Easter is approaching so I reckon its a good reason to prepare some Raw chocolate  ! And so easy to make. Here is my recipe:

For the chocolate shell. 250g Isvari Raw Cacoa Butter 125g of Isvari Raw Cacoa powder 100g of Isvari coconut sugar Optional : Medicine Flower flavourings: hazelnut or coffee would work well or other natural flavourings or your choice to give depth and taste.

Shave your butter with a knife. Add it to a porringer if you have one or if you don’t, place your shaved butter in a glass bowl and place the bowl in a pot of boiling water. Place a lid on the pot but leave a little gap for steam to exit as condensation of ANY drops of water in your butter will RUIN your chocolate ! Melt your chocolate gently (on level 1 or 2), removing it from the heat as soon as it has melted. It will probably be around 35 degrees. Add your chocolate. You can also add your coconut sugar as it, but coconut sugar is quite dense and grainy, so I like to whizz it up in a blender first to make sure it is very fine. Not just mix all your ingredients together. This is essentially chocolate made. However if you want to go for a more professional touch, you might want to temper it.

TEMPERING CHOCOLATE

Tempering your chocolate gives it a shiny finish and makes sure that is “snaps” like regular chocolate. Don’t worry if you don’t have a thermometer or if the directions below looks too complicated; tempering is great for that extra professional touch, but not necessary for yummy chocolate.

To temper, whisk or stir the Cacoa powder, butter and coconut sugar together for about five minutes. During this time, your chocolate will thicken as it cools. You want to continue whisking or stirring until the mixture reaches 29 degrees (you need to check with a thermometer).  Then you place your mixture back in your porringer or glass bowl in boiling water, until it reaches 32 degrees. Alternatively, you can bring to 32 degrees by placing mixture in a dehydrator or blending in a high speed blender. If you mis-judge the time and your mixture goes over 35, you need to re-temper again.

The rest is simple. Add to your moulds (leaving out 3 or 4 tbsps of mixture) and set in the fridge for 20 mins. One of the advantages of tempering is that the chocolate falls easily out of the mould, as your chocolate slights shrinks back form the side of the mould. When your eggs are ready, you can gently heat the remaining mixture and use it to paste the two halves of the eggs together.

PRALINE FILLING

If you have small eggs or other shapes  (see bunnies below), plain raw chocolate works great. However if you have bigger eggs, then solid rock hard black chocolate might be a bit intense, so you have the option of making a praline filling.

If you are filling your eggs, you should half fill your egg moulds with chocolate. Then add a 170g jar of Raw Hazelnut, Pistachio nut butter or your favourite nut butter (or even better make your own) to the remaining mixture and stir. Pour the praline mixture into the pure chocolate mixture. The consistancy will be slighty different. Your pure chocolate will stay on the outside of the mould and your praline will pour into the centre. Leave about 3 or 4 tbsps of mixture out. Freeze your eggs for 1 hr to make sure all of the mixture is set, before removing from your mould. When the eggs have cooled down, heat the remaining mixture and use it to paste the 2 sides of your eggs together.

Any left overs can go into any other moulds you have lying around. I had some easter bunny ones for fun !

Next raw chocolate workshops: Sunday April 13th in Galway, May 10th in Limerick and May 24th in Waterford.