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There was a time when I could never decide on what to buy my mom and grandmother for Mother’s Day. They seem to have everything. Thankfully, there is one thing that’s always exciting: edible gifts. An edible Mother’s Day gift shows that you took the time to plan and prepare a delicious treat. Mom can share with friends, and brag about how talented her child is in the kitchen, or keep it all to herself, thinking about you every time she indulges.
There are many different tasty treats that make for amazing gifts, such as homemade vanilla extract, cookies, granola, kale chips, spice sets, and nut samplers. However, my favorite Mother’s Day gift is homemade chocolate. Not only is homemade chocolate a tasty and thoughtful gift, it’s also very easy to make—and it’s vegan.
Just a heads up: The flavor of this chocolate is definitely more cocoa than chocolate—it’s dense and sweet, but it doesn’t taste like the chocolate in a chocolate bar. The texture is smooth, but more like fudge than chocolate.
Here’s how to make it:
1. Boil water in a medium saucepan. Remove pan from heat. Place 1/2 cup coconut oil or cocoa butter in a metal or glass bowl, fit over pan, and let melt.
2. Remove bowl from over pot, and stir in 1/2 cup of raw cacao powder and 4 Tbs. of your favorite liquid sweetener. Stir until smooth, and then pour into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
3. Top chocolate with whatever you like (shredded coconut, goji berries, mulberries, shelled hemp seeds, cocoa powder, etc.), then place it in the refrigerator to harden for at least 1 hour. When set, slice into squares. Store in refrigerator to prevent softening.
