Manuka Chaga Chocolate Goddess DiscsHere’s another way to consume the immune-boosting power of chaga – in a totally delicious way!

Instead of buying your chocolate bars at the store, where they are packed with refined sugar, how about making your own?

If you want to make this chocolate sugar-free (i.e. no honey or maple syrup), of course you can sub the honey for stevia, BUT I will tell you from experience that your chocolate will have a bitter note. And to get it ‘sweet’ enough (similar to regular chocolate) you will need to use so much stevia that you will then have a significant stevia aftertaste.

The solution then is to either:

  • Use stevia or monk fruit mixed with a sugar alcohol xylitol or erythritol – powdered Truvia or Lakanto work well. But don’t use sugar alcohols if you’re prone to gas or diarrhea as they will make both conditions worse.
  • Or, you can use just 2 tbsp of Manuka honey (don’t forget there’s an immune benefit to Manuka honey) and then use stevia or monkfruit to your desired sweetness level. The honey takes out all the bitterness and masks the stevia aftertaste. Et voila!

Manuka Chaga Chocolate Goddess Discs

Ingredients

1 cup organic cocoa butter wafers
1 cup organic cocoa/cacao powder
1 cup organic crunchy peanut or other nut butter (omit if you don’t like nut butter)
1/2 cup Manuka honey (you can use regular honey, or organic maple syrup instead)
1/4 cup organic hemp hearts or crisped rice (your choice)
1 Tbsp. chaga powder

Optional: you can also add your choice of diced dried fruit (apricots, mango, or smashed banana chips work well), or nuts – either blended in at step 4, or sprinkled/pressed on top after pouring into molds or onto cookie sheet.

Directions

1. Melt the cocoa butter wafers in a saucepan (big enough to hold 3 cups worth of ingredients) at medium-low heat.

2. Whisk in the cocoa/cacao powder until blended.

3. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Then pour in the maple syrup or honey and whisk until fully combined.

4. Next, whisk in the nut butter, chaga powder, and your choice of hemp hearts or crisped rice.

5. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for a couple of minutes – you want it to still be really pourable, but not so hot that it’s going to damage your molds or encourage lots of plastic leaching into your chocolate. If you have silicone molds, that’s better. Or, use a baking sheet.

6. Pour into chocolate molds, or, pour out as discs onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, to cool completely. Place in a cool place (fridge or freezer) for a little while to speed up the setting process, if you like.

During the times in my life where I’ve quit sugar, making my own chocolate was a lifesaver! The great thing about this recipe – using cocoa butter, rather than dairy, to make it ‘creamy’ – is that cocoa butter is also a very healthy/healing fat, and very satisfying to the body’s satiety-meter. It has good antioxidant levels and contains the following vitamins and minerals: magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, vitamin D, vitamin E, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B1, vitamin A.

Enjoy!

**Always consult your doctor, naturopath, or medical professional before beginning a new supplement. Medications that slow blood clotting (Anticoagulant / Antiplatelet drugs) can interact with Chaga. Taking Chaga along with medications that also slow blood clotting might increase the risk of bruising and bleeding. Chaga mushrooms can also lower blood sugar, which can make it dangerous for those taking insulin or other blood sugar-lowering medications.