There are days where chocolate IS medicinal. If you have felt it, you know what I mean. Problem is, most of the chocolate on the market is harmful junk. Typical candy is filled with sugars, waxes and worse. This Easter, I had sticker shock when our whole foods market was selling a 3 inch square of quality chocolate bark candy made with sugar and coconut flakes for $7.00. Even at that price, they were almost sold out. That is a sad situation. The recipe that follows is my answer. It is sugar, dairy, egg and gluten free. Nuts are optional. Not overly sweet, deeply satisfying, easy to make, it comes in at $5.50 per 9×12 inch rectangle.

Instead of sugar, this recipe relies on Xylitol and Stevia. Both are suitable for diabetics, do not seem to harm your gut microbiome (in fact the Xylitol skews the gut bacteria toward the good gram + organisms) and is fine for those battling Candida. Xylitol is good for your teeth! The bacteria in your mouth take it in as a sugar but cannot metabolize it and stop growing. Research has shown a 40% decrease in ear infections among children eating 8.4 grams of Xylitol spread throughout the day. A scant bit of salt enhances the sweet sensation to your tongue. Xylitol and chocolate are both poisons to dogs. Do not share with Fido! For those with a sweet tooth, you may want to increase the Xylitol and Stevia amounts. If sugar is not an issue for you, you can always use it or palm sugar instead. Substitute only solid or granular sweeteners or the chocolate will be too soft to cut.

The key ingredient is the Pascha 100% cacao allergen free unsweetened dark chocolate chips. Their only ingredient is 100% organic cacao mass. Pascha makes many percentages of cacao chips. Make sure you get these if you want sugar/dairy free.

I am hooked on my Wilton Chocolate Pro Pot for melting chocolate even though I take a tough stance on uni-tasking equipment in the kitchen.

It perfectly melts a whole bag of chips in 10 minutes and beats the heck out of the microwave or double boiler. Originally I bought one at my local craft store with a half off Sunday newspaper coupon so my Girl Scout troop could make holiday candy. Since then, I have used this little pot for melting oils and icings, as well as chocolate and it is idiot proof.

Without further ado, here is the recipe:

Primal Chocolate Candy

1 8.8 Oz bag of Pascha Organic Unsweetened Dark Chocolate Baking Chips

2 tsp. organic unrefined coconut oil

3 tsp. xylitol

1 tsp. powdered stevia

1-2 pinches of sea salt (you may also sprinkle the salt over the still soft chocolate after it’s on the parchment)

This is the base of the recipe. Into the chocolate melting pot or double boiler, place the chips, oil, salt, xylitol and stevia. Stir until chips are melted and sweeteners/salt dissolved.

Tasty options :

Here is where personal preference and imagination can go wild. In the picture I have added ½ cup unsweetened coconut shreds and ¼ cup toasted sunflower seeds.

Other things I have tried and loved are unsweetened dried blueberries or other dried fruit, toasted nuts, coco nibs, rice puffs, crushed breakfast cereals or pretzels, pumpkin seeds and chia seeds. If you like your chocolate sweeter, increase the amounts of Stevia and Xylitol to taste.

Pour the melted chocolate out onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Spread the mixture out to form a rectangle. It should be about ¼ inch thick.

Allow to come to room temperature and solidify before cutting into pieces.

This made 30 1.5 to 2 inch squares. Store in the fridge to hide it from the kids. Leave it at room temperature if you want to share.