In last week’s email Dr. Purita shared some research about dark chocolate’s longevity benefits and why a small amount every day could be good for you. If you’d like to read that post, click here. Now, just in time for Halloween, Dr. Purita is sharing the personal recipe he uses to make healthy, all-natural chocolate bark in his own kitchen.
This homemade chocolate snack is not only delicious, it is loaded with antioxidants and sugar free. It also contains nuts, which, depending on the variety you choose, can increase nutrients, add protein and top off the snack with heart-healthy fats.
Here is the recipe straight from Dr. Purita:
My dark chocolate snack recipe is fairly simple and can be made with minimal kitchenware in your own home. These are the steps that I follow:
1. Purchase 100% pure chocolate pellets. I buy mine from the Santa Barbara Chocolate company, but you can purchase wherever you’d like.
2. Take about 2-3 cups of chocolate and place in a large, microwaveable bowl
3. Add cinnamon to taste. (NOTE: This will help increase the intense taste of chocolate. More importantly, it helps your body blunt insulin spikes.It is also an important stimulator of the AMPK pathway, the most important nutrient-sensing pathway in the body.)
4. Melt the chocolate until it becomes a liquid. The time varies on the specific percent of dark chocolate and your microwave.
5. Remove the bowl from the microwave and mix in the following:
6. Add some vanilla extract to taste. It will additionally intensify the chocolate taste, and more importantly, it has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective properties.
7. Add one or two cups of nuts, depending on how much you like. The type of nuts you add are up to you. Almonds, walnuts and cashews are among the healthiest and add the most omega 3 and 9 fatty acids.
8. Add some cocoa powder (no sugar)
9. Add stevia/monk fruit mixture as a sweetener; the amount depends on your taste.
10. Mix all of the contents with a spoon.
11. Lay out some parchment paper in a large cookie sheet
12. Pour the mixture on the parchment paper and roll it out or spread it out to a thickness of about half an inch.
13. Let it harden in the refrigerator or on your counter, then cut it into small chunks, and store it in the freezer.
14. Enjoy!
If you decide to make your own version of Dr. P’s Antioxidant Rich Halloween Candy, post it on Instagram and tag us: @PurformHealth
