Chocolate Bars Recipe
This chocolate bars recipe is the perfect sweet treat to stash in your freezer for sweet tooth emergencies!
Chocolate doesn’t have to be unhealthy. While you still want to enjoy it in moderation (hello calories!), chocolate is actually perfectly healthy stuff!
What makes it unhealthy? Everything that gets added to it. So instead of buying chocolate bars at the store that are totally unhealthy and bad for you, here’s how to make them easily at home with far healthier ingredients!
And yes, these make great gifts for special occasions!
About The Ingredients
Unsweetened chocolate – Choose your chocolate carefully. The higher the cocoa content the healthier it will be! (Dark chocolate anyone?)
Coconut oil – Use virgin oil that is hard at room temperature. This is a critical ingredient for your bars getting hard enough in the fridge or freezer to actually become a bar instead of liquid chocolate.
Granular sweetener – I used xylitol because it’s easier on my blood sugar. But any granular sweetener will work here. Try Sucanat, coconut sugar, or even monk fruit!
Salt – I used pink Himalayan salt, but any fine salt will do the trick here.
Chocolate Bar Flavorings
If you want to add flavoring to your chocolate bars, here are some suggestions. Use one or all!
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup finely chopped nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, or macadamia nuts will work well here!)
How To Make This Chocolate Bars Recipe
In a small slow cooker (you can use a double boiler too), melt your chocolate on low, stirring once or twice as it melts.
When melted, stir in the coconut oil and melt fully.
Stir in the remaining ingredients and mix well.
Pour the chocolate into chocolate bar molds and set in the fridge. Once they are a little solid, you can move them to the freezer if you need them to harden faster.
Remove from mold and keep in the fridge or freezer at all times.
Need Supplies?
Healthy Chocolate Recipes
Chocolate Bars Recipe Card
Chocolate Bars Recipe
Equipment
- Chocolate bar molds OR a small cookie sheet with sides
Ingredients
- 8 oz. unsweetened chocolate
- ½ cup coconut oil
- 1¼ cup granular sweetener
- ¼ tsp. sea salt
Instructions
- In a small slow cooker (you can use a double boiler too), melt your chocolate on low, stirring once or twice as it melts.
- When melted, stir in the coconut oil and melt fully.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Pour the chocolate into chocolate bar molds and set in the fridge. Once they are a little solid, you can move them to the freezer if you need them to harden faster.
- Remove from mold and keep in the fridge or freezer at all times.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe from the Gracious Pantry® archives, originally posted 8/5/12.
Yes, We avoided them and used Butter instead of coconut oil. They taste amazing! EVERYONE in the home cannot get enough.
Nikki – Oh good!!! Glad to hear the butter worked! 😀
Do you taste the chili powder? Do you have to use it?
Christiane – No, you don’t have to use it. It gives them a little spice, which in hindsight, I would not do again. But they were good!
I mixed carob powder & olive oil, for a lovely texture. Then I tried to add vanilla extract. Then it started to get rough & lumpy. Added honey but it doesn’t seem to blend. I scooped them into the mold anyway, Hoping it set later in the chiller. Will try another round later with only 1 tsp of vanilla extract & a pinch of salt.
Elaine – It could be the carob. I’ve never tried it with carob. Try adding the vanilla after the honey and cutting it in half. Maybe that will help. Let me know how it goes!
I’ve a girlfriend who loves chocolates. Who doesn’t, but after taking chocolates, she’ll release very stinky human gas. Hence I’m trying to use carob as a substitute. But the cocoa is not that strong & the vco is a bit strong. Any suggestions?
Elaine – Maybe try adding some extracts?
What’s the difference between essence & extract? Does chocolate/cocoa extract contain traces of cocoa?
Elaine – An essence is usually chemically derived and would not be considered clean. Opt for extracts that are pure. (no added sugars or flavorings)
Due to some health reasons I have to avoid any kind of sugar subsitue. My doctor also forbid to eat fruit sugar or any other sweetener since all that feeds the Candida albicans. Basicly I can just eat vegteables and meat and stuff like that. So I am searching for alternatives. Do you think this recepy would work with any sweetener at all or would it taste too bitter?
Gwen – It would be pretty darn bitter. Have you asked about stevia? Stevia is not a sugar at all and may allow you to have something at least moderately sweet. It’s worth asking your doctor about!
Yes, stevia is allowed. Thanks! I’m gonna try this recipy then. 🙂
Gwen – Great! I hope you enjoy it! Just be aware of the conversion between sugars and stevia. Stevia requires much less!!