Raw Honey Animal Based Chocolate Bars: A Clean, Simple Recipe You'll Make Again and Again

Here’s our second dedicated recipe post, and this time it is all about Chocolate! If you recall from our blog post 10 Delicious Ways to Use Raw Honey in Everyday Life, we shared an animal-based chocolate recipe inspired by the original creation from Steakandbuttergal. This recipe is adapted from her simple browned-butter-and-cacao chocolate with a raw honey filling.

If you are like me, you LOOOOVE chocolate, but if you have spent any time in the health food space you have probably heard that most chocolates on the market contain undesirable and unhealthy ingredients. Chocolate is one of my food weaknesses, and it is a shame that most of the chocolate you can buy at the grocery store is not great for you. Because of that, chocolate has long been seen as an unhealthy dessert or candy, but when it is made right, it can be so much more than that.

Cacao, the main ingredient in chocolate, is also known to sometimes carry heavy metals, so it is important to know where you are getting your cacao from. I do think the emphasis on heavy metals in cacao and other foods may be a bit less concerning than it is made out to be if you consume them in moderation and from a reputable source. This really applies to pretty much any food, no matter how healthy it claims to be.

Okay… back to making chocolate. This is a super easy, super simple recipe to make, and once you try it, you will think twice before buying chocolate ever again.

Ingredients and utensils

To get started you will want to gather the necessary ingredients and utensils.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz unsalted butter (salted also works)

• 2 tbsp cacao powder
  

• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

• Raw honey (to taste, for the filling)

Utensils:

• Measuring spoons (1 tbsp and 1 tsp)

• Measuring cup or other container to mix

• Whisk or frother

• Spatula

• Pan to heat the butter

• Silicone chocolate molds (any style you like)

Making the brown butter chocolate base

The first step in our recipe is taking the 8 oz of butter and heating it in a pan until it is browned. The butter will foam up and you may see some separation, which is totally normal. Once you start seeing the separation and little brown specks at the bottom, your butter is ready. The solids you see are butter solids and they are totally edible, but if you prefer a cleaner, smoother texture, you may discard them. I personally do not like wasting any food, so I include them in my recipe.

Once the butter is browned, pour it into your mixing container. While it is still warm, add the cacao powder, and mix well until fully combined. If you opt to add the vanilla extract, you may add it now as well. Once everything has been mixed thoroughly, pour half of the base mixture into your mold and set it in the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Layering with raw honey

After 15 minutes or so, remove the molds from the freezer. It is time to use that raw honey. Without removing the chocolate from the molds, pour in a generous amount of honey to cover that first layer as evenly as you would like. Once you are done pouring the honey, pour in the remaining half of the chocolate mixture to seal the bars. If the mixture got cold while waiting, you may reheat it gently to make it easier to pour.

After all the mixture has been poured, place the molds back in the freezer for at least 15 minutes, or in the fridge for about 45 minutes, ensuring the bars turn completely solid. Once the bars are solid, they can be removed from the mold and are ready to enjoy. This is a treat you can enjoy guilt free after lunch or dinner, and it will satiate any cravings for sweets or chocolate.

Butter is super nutrient dense and full of healthy fats when you choose grass-fed/grass-finished butter. My personal favorite pairing of honey in this recipe is the Black Mangrove Honey, followed by Wildflower, but if you are a bit more adventurous, I definitely recommend our Hot Honey with this recipe.

Recipes like this make it easy to feel that you can eat delicious and healthy foods made right at home. There is nothing like making your own food at home because you know 100% of the ingredients that went into making it. A lot of times when you buy food at the grocery store or a restaurant, you do not know all the ingredients or the cooking method that went into making it. In addition to using clean ingredients, it is also best to rely on local farmers that you know and trust. That is why we only work with trusted beekeepers to bring you the best quality honeys.

Also, if you are not into animal based or carnivore diets, you may chose to tweak this recipe to include cacao butter for a more solid bar, specially at room temperature. 

Please let us know if you try this recipe and what you think.

Cheers to delicious chocolate and more delicious recipes.