Healthy Homemade Milk Chocolate (To Celebrate My 3rd Blogiversary!)
Healthy Homemade Milk Chocolate without the heavy cream, refined white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavorings and preservatives!
Chocolate addicts, BEWARE. This guilt-free DIY chocolate is sweet, creamy, rich, satisfying and as close as you can get to Hershey’s while staying au naturel!
I think this is the best recipe to celebrate my blog’s 3rd birthday. If you’ve been following Desserts With Benefits for a while, then you know allll about my dessert addiction. And chocolate addiction. And coffee addiction.
While Dark Chocolate is all fine and dandy, seriously now, it’s nothing like Milk Chocolate. Milk Chocolate doesn’t “snap” like the dark varieties, it’s soft and melts in your mouth. It’s creamy, it’s super sweet, and it’s totally addicting. Unfortunately, storebought milk chocolate isn’t good for you. Oh, but this one? This Homemade Milk Chocolate is:
Sooo I should need to tell you something. I’m not gonna lie to you or sugar-coat the truth. This recipe is weird. But in a good way, you know? You see, this chocolate is, well, seized.
Did I just hear you gasp? I bet the chocolatiers and professional cooks out there will now think of me as some amateur baker (I’m not gonna sugar-coat that either, I totally am an amateur), but trust me, even though you have to seize the chocolate in the chocolate-making process, you will still end up with a creamy and dreamy, delicious and nutritious, good-for-you and good-for-your-taste-buds chocolate.
CHOMP!
See how soft and fudgy it is? It doesn’t “snap” like dark chocolate, it melts in your mouth. Just like how ALL milk chocolate should 🙂
One bite and you’ll have a hard timing believing this Healthy Homemade Milk Chocolate is all natural, sugar free, dairy free and vegan.
No butter, milk or heavy cream, no soy lecithin, no preservatives, no artificial “vanillin” flavoring, no PGPR — just pure and natural goodness. Tastes like storebought chocolate, but this one’s actually good for you!
Indulge… sinfully sinlessly!
Healthy Homemade Milk Chocolate
Ingredients
- 4 oz Unsweetened Chocolate (broken into chunks)
- 128g (½ cup) Natural Almond Butter (or any other neutral flavored nut butter)
- ½ cup Powdered Erythritol
- tiny pinch of Salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla Paste
- 1 tsp Natural Butter Flavor (this is all natural and vegan)
- ½ tsp Liquid Stevia Extract
Instructions
- In a double boiler, add the unsweetened chocolate and almond butter. Place over medium-low heat and stir occasionally until completely melted.
- While the chocolate/almond butter is melting, sift the erythritol and salt into a small bowl. Set aside.
- When the chocolate/almond butter is completely melted and smooth, stir in the vanilla paste, butter flavor and stevia extract.
- Toss in the sifted erythritol and stir together (the chocolate will seize, that's totally fine). Keep the mixture over the heat for a couple more minutes while stirring/folding. Make sure all the erythritol is dissolved and incorporated thoroughly. It should look like the picture down below.
- Remove from the heat and scoop the mixture into the chocolate molds of your choosing (I used a Hershey Kiss mold, a chocolate bar mold and a chocolate diet pill mold.
- Chill in the refrigerator until hardened (a couple hours or so), then remove from the molds and wrap in thin tin foil or cellophane wrapping. To store, keep tightly wrapped in the refrigerator.
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Recipe Notes
This Healthy Homemade Milk Chocolate is nutritionally balanced with a good amount of healthy fats, filling fiber and satiating protein. Unlike storebought chocolate, which has a whopping 30g of sugar (equivalent to 7.5 teaspoons of sugar), my chocolate doesn’t have any added sugar whatsoever. Supposedly chocolate companies have been making their chocolate lower in fat by using that strange “PGPR” additive. No thank you. Homemade is totally the way to go (plus it’s got more protein and fiber)!
To be quite honest, I was never really a fan of Hershey Kisses. Wanna know why? Because that darn foil was just a hindrance to shoving sugar in my face. But I’ve learned to be patient…
Just kidding. I still hate that foil. It’s evidence of our shove-chocolate-in-face sessions.
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I just want to say that I am so blessed to have you guys in my life. Sometimes I stress myself out and focus too much on the recipes, the baking, the photographing (or at least, trying to take decent pictures), the responding to comments and emails, and so on, that I forget to tell you how much I truly appreciate you. This post, this recipe, the rest of my recipes, this ENTIRE BLOG, actually… it’s all here because of you. I am so grateful for you. Without this blog, I truly have no clue as to what I would be doing in my life. Throughout the years, a lot of people have asked me to share more about my life on the blog. I guess I’m not as open as some other bloggers out there, but I’m trying! So here’s a start:
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10 Things That You Probably Didn’t Know About Jessica, the Blogger Behind Desserts with Benefits:
1. Every morning I wake up, I immediately think of breakfast. Like, the moment I open my eyes and lift my head off the pillow. Seriously, HOW did I ever skip breakfast back in my teenage years?!? To me, breakfast is just as important as coffee. And that’s pretty freaking important.
