This ultra-rich and decadent homemade chocolate is made with cocoa powder, coconut oil, honey, and chopped nuts.
It's very easy to make, and it tastes amazing thanks to the coconut oil, although you can opt for cocoa butter to make it less melty.
Making your own chocolate is easy. And when you make it at home, you know exactly what goes into it, and you can also add tasty additions such as your favorite chopped nuts.
It's also a fun recipe to make! My kids LOVE helping me make it, and I'm happy to enlist their help. They love pouring the warm melted mixture into the molds and then watching it magically turn into pretty chocolate bonbons.
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Ingredients
You'll only need four ingredients to make your own homemade chocolate! Here's an overview of what you'll need. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below.
- Virgin coconut oil: I love the wonderful flavor it gives the chocolate. I typically use Spectrum Virgin Coconut Oil. You can use your favorite brand.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: I prefer Dutch-processed cocoa powder, which is milder and not as acidic as natural cocoa powder. But if all you have on hand is natural cocoa powder, that works, too, in my experience.
- Honey: I find that just 2 tablespoons are the perfect amount. They give this chocolate the perfect dose of sweetness - not overly sweet or too bitter.
- Chopped nuts: You can omit them, so I did not include them in the ingredient shot above. But they do enhance the chocolate in terms of flavor and texture.
Variations
- You can use food-grade cacao butter instead of coconut oil. This will result in more stable chocolate. I tried both, and personally, I prefer the flavor of chocolate made with coconut oil.
- You can vary the nuts you use, so definitely use your favorite nuts. My husband loves this chocolate with pistachios. You can use either unsalted nuts or - if you enjoy sweet-salty flavor combinations - use salted ones.
- If you love coconut, ½ teaspoon of coconut extract will enhance the flavor even more.
Homemade Chocolate Instructions
Making chocolate is surprisingly easy! It's so easy, in fact, that it's a great activity to do with your kids. Depending on their age, I find that they need very minimal supervision when making it.
The detailed instructions for making this recipe are included in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps:
Melt the coconut oil in the microwave, then gradually stir in the cocoa powder, honey, and nuts. You can use the stovetop to melt the oil over low heat, but the microwave is faster and easier.
Spoon the mixture into a candy silicone mold. These molds are flimsy, so it's a good idea to place the mold on a tray or a pan that would fit in your freezer.
Freeze the chocolate until set. This should take between 20-30 minutes. I'm impatient, so I usually take them out after 20 minutes, even though they tend to still be quite melty at this point. Release the chocolate from the mold and enjoy!
Expert Tip
Even when made with coconut oil, the chocolate is not as melty the next day after it's had some time to rest and stabilize in the fridge. So it's a good idea to make it a day ahead.
You should still keep it in the fridge and take it out of the fridge just before enjoying it.
Recipe FAQs
It's surprisingly easy! I like to mix cocoa powder, coconut oil, honey, and chopped almonds to create delicious chocolate I can feel good about eating.
As you can probably imagine, it doesn't keep as long as commercial chocolate. And it does need to be refrigerated. You can keep it in the fridge, in a sealed container, for about a week.
Coconut oil is delicious, but since it's almost liquid at room temperature, any chocolate made with it will be quite melty. So you should keep it in the fridge. Another option is to use food-grade cacao butter instead of coconut oil.
Serving Suggestions
I like to enjoy a couple of these chocolates with coffee (iced coffee in the summer) or a tall glass of cold almond milk. They make the perfect dessert, but they are also excellent as part of a snack.
I sometimes make myself and my kids a plate with cheese cubes, fruit slices, and a couple of chocolates for an afternoon treat.
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to a week. Take them out of the fridge right before enjoying them.
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Recipe Card
Homemade Chocolate Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup virgin coconut oil
- ¼ cup cocoa powder unsweetened, Dutch-processed
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 ounce almonds roasted, unsalted, coarsely chopped in the food processor
Instructions
- Place the coconut oil in a medium microwave-safe bowl. If it's solid, microwave it for 20-30 seconds to melt it.
- Sift the cocoa powder into the melted coconut oil. Use a small rubber spatula to combine.
- Mix in the honey.
- Mix in the chopped almonds.
- Use a spoon to transfer the mixture into a candy silicone mold placed on a tray. Freeze the mixture for 20-30 minutes until completely set.
- Gently release the chocolate pieces from the mold.
- Enjoy immediately, or refrigerate overnight for improved texture.
Video
Notes
- You can use any type of chopped unsalted nuts, such as pecans, which I used when filming the video.
- The chocolate sets better and becomes less melty the next day, so I recommend making this recipe a day ahead.
- You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to a week. Take them out of the refrigerator right before enjoying them.
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition per Serving
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
Brittany
This recipe was so easy and just what I needed for a quick chocolate craving! I used maple syrup instead of honey just because I like the flavor, and I put a whole almond in some of them, raisins in others, and coconut flakes in the rest. I used an ice cube tray with silicone bottoms since I didn't have a candy mold. I will 100% make these again (especially because the first batch didn't last an hour between my husband and myself).
Vered DeLeeuw
I'm so glad you enjoyed this chocolate, Brittany! I love your additions of almonds, raisins, and coconut.
Jennifer
Can these be frozen and kept longer than 1 week? Thanks!
Vered DeLeeuw
Yes. You can freeze these chocolates in a single layer in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw them in the fridge.
Arman
Love this recipe, wow. Thank you!
Vered DeLeeuw
Glad you enjoyed it, Arman!
Yvonne
Hi there, my name is Yvonne and I have the following questions:
1. Your recipe calls for 1/4 cup coconut oil. Can you go 50:50, by this I mean 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and 2 tablespoons of cocoa butter for a firmer finished chocolate?
2. You've advised using 1/4 cup of Dutch-processed cocoa powder as it is less acidic. Can you firstly replace this with cacao powder, and in so doing will it make the chocolate more bitter? And secondly, is it a 1:1 swap?
3. The sweetener you've used is honey, so will this recipe work with any form of liquid honey?
Vered DeLeeuw
Hi Yvonne,
1. Yes, you can do that.
2. Yes, you can use cacao powder as a 1:1 swap. It won't make the chocolate bitter, but its taste will not be as smooth.
3. I only made this recipe with real honey, so I don't know how other liquid sweeteners would affect the texture.
Angel
Why would it only keep for a week? Honey doesn’t go bad, cocoa doesn’t go bad and coconut oil doesn’t go bad…so why would this only keep for one week (besides getting eaten up quickly?)
Vered DeLeeuw
The process of making homemade chocolate introduces bacteria into the finished product. While I recommend keeping it for a week, this source says, "Chocolate candies will last up to two weeks in the fridge." This is ultimately your decision. I err on the side of being very cautious when storing leftovers.
Yi-Lo
Can I make these in polycarbonate molds?
Vered DeLeeuw
I have only made these in a silicone mold, so I'm not sure.