Vegan Chocolate Hearts & Roses Recipe

By Crystal Baldwin

What's the perfect gift from the heart, in the shape of a heart for the one that you love? —Chocolate hearts of course!  The perfect Valentine's gift or the anytime "I love you gift".

Homemade chocolates are decadent and so special as you get to customize them for the person you will be giving it to or for yourself.  You get to add the herbs you want or need.

The other added bonus is that you get to control every ingredient that is in it. This is also great if you have food allergies and are concerned about cross-contamination with store bought chocolates or want to decrease your sugar intake.

                                     

Want to make some sexy chocolate for you and your partner?  Add some powdered aphrodisiac herbs to spark things up.  Different herbs have a different affect and you can combine several for your desired outcome.

How do aphrodisiac herbs work? 

There are many different avenues to increase libido and sexual function.  Herbs help in several different ways:

• Increase sexual desire
• Increase circulation and warmth to "sweet spots"
• Increase blood, moisture and fluid production
• Calm the nerves, bring balance to the emotional and physical body
• Increase neurotransmitters in the brain, increase dopamine & serotonin - bringing more pleasure, helping you to relax and making you more receptive to intimacy

Here are a few favorite "Love Herbs"

Powdered Maca has a chocolaty flavor or add some powdered damiana for a slightly herbaceous fig like flavor (works well with a little cayenne pepper for a spicy chocolate). 

Try adding a sprinkle of cinnamon for a sweet spice and to increase circulation or ashwagandha to soothe your adrenals, reduce stress and boost your libido. 

Of course ginger & ginseng increase heat, stamina and desire.  You may have everything you need right in your spice cabinet.

Try these herbs:

• Roses- for mood boosting, relaxation and opening the heart
• Hawthorn- a fruity berry that is literally a tonic for the heart
• Pink pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cayenne - for warming & circulation
• Maca - increased sexual drive & libido
• Ashwagandha - reduces stress which helps improve sexual mood
• Damiana - increases circulation & libido, increases nerve sensitivity
• Vanilla - increases blood flood, scent arouses the senses
• Ginger- energizing and warming, increases circulation
• Cacao - increases dopamine & serotonin in the brain (the pleasure center)

Of course you can make these chocolate hearts just because they taste darn good!  Add any combination of herbs you would like (you don't have to stick to my recipe).  You can also make this chocolate plain without any herbs.

For an on-going problem, add these herbs into your daily life and use them like a tonic to tone the tissues, relax the body and open the heart.  

Nothing could be better this valentines than you taking care of you with chocolate!

Vegan Chocolate Hearts & Roses Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Raw Organic Cacao Butter (remove 1/3 Cup from this and set aside)
• 6 Tablespoons Organic Cacao Powder
• 4 Tbsp. Organic Maple Syrup
• 1⁄4 tsp. Sea Salt optional
• 1 tsp. powdered Ashwagandha
• 1 tsp. powdered rose petals
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. Vanilla powder
• Red or Pink Rose petals for topping
• Heart Molds

Directions

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
2. Use a serrated edged knife to chop the cacao butter into fine ribbons setting aside 1/3 Cup
3. Add the cacao butter (minus the 1/3 Cup) into a double boiler and stir to melt, check temperature and do not let the cacao butter get above 110° to115°, keep temp low and stir constantly
4. Once the cacao mixture gets to 115°, remove from heat and add the 1/3 cup cacao butter- start stirring (note you can put it back on the heat for a short period of time if it isn’t melting quickly)
5. Add cacao powder, powdered herbs, vanilla, maple syrup, salt & whisk until blended
6. Stir until the temperature reduces to between 88° and 90°
7. Pour into your heart molds & top with rose petals
8. Let the chocolate cool on the counter for 20-30 minutes and then place in fridge to cool completely
9. Place chocolate in an air-tight container and store in the fridge or freeze- avoid condensation (you may need to let it come back to room temperature before storing)

Tempering your chocolate

The fat in Cacao butter has a crystal structure, just like sugar.  When you raise the temperature of cacao above 90°F it loses the crystal structure and comes out of “temper”.  This can make your chocolate set with a matte look and with white streaks (bloom) or spots.  It will often be crumbly or soft instead of the typical snap that chocolate should have.

Tempering is an important process to create smooth chocolate that snaps, has a shiny look and a smooth feel in the mouth.  The way that you temper chocolate is by heating it up to around 115° then cooling it down to around 88° - 90° just before pouring.  Instead of using special equipment that chocolate makers use we use the “seed” method where we keep aside some of the cacao butter that is already tempered and add it back it to help the fat crystals come back together.  This is much easier than many other methods and gives you great chocolate. 

 Tips for making good chocolate and avoiding problems

• Use a serrated edge knife to chop chocolate so it melts more evenly
• Do not let any water come in contact with your chocolate- dry all utensils well
• Stir, stir,stir…chocolate likes to be stirred and this helps bring the fats together
• Do not let the bowl in the double boiler come in contact with the water below – it can scorch
• Avoid condensation especially from the fridge – let it cool on the counter first
• Keep a tight fitted bowl on your pot/double boiler to avoid steam from getting in your chocolate

 Download Recipe Here

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