Many of you who follow my Facebook page know I began a 10 day sugar free challenge today in the hopes of getting my current arthritis/psoriasis flare under control. For the next 10 days I’ll ONLY use stevia as a sweetener (I’m even giving up agave nectar, maple syrup, honey, and coconut sugar).
BUT… what girl can survive 10 days without chocolate?!
NOT ME!
Basic Sugar Free Chocolate Bar with Almonds
The Basic SF Chocolate Bar:
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup cocoa powder or cacao powder
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp liquid vanilla stevia (I like the NuNaturals brand)
small pinch of sea salt
Directions:
Combine all of the above ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 20 – 30 seconds or until the coconut oil is just melted through. Stir, and pour into a parchment lined cake or pie pan. Freeze until solid (about 20-30 minutes). Break apart and enjoy. Store in the refrigerator or freezer, otherwise the chocolate will easily melt because of the coconut oil.
For variations of this recipe:
For a mint chocolate bar, replace the vanilla extract with mint extract.
To add a little spice to your day, add chipotle chili powder or cayenne powder.
A bit of cinnamon, ginger, or garam masala are warming spices that pair well with chocolate.
Add a little espresso powder to boost your caffeine intake.
Want a healtier chocolate bar? Try adding nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or coconut flakes.
Whatever variation you choose or come up with… enjoy it!
Megan
This recipe is linked to Simply Indulgent Tuesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Wellness Weekend and Freaky Friday.
Hooray! I am in Rwanda but I brought my vanilla stevia with me so I am going to try this recipe! thanks 🙂
Trying to print this page with no luck…..recipe looks yummy for my diabetic husband. Please check settings.
It works. Megan, I love you!
Pat, love you too!
🙂 Megan
I only have stevia powder, do you think I can just dissolve it?
Hi Christa,
You bet! I think it will be just fine with stevia powder… you’ll just have to measure it to taste.
🙂 Megan
This was so good. I had to make a second batch, I refused to share the first one
with family
🙂 Thanks, sweet Kaye for letting me know you tried and liked them!
My new favorite way to get coconut oil into my diet! Daily!
Looks great! Have you ever tried it with raw cacao powder? I find that the flavor is less bitter and seems to work better with stevia. Never made mint chocolate, though sure I’d love it. And the spice combo intrigues me, too!
Thanks, Ricki! You know… when I first changed my eating habits I used to buy it all the time, but haven’t lately (well, in years really). No real reason why I stopped buying it. I just haven’t thought about it at all and had no idea it was less bitter. Thank you for the tip! I’ll have to pick some up and give it a try (and start re-experimenting with it)!
🙂 Megan
I have powdered stevia and the chocolate has the cocoa after taste- how can I fix this?? How much stevia powder to stevia extract??
Trinity,
I’m not sure as I’ve never used those. You might have to experiment a bit and make it to taste. 😉
Megan
I added fine unsweetened coconut and they were amazing!
This was AWFUL. It was also my first recipe to use Stevia in so I’m sure it’s not your recipe’s fault but my own body (which is sugar addicted) rejecting an alternative. Is that normal? If so, what can I do to make it better? Thanks for your time!
Hi Hannah,
Different stevias taste differently. Some are good, some are nasty… but it also comes down to how much is used (using too much will give a bitter flavor). Did you use the Nunatural’s liquid stevia? Or what brand did you use?
Hi,
If you are fighting parasites or candida, try to avoid cafeine.
At least, that is what I learned was good for you, so no coffee or black tea.
The espresso variant may not be a good choice then.
Great that you posted this recipe! I am going to try it for sure!
Greetings,
Noor
Hi Maid in Alaska.. just saw that you posted you were trying a 10 day sugar free diet. Unfortunately, Chockate is very HIGH IN A CHEMICAL CALLED oxalates. They are like microscopic razor blades that embed themselves in soft tissues , especially tissues that have any damage from scar tissue from previous wounds.
And I just researched the oxalate content of stevia and I’ve read several reputable sites that say stevia is HIGH in oxalates. So sugar free helps, but high oxalates cause pain and gut issues too. If a person is lacking in the
Oxalobacter Formigenes bacteria in you intestinal tract, your going to experience pain in the body and/or skin probel, etc.
The O.Formigenes bacteria , once killed off in the gut by taking lots of antibiotics, will not
Recolonize in the gut. So your pain rises without knowing why. Then add HIGH oxalate foods like CHOCOLATE, SPINACH, and many other foods, AND ouch! Your pain is high again. It really sucks. I know because I killed all of the important oxalate eating microbes in my gut , from taking 2 weeks of the antiobiotic called FLAGYL. Many women are givin this antibiotic for bacterial baginosis and end up with unexplained pain and also interstitial cystitis in their bladders which is an awful painful condition!
I hope this helps someone. ? Just go research what oxalates are…
Sorry, I forgot to say above in my previous post that the Oxalobacter Formigenes microbes in the human gut , actually somehow dissolve the oxalates once they get into the intestinal tract, so they don’t end up in soft tissue and cause pain, inflammation and stiffness. Ouch!