Whispering Earth

As promised, here is the recipe for my rose and cardamom chocolates. I’ll give you the basic chocolate recipe which can then be varied in infinite ways to make any flavour you fancy indulging in. I made nearly 400 of these for my wedding last year and added in a little sprinkle of aphrodisiac herbs and some flower remedies that resonate with the heart to complete the effect.

The basic recipe could not be easier and contains only 4 ingredients, plus the flavourings, should you choose to use them. These chocolates are raw and vegan so are fine for most people. Chocolate has been shown to have many health benefits, such as a high magnesium and antioxidant content, however most commercially available chocolate also has a lot of sugar and dairy which detracts from this. Despite the benefits, chocolate is still a stimulating herb so I would recommend you do as I say and not as I do, and eat it in small quantities. 🙂 The ingredients are a little pricey to purchase but will last a long time if you get a reasonable amount. They are mostly available from good health shops or online retailers like Raw Living and Indigo Herbs. Practitioners, students or those in the trade can get great discounts buying through Tree Harvest.

These amounts are enough for 3 to 4 chocolate moulds depending on their size and depth. I have bought all my moulds from Cakes, Cookies and Crafts, which do a fabulous selection, including leaves, flowers, hearts, dinosaurs and even halloween themed skulls and spiders!

Ingredients:
120g raw cacao powder
100g raw cacao butter
20g virgin coconut butter
80g agave nectar
Tiny pinch of crystal or sea salt

2 drop rose essential oil
2 drop cardamom essential oil
Flower remedies (optional)

The easy rule is that the total weight of the butters equals the total amount of chocolate powder. This makes a fairly intense chocolate but you can add more butters if you want it less so. You can also play around with the proportions of the butters. I only add a small amount of coconut butter as it can be quite ‘fatty’ and give the finished chocolates a very low melt point but you could add more, or omit it altogether and just use cacao butter, as you like. Equally you can add a little more agave, up to about 100g, if you want the end product to be sweeter.

So what you do is melt the butters, gently, in a bain marie/ double boiler and when they are completely liquid stir in the sieved chocolate powder and agave syrup until well mixed and the consistency of melted chocolate. Add a pinch of salt and 2 drops each of your chosen essential oils and stir well. Using a spoon, fill your moulds and pop in the fridge for an hour before tucking in. It really couldn’t be simpler!

I use rose otto and cardamom essential oils in this recipe but you could substitute ground cardamon, though the finished chocolate would not have quite such a smooth consistency. Rose on its own is also beyond divine!

I recommend adding just four drops of your chosen essential oils for this quantity of chocolate. Drop them onto a teaspoon first to prevent any extra falling in the mixture as they are so intense it can alter (and ruin) the whole thing. It’s imperative when using essentail oils internally to buy only organic, food grade quality oils as many of the cheaper brands are diluted or mixed with solvents and could be quite toxic. I mostly buy oils from Materia Aromatica.

Some of my favourite flavours for chocolates are;
Orange and Geranium
Lavender
Peppermint
Lime with Chilli
Orange and Ginger

You can also add nuts, dried fruits, herbal powders, crystalised ginger, pollen… the possibilities are endless.

For rose chocolates I like to use a few drops of flower remedies that work with the heart chakra such as Hawthorn and Lime flower as well as a pinch of a suitable herb such as powdered Hawthorn Berry. If using the Dr Bach essences, Holly would be a good choice. For orange chocolates energising essences like Olive (Bach) or Sycamore are nice and for Lavender, calming and soothing essences work well. Dr Bach’s White Chestnut would be a good choice.

Due to its stimulating nature chocolate works quite well as a carrier herb, helping deliver the other medicinal ingredients throughout the body. I always see food as a medicine and adding herbs, flower remedies and essential oils to my chocolates, soups, smoothies, honeys, vinegars, salad dressings, pretty much everything really, has become second nature.

I hope you enjoy making these little treats and experiment with them as freely as I have!

Peppermint, Ginkgo and Gotu Kola oak leaves and Lavender and Ashwagandha hearts .