Actually the title should be, “making sugar free chocolate that looks and tastes like real chocolate without sugar”, but that seemed a bit long.

I’ve seen lots of questions about making sugar free chocolate with some cooks really struggling to get it right.

I’ve attempted to make sugar free chocolate using coconut oil but don’t like the way that the fats and solids separate (which ends up as a coconut oil layer on top and around the edges). And, let’s be frank, it does not taste like chocolate.

Today I’m road testing a Sugar Free Chocolate from The Sweet Poison Quit Plan Cookbook by David Gillespie.

My first attempt was a disaster! The fats and solids separated.

Where did I go wrong? One word: EMULSIFICATION. Don’t be scared, it’s the combination of fat (from the cocoa butter) and water (from the dextrose syrup), which is easily solved with a stick blender!

So here’s how to make sugar free chocolate that looks and tastes like real chocolate.

Ingredients (as per The Sweet Poison Quit Plan Cookbook)
80g Cocoa Butter (available from health food stores)
1/4 cup Dextrose Syrup (see instructions below)
1/3 cup good quality Cocoa Powder

Making the Dextrose Syrup

1. In a small saucepan combine 1 cup The Sugar Breakup Dextrose with 1 cup water.
2. Stir until the dextrose has dissolved then boil gently on a low/medium heat for about 10 minutes until the quantity has reduced to 1 cup in total and it has turned into a slightly syrupy consistency.

Note: This is one of the steps I struggled with. I dissolved the dextrose in the water then removed from the heat without any boiling. My syrup was still like water and a lot more than 1 cup

Making the Chocolate

1. Place the cocoa butter in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until just melted.
2. Add the cocoa powder and ¼ cup of the Dextrose Syrup then using a stick blender combine all the ingredients until smooth.

Note: The speed of the stick blender helps the melted butter and the water stick together so the chocolate doesn’t separate. Make sure all your ingredients are in a jug or high sided bowl so they don’t fly out when using a stick blender!

Presentation

Any way you like! I spread the chocolate out on a sheet of baking paper and dotted mixed nuts making it a bar.

You could make plain chocolate and break it up for choc chips, give the chocolate a sprinkle of sea salt (sounds weird but sea salt and chocolate are fantastic together). Add a dash of coffee or, to be extra fancy, pipe it into moulds.

If you’re using moulds then I recommend using silicon based moulds which work better when it’s time to take the chocolate out.

A little bit more about home-made chocolate

1. It doesn’t taste or feel like the stuff you can buy for $1 at the supermarket. Most cheap chocolate contains very little cocoa butter and cocoa mass often being made up of cheaper ingredients like vegetable or palm oils.
2. It’s best kept in the fridge. Home-made choc can be soft at room temperature so pop it in the fridge until ready to serve.
3. Use good quality ingredients. A good quality Dutch processed cocoa powder can be a little bit more expensive but the taste will be so superior you’ll never want to use cheap cocoa powder again.

We’ve got Thermomix instructions too!

Making the Dextrose Syrup (using a Thermomix)

1. Place 1 cup (180g) The Sugar Breakup Dextrose with 1 cup (250g) water into TM.
2. Set to Varoma/speed Spoon/23 minutes. Leave the Measuring Cap (MC) off to allow water to evaporate.

Makes 1 cup of syrup, can be stored in the fridge for a month. Allow to cool slightly before using.

Making the Chocolate (using a Thermomix)

1. Place 80g cocoa butter into the TM, chop on speed 6 for 5 seconds
2. Melt cocoa butter at 60 degrees, speed 1 for 3 minutes
3. Add 1/4 cup dextrose syrup and 1/3 cup cocoa powder, mix together on speed 6 for 10-20 seconds
4. You’re done!

Don’t forgot to enter our fantastic competition at facebook.com/thesugarbreakup to be in the running to win a signed copy of The Sweet Poison Quit Plan Cookbook and a chance to WIN other great sugar free prizes. Be quick, entries close 5th November 2013.

Happy chocolate making!