Cacao Butter Chocolate Candy

The food grade cacao butter wafers which I used eons ago for homemade lotions and other facial stuff had been sitting in the pantry and already passed the best by date. The wafers looked good so I experimented with making candies. The recipes online seem simple enough to make. Unfortunately, making chocolate candies from scratch using cacao butter is definitely not a piece of cake. It's complicated and frustrating because powdered sugar, powdered erythritol, and powdered milk don't melt that easily. You can whisk it until the end of time and you'll still end up with gritty candy that has cacao butter sitting at the bottom and sugar/milk on top because it needs an emulsifier. Yes, the much maligned lecithin emulsifier.

I had an ancient, maybe 5 years old, small package of soy lecithin granules in the fridge. I threw that away and got sunflower lecithin powder. I didn't know that health nuts take this powder as a supplement. So why not add lecithin if it is not harmful and may even be helpful, if true. It helped bigly in emulsifying specially the white chocolate candy. Also, instead of powdered sugar and milk, I made sweet condensed milk with erythritol and a little white cane sugar 3:1. The sweet milk with the help of lecithin made the candy smooth. For the dark chocolate I added chipotle powder in half of the mixture and chopped homemade candied orange fruit in the other half. Both flavors are delicious!

Cacao Butter Dark Chocolate Candy

3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon sunflower lecithin powder
2 ounces cacao butter wafers
3 tablespoons natural (not raw) cocoa powder
finely chopped candied orange, optional
¼ teaspoon chipotle powder, optional

• In a small bowl, stir together maple syrup and vanilla extract. Sprinkle lecithin powder evenly on top of syrup mixture and stir lightly; set aside.
• Melt cacao butter over low heat in a double boiler. It will be thin and transparent like vegetable oil.
• Remove from heat and place bowl or pan on a kitchen towel. Wipe the outside of the bowl to prevent water getting inside the bowl.
• Stir maple syrup mixture and add to the melted cacao butter.
• Add cocoa powder and stir all together until chocolate mixture is smooth and fully emulsified, checking if cacao butter does not separate to the top.
• Pour half into one mold. Add chopped candied orange evenly on chocolate candy. Use a toothpick to push them down.

• Stir the chipotle powder into the remaining chocolate and pour into the chocolate mold. [If you don't have molds, line 2 small pans with plastic wrap.]
• Let set on the kitchen counter for 4 to 5 hours. Unmold and wrap in unwaxed or parchment paper. Enjoy.

Fruits And Peanuts White Chocolate Candy

2 tablespoons sweet condensed milk
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract, optional
½ teaspoon sunflower lecithin powder
lightly salted dry roasted peanuts
chopped homemade candied orange peels
reduced sugar Craisins™
2 ounces cacao butter wafers

• Stir together sweet milk and vanilla extract, if using.
• Sprinkle lecithin powder on milk mixture. Leave for 5 minutes then stir to combine; set aside.
• Spread fruits and peanuts evenly on two 3 ounce candy molds; set aside. [Or line an 8 x 8 inch pan with plastic wrap. Spread fruits, nuts, and peels evenly on the lined pan; set aside.]
• Melt cacao butter over low heat in a double boiler.
• Remove from heat and place bowl or pan on a kitchen towel. Wipe the outside of the bowl to prevent water getting inside the bowl.
• Stir condensed milk mixture again then add to melted cacao butter. Stir vigorously with a rubber spatula or wire whisk; let cool for a few minutes. Repeat stirring and cooling until candy mixture is fully emulsified but still liquid and pourable.
• Pour evenly in the prepared molds or pan of fruits and nuts.

• Leave on kitchen counter until set, about 4 to 5 hours.
• Unmold carefully and wrap in unwaxed or parchment paper.
• If set on a pan, cut into squares with a sharp knife or break into pieces.