raw chocolate treats for valentine's day

I've never had a go at making my own chocolate before - let alone raw chocolate - but chocolate being the serotonin-rich aphrodisiac that it is, I thought what better time to give it a go than in the lead up to Valentine's Day?

Despite what I thought, you don't need any specialist scary equipment to make raw chocolate - you just need the right quality ingredients and you're away!

These recipes are based on some I found in the book Naked Chocolate by David Wolfe and Shazzie.  The book is a quirky but fun-to-read part philosophy, part cook book, 100% love letter to the humble cacao bean.  If you're into holistic living or a bit of a nutritional nerd like me, you'll love it.  It was hard to narrow it down to just a few recipes to try! I'm really keen to try the savoury cacao recipes too, including the chilli con cacao.

If you give any of these a try you'll probably be quite taken aback by how sweet, rich and luscious they are...I know I was!  And while they certainly are delicious, you do feel so satisfied by just a little bit.  The intensity of the flavours will really hit you!

Raw goji berry chocolates
Makes 10 ice-cube-sized chocolates

2 level tablespoons coconut oil
4 heaped tablespoons cacao powder 
2 level tablespoons raw agave nectar
2 level tablespoons lucuma powder (or maca powder)
10 goji berries

Place all ingredients except goji berries in a small food processor and blitz until very smooth, or blend with a hand blender until very smooth.  

Procure an ice cube tray (I used a heart-shaped one) and place a goji berry in the bottom of each.  Spoon the mixture in and press into the mould shape with your (clean) fingers. Smooth the tops down.

Place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes or overnight if you wish.  Eat straight from the freezer!

Raw chocolate sauce
Makes enough for 4 bowls of ice cream

4 tablespoons cacao powder
3 tablespoons raw agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon coconut oil
Filtered water, if needed

Mix all the ingredients together to form a paste, either in a pestle and mortar, or in a food processor.  I added a little water to make it runnier, as I found the raw agave nectar was a bit sweet.  If you like it sweet, you can add more agave nectar if you want it runnier.  If you want it creamier, add some more coconut oil.

We had this over some vegan vanilla ice cream......lush wasn't the word!  You could also use it to make hot chocolate.

Raw chocolate pudding
Makes 2 small servings or 1 large serving

1 avocado
10 dates, pitted and soaked
1/3 cup cacao powder
1 tablespoon raw agave nectar
1 tablespoon lucuma powder

Blend all the ingredients together until very smooth.  Add a little filtered water if it's too thick.  Scoop into bowls.

This is amazing.  I had some plain but took it to another level with a bit of coconut cream and goji berries on top.

Have you made any raw chocolates or raw desserts before? 

This post is in partnership with Detox My World.