well as reducing cough and throat irritation. It is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal and increases athletic performance. Honey is a probiotic and helps to heal wounds and burns while strengthening the immune system.
Cherry Pecan Dark Chocolate Bar Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 squares unsweetened chocolate approx 112 gm
- 3 Tbsp organic virgin coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp brown rice syrup or unpasteurized honey
- 1/4 tsp liquid stevia
- 1/4 cup pecans toasted and chopped
- 1/4 cup dried unsweetened cherries chopped in half's
Instructions
- Dry roast the pecans in a toaster oven or in a frying pan (stir frequently so they do not burn).
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or very carefully in a saucepan.
- Oil a small pan with coconut oil approximately an 8 -inch square.
- Cut the cherries in half.
- Sprinkle the pan evenly with the cherries and pecans.
- When the chocolate is melted; remove it from the heat.
- Mix in the coconut oil and stevia.
- Then mix in the brown rice syrup or honey.
- Pour the melted chocolate mixture over the cherries and pecans.
- Let the chocolate cool in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Once set, cut into squares.
- Store in a covered container in refrigerator or freezer, if desired
Notes
200 gm divided by 36 = 5.55 gms X 20 rectangles = 111 gms.
What you need to do is use approximately 112 gms.
I hope you enjoyed my Cherry Pecan Dark Chocolate Bar
Give Healthy Chocolate as Gifts for Your Family and Friends.
This recipe is just one of the many recipes in the Healthy Chocolate Project.
Each recipe includes video instruction.
Learn how to make an assortment of amazingly delicious chocolates that’s actually healthy for you.
Each of them uses small quantities of healthy sugars and healthy oils.
Check out the Healthy Chocolate Project
Here are a few more of my chocolate treats:
Chocolate Cherry Vegan Ice Cream – This vegan ice cream is delicious! Who doesn’t like chocolate cherry ice cream? This is simple to make vegan ice cream which is so yummy and made with some of my favourite ingredients. And not filled with unhealthy sugar!
Walnut Dark Chocolate Bar – This dark chocolate bar recipe produces one of the healthiest chocolate treats you will find. It also tastes better than the commercial stuff you end up buying! This is one of the few chocolates that I make without any of the other healthy sugars and it is not for everyone. Only those who like very dark chocolate will appreciate the flavour.
A Delicious Cherry Recipe
Cherry Vegan Pudding Is Raw and So Delicious – This cherry pudding is so easy to make and is raw so no cooking. It is great for a hot summer day. The best part of this pudding is that it is delicious and filled with nutrients.
Some more of my favorite treat Recipes
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Hi Diane, I would love to do your chocolate course, but unfortunately, $98 is really so good a price in America, but in South Africa, it works out with exchange rate at R1,000.00 which unfortunately, I cannot afford as a pensioner. Maybe we can work something out. Joy
Email me Joy. I am away just now but will get back to you in a couple of days.