Chocolate, chocolate. Many of us love chocolate. Consuming chocolate can give an inner feeling of wellbeing, comfort, and a sense of euphoria while also providing a flavor sensation.
There is a connection between eating chocolate and feeling happiness
Many people say they become happy and feel comfort from eating chocolate, what could be the reason? Perhaps this:
Theobromine, naturally found in cocoa, is a stimulant that dilates blood vessels in the same way that caffeine affects the body.
Cocoa is said to make the brain produce more of a molecule called anandamide, which may explain the euphoric feeling some experience when eating chocolate. Anandamide is also produced in the body during exercise.
Phenylethylamine (PEA) is a chemical that increases feelings of love, focus, and attention span. PEA is notably abundant in the brains of happy people and when we fall in love our PEA levels increase. Dark cocoa has been shown to provide some PEA (also found in blue-green algae). This is likely the reason why chocolate and falling in love are often connected.
The amino acid Tryptophan is naturally found in cocoa. Tryptophan is essential for the production of the neurotransmitter Serotonin. Serotonin increases wellbeing and relaxation.
What is the difference between cocoa powder, cocoa mass, and cocoa butter?
Cocoa beans grow on the tropical tree Theobroma cacao. The tree's large seeds are the source of chocolate in its many different forms. Raw cocoa is rich in antioxidants and also rich in magnesium, calcium, zinc, and iron.
Cocoa mass is the whole cocoa bean ground into a homogeneous mass. This is why it's brown and has a very intense cocoa flavor. It gives a dark, rich chocolate. Cocoa nibs are also whole cocoa beans that have been crushed.
Cocoa powder is made by removing cocoa butter (fat) from the cocoa beans. This process leaves behind a powder with a somewhat bitter taste that is rich in fiber, antioxidants, and other nutrients. The powder has a flavor similar to dark chocolate.
Cocoa butter is only the fat that has been separated from the cocoa bean. It is white in color and has a mild, rather special taste similar to white chocolate but without sugar.
Why not try making raw, organic chocolate at home with your own ingredients? Making your own chocolate is both easy and satisfying as you can experiment with consistency and flavors yourself. Here we share a basic recipe that you can use to make chocolate eggs, pralines, chocolate bars, etc.
Chocolate Recipe
Ingredients:
2.5 dl cocoa butter
2.5 dl cocoa mass or 2.5 dl cocoa powder.
2-3 tbsp honey, agave syrup, coconut sugar, yacon syrup, or another sweetener of your preference.
Flavorings: Fill the chocolate with what you love most. 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 peppercorns, etc.
Instructions:
Place cocoa butter in a stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water. Let the butter melt slowly while stirring.
Also place the cocoa mass in a stainless steel bowl over a pot of simmering water. Let the mass melt slowly while stirring. Cocoa butter and cocoa mass need to be melted separately.
Mix them together 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 your flavorings and other delicious ingredients.
Place a chocolate mold (preferably silicone) on a tray, pour the chocolate mixture into the mold, this can get messy and needs to be done with patience. Panduro offers many beautiful silicone molds, they even have one shaped like an egg. If you don't have a mold, you can spread the chocolate on baking paper.
Place carefully in the freezer and let it set for 15-30 minutes, or until completely firm.
If you want to fill your chocolate eggs or pralines, put a little chocolate mixture in the bottom of the mold cavity, pour in the filling and cover with chocolate mixture.
Silicone molds make it very easy to release the chocolate when it's ready. Then all that's left is to enjoy. If you don't want to make your own chocolate, we offer the fantastically delicious organic chocolate from Wermlands Choklad which is handmade in Värmland.
