Dark Chocolate Cherry Ripe Slice

Dark Chocolate Cherry Ripe Slice

Dark Chocolate Cherry Ripe Slice

 

This dark chocolate cherry ripe slice is a revision on my original Homemade Cherry Ripe Bars that I posted way back at the very start of this blog.

Without taking too much away from the original recipe, which is still delicious, this new version really ups the game!

As it happens I’m not eating any sugar at the moment so this recipe was a request from Nick as he’s been reminiscing about the days when I used to make “normal sugary desserts”.

I completely understand how he feels as anyone who hasn’t trained their tastebuds to go without sugar for a while, will likely be disappointed by the lack of sugar in my last few sugar free recipes.

So as consolation for being such a good taste tester 😉 I offered to make him any sweet treat of his choosing. Out of all the recipes in the world he chose my cherry ripe bars and some oaty anzac biscuits. Go figure. In his position I think I would have asked for a molten chocolate pudding and maybe a salted caramel creme brûlée! But I guess that’s why I’m doing the  10 Day Sugar Cleanse at the moment and he isn’t.

 

Dark Chocolate Cherry Ripe Slice

 

I ended up tweaking my original cherry ripe recipe to use freeze dried cherries and raspberries, to give the slice a much more intense flavour and colour. Another benefit of using freeze dried fruit is it doesn’t contain any added sugar or vegetable oil like the standard dried versions, so even though freeze dried fruits are more expensive they’re worth it in the long run!

In this revised recipe I used pure maple syrup to sweeten the filling and coconut oil to bring it all together. For the chocolate coating you can either use a store-bought (ideally dairy-free) dark chocolate, or for an entirely raw and refined sugar free version you can make the raw chocolate coating. I’ve included instructions for both options in the recipe below.

And that’s pretty much it! The recipe really is that simple.

If you’re a cherry ripe bar fan from way back like my friends at frankie.com.au, or like the sound of a luscious coconut and sour red cherry filling covered in rich dark chocolate, then this recipe is for you!

I hope you enjoy this dark chocolate cherry ripe slice as much as Nick has enjoyed eating it, and hopefully I’ll be off my sugar free diet soon and enjoying it with you all too!

 

For more sour cherry recipes check out this Pana Chocolate style Raw Chocolate with Sour Cherries & Vanilla or these Raw Cacao & Brazil Nut Hemp Slice with Sour Cherries

 

 

Dark Chocolate Cherry Ripe Slice

 

Dark Chocolate Cherry Ripe Slice

Servings: Approximately 16 slices
Prep time: 30 minutes Chill time: 30 minutes

2 cups of desiccated coconut
3 Tbsp pure maple or rice syrup
3 Tbsp coconut oil, gently melted
1 cup freeze dried cherries
3/4 cup freeze dried raspberries
pinch of himalayan pink salt
300g dark chocolate (62% or 70%, dairy free) OR see below for the raw chocolate recipe

 

Line a small brownie tin (e.g. 18cm x 30cm or 20cm x 20cm) with baking paper.

If you’re using store bought chocolate, melt by placing in a heat proof bowl set over a pan of boiling water. Ensure the bowl doesn’t touch the water to avoid overheating the chocolate.

Gently melt the coconut oil by placing in a heat proof bowl set over a pan of steaming water with the heat turned off (you could use the same pan of water as the chocolate, just switch bowls the bowls over as needed).

Place the remaining ingredients into a food processor and blend until well combined. The mixture should be slightly sticky and hold together when pressed.

Spread one third of the melted chocolate over the bottom of the lined tin and place in the fridge or freezer to set for 5 to 10 minutes.

When the chocolate layer is just firm to touch, remove from the tin from the fridge or freezer and spread the cherry mixture over evenly, pressing it down well. This ensures the bars will hold together when cut.

Pour the remaining chocolate on top and spread evenly with a spoon or palate knife, then create a decorative ripple effect.

Return the slice to the fridge to set for approximately 20 minutes. When the chocolate is just firm, remove from the fridge and slice into bars using a hot, dry knife (i.e. dip the knife into steaming hot water and then dry it off before cutting the slice).

Store the chocolate cherry ripe slice in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or in the freezer for 1 month.

Raw Chocolate Recipe

1 cup (140g) raw cacao butter
1/2 cup (120g) cold pressed extra virgin coconut oil
pinch himalayan pink rock salt
1 cup (170g) pure maple or rice syrup
1 cup (130g) raw cacao powder

 

Bring a small pan of water to the boil then take it off the heat.

Place the cacao butter, coconut oil and salt in a heat proof bowl then place it on top of the pan of steaming water, stirring occasionally until fully melted. Melting the ingredients this way ensures the temperature of the ingredients doesn’t go above 47ºC, which means they will remain in their raw state and all their nutrients remain intact.

