At Easter, we Swedes eat lots of candy like chocolate in all forms. And chocolate is certainly wonderful!
There is something special about chocolate, we think, as it gives such a satisfying feeling. We like to choose a raw, organic chocolate with fine ingredients and no white sugar. Consuming chocolate can provide an inner feeling of well-being and security while also delivering a taste sensation.
Why do so many of us like chocolate so much? Could it be related to its content?
- Raw cocoa/chocolate is very rich in antioxidants as well as magnesium, calcium, zinc, and iron.
- Phenylethylamine (PEA) is a chemical that increases feelings of love, focus, and attention. PEA is noticeably abundant in the brains of happy people, and when we are in love, our PEA levels rise. Cocoa has been proven to be an excellent source of PEA (also found in blue-green algae). This is probably why chocolate and falling in love are often linked. Note, however, that PEA is sensitive to heat and is destroyed during conventional processing of cocoa beans (roasting).
- There is a connection between eating chocolate and being happy. Chocolate releases anandamide, a neurological transmitter produced in the brain that is believed to regulate the feeling of happiness. Anandamide is produced in the body during exercise. Cocoa contains enzyme receptors that reduce the body's ability to break down anandamide. This means that natural anandamide in the body can be preserved longer when we eat cocoa, thereby providing an extended "feel-good" sensation.
- The amino acid tryptophan is naturally found in cocoa. Tryptophan is essential for the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Serotonin increases well-being and relaxation.
- Besides, it tastes so good!
You can easily make your own raw and organic chocolate at home; here is a basic recipe:
Recipe for raw chocolate
Ingredients
2.5 dl cocoa butter
2.5 dl cocoa mass or 2.5 dl cocoa powder.
The cocoa mass gives a darker, richer chocolate. The cocoa mass is the whole cocoa bean ground into a homogeneous mass. Therefore, it is brown and has a very intense cocoa flavor. Cocoa butter is only the fat from the cocoa bean; it is white in color and has a mild taste similar to white chocolate and needs to be mixed with cocoa powder.
2-3 tablespoons honey, coconut sugar, yacon syrup, or another sweetener of your choice.
Instructions
Place the cocoa butter in a stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water. Let the butter slowly melt while stirring.
Also place the cocoa mass in a stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water. Let the mass slowly melt while stirring. Cocoa butter and cocoa mass need to be melted separately.
Then mix them in a bowl and add the sweetener and cocoa powder if you are using it instead of cocoa mass. Stir thoroughly.
You can now add other ingredients such as coconut flakes, blueberries, raspberries, chopped nuts, a pinch of sea salt, puffed quinoa, goji berries, spirulina, licorice powder, chaga, lucuma, maca, mesquite, baobab, vanilla powder, cardamom, cinnamon, mint flavor, pink pepper, etc.
Place a chocolate mold (preferably silicone) on a tray, pour the chocolate mixture into the mold; this can get messy and requires patience =).
Carefully place in the freezer and let set for 15-30 minutes, or until completely firm. Panduro has many very nice silicone molds, including one shaped like an egg.
If you want to fill your chocolate eggs or pralines, put a little chocolate mixture at the bottom of the mold cavity, add the filling, and cover with chocolate mixture. Silicone molds make it very easy to release the chocolate when it is ready. Now all that’s left is to enjoy.
Happy Easter!