Once melted remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients.

The raw chocolate is now ready to be used.

Raw Chocolate with Sour Cherries & Vanilla

Raw Chocolate with Sour Cherries & Vanilla

Raw Chocolate with Sour Cherries & Vanilla - pana chocolate style recipe

 

If you’re a raw chocolate lover you’ll most likely have heard of Pana Chocolate. For anyone who hasn’t, Pana Chocolate is an Australian based chocolate maker that produces one of the best tasting, raw, organic chocolate’s available. If you’re luckily enough to live near one of their Australian outlets you might have also tried their amazing raw desserts. For anyone who wants to see what I’m talking about, check out their popular Instagram page here. I have yet to sample Pana Chocolate’s raw desserts, but I have tried their chocolate and it’s pretty damn good as far as raw, dairy-free chocolate goes!

My eating chocolate of choice used to be milk chocolate hands down. The creaminess and melt-in-the-mouth quality of a good milk chocolate was by far my preference over a rich, dark block any day. Dark chocolate obviously has a lot more cocoa solids in it, so tends to be a lot harder with much less of the melt-in-the-mouth quality. The higher the quality of dark chocolate, the less milk products and sugar it generally has too. These days there are a lot more quality dark chocolate varieties available, including some with less cocoa solids making them not quite so hard or rich, however, they still don’t possess the same melt-in-the-mouth quality.

So I was pretty excited when I discovered Pana Chocolate as not only does it contain no refined sugar, gluten, dairy or soy, it also has a rich fudgey texture and literally melts in your mouth! It’s also organic and completely raw which means all the antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins and minerals present in the chocolate are fully intact and readily absorbed by your body. The only downside about this amazing chocolate is that it’s usually in high demand so you can’t always find it in store, and almost never find the flavour you’re after, plus it’s pretty expensive too.

Naturally this led me to try and replicate this chocolate, how hard could it be?! Obviously they’ve spent many years perfecting their recipe and method and they source specific raw cacao and cacao butter to create their unique flavour. But it’s not as hard as you may think to create a simple, fudgey, pana style chocolate that you can then add all sorts of flavourings to.

Because I love the qualities of milk chocolate I’ve created this recipe to reflect that with just 40% cacao, and combined it with sour cherries and vanilla. If you like a darker chocolate then by all means add more cacao and decrease the coconut oil quantity.

Have fun with this raw chocolate recipe, play around with the cacao percentage and try adding whatever flavourings or additions of your choosing. Nuts are great, swapping the cherries for freeze dried raspberries, or adding another flavouring such as orange all work really well. And even though the ingredients for this recipe can be a little pricey, you do end up with a lot more raw chocolate than if you were to buy a ready made bar! Enjoy x

 

Have you tried to make your own raw chocolate before? Any hints or tips or questions about this recipe – leave a comment in the section below!

 

Raw Chocolate with Sour Cherries & Vanilla

Raw Chocolate with Sour Cherries & Vanilla

1 cup raw coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup raw cacao butter, melted
1/2 cup pure maple syrup or rice syrup
1/4 tsp himalayan pink salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 vanilla pod, scraped
3/4 cup raw cacao powder
1 cup (150g) dried sour cherries

Note: the steps below ensure that you measure the coconut oil and cacao butter quantities in their melted form. If you measure them in their dry form you will be short. The reason I haven’t given the measurements for their dry forms (even though this would be easier!) is because it’s much harder to accurately fit solid raw cacao into a cup.

Line a small tray approximately 20 x 20cm or smaller with a double layer of cling film.

Bring a small pan of water to the boil and then turn off the heat. Place a heat proof bowl on top of the pan and add 1 cup of coconut oil plus a bit extra, and stir until melted. Measure 1 cup of the melted coconut oil and pour this into a second bowl. Any extra just pour back into the coconut oil jar. Repeat this step for the cacao butter (about 3/4 – 1 cup dry cacao butter = 1/2 cup melted).

When you have the melted coconut oil and cacao butter together in the second bowl add the maple syrup and stir well using a whisk. Add the scraped vanilla seeds, salt, cinnamon and raw cacao powder and give it a good stir with the whisk until everything is well combined. Pour the chocolate mixture through a fine sieve to break up any cacao powder lumps and remove any vanilla pod remnants. Add the sour cherries and stir to combine.

Pour the sour cherry chocolate into the prepared tray and spread evenly. Place the tray in the fridge or freeze to set (depending on how fast you want it!). When set, lift the chocolate out of the tray using the cling film edges. Peel back the cling film and cut into squares. Store the chocolate in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 month or freeze for 3 months.

 

Raw Chocolate with Sour Cherries & Vanilla

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