2. I’m not shy, I’m just reserved. I won’t walk up to you to start a conversation, but if you start one with me you probably won’t be able to get me to shut up (especially with a drink or two in me)
3. I suffer from chronic bitch face syndrome.
4. I get overwhelmed easily. Usually by the sheer amount of emails I get. I get soooo many from all you lovelies! And while I absolutely love reading them (they make me smile, they brighten up my gloomy days, they make me over-the-moon happy to do what I do here at Desserts With Benefits), sometimes I just can’t find the time to sit down and respond to them all in a timely manner. The reason I may not respond right away is because I will never ever ever rush an email just to get it out of my hair. You took the time to write to me, so in turn, I will take the time to write you back.
5. Most girls like to hang out at the mall to shop for clothes. I go straight to kitchen-related stores like Williams Sonoma, Sur la Table and Crate & Barrel, and look at (totally unnecessary) baking pans of all shapes and sizes. Seriously, who the hell needs mini heart-shaped cupcake tins, seven different bundt pans and cake pans in four sizes?? Apparently I do.
6. I cringe when I make spelling errors like its/it’s and their/there/they’re. Its terrible. JUST KIDDING, it’s terrible! Almost cried for a second there, phew!
7. I’m suuuper good at cleaning, organizing and budgeting (despite said vices in #5). I’m frugal and proud of it.
8. I started a new tradition in 2014 to donate 10-12″ of my hair every year. I’ve done it twice so far and I can’t wait until the next time I get to chop it off. My hair grows pretty fast, and since I don’t heat or process my hair at all, I never get split ends and everyone always says my hair is super soft and smooth.
9. Even though I’m so close to graduating, I still have no idea what I want to do after college (help!). Write a cookbook? Get a food truck? Keep blogging in my super comfy pajamas? Or, dare I say it, get a job? In all seriousness, though, I’m lost. Even though I’m studying Nutrition, I really don’t want to become a Registered Dietician anymore. And this is stressing me out. EDIT: I have graduated, I’m still blogging, and I got a job at a local gluten free/vegan/organic/local bakery. I have specific business plans now, but I just need to get my bearings before I take those big steps (and risks).
10. I’m really impressed by you reading all the way to #10! But really now, I appreciate you guys SO MUCH. I don’t really express my (virtual) love for you guys, but I need to. You make me so happy I want to cry! Tears of joy, of course. For now, here’s a (virtual) high five — DON’T HIT YOUR COMPUTER, bad things will happen — and a (virtual) hug. Just be glad this is virtual, because then you can skip witnessing my resting bitch face (see #3).
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With love and good eats,
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– Jess
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Indulge − no strings attached!
I’d definitely make a good green smoothie! Been craving for them lately…
I would make a pureed soup!
Me and My hubby are starting to eat a lot healthier and are trying to make as much food from scratch as possible.
I love homemade dressing- so i would definitely made a raspberry balsamic dressing as the first thing I make if I win a Blentec blender.
My hubby has always wanted one of these awesome blenders but we have never been able to justify or afford the cost of getting one.
We would definitely put this to good and frequent use!
Love your blog BTW – just discovered it and it is awesome!
Uh, peanut butter! (I’ve seriously been dying for a Blendtec for YEARS. I’m keeping my fingers crossed!)
I would totally make a homemade smoothie with….. fresh fruit yummy!!!
I’d make my usual mango-spinach smoothie. Would love to try it with kale, but my current 47-year-old blender doesn’t do a great job with kale.
Definitely a green smoothie. Or two. Or twenty.
I can’t say that I’ve been following your blog for as long as a lot of people (three years would put me back in middle school, haha), but I just wanted to say how much I love everything about your blog. Thank you so much for what you have created, and please never ever stop! 🙂
…and I can totally relate to #7. I always make a mad dash for the baking supplies/food containers at TJMaxx. I found a little casserole dish once for $2 and I may have been a little too excited (my sister didn’t understand at all)!
I will make protein fluffs with peanut butter casein protein, and eat them before I sleep DAILY!!!!
I would use to make homemade nut butters and smoothies.
I’d make a green smoothy, with kale … can’t do that in a ‘normal’ blender. Then I’d make hummus (which I’ve had fail every other time I’ve tried) and then nut butters.
I would make a cashew cream sauce!
I’d love to make some coconut butter with this blender!
ICECREAM!
First would probably be a (green) smoothie but second would have to be some kind of frozen yogurt!
I’m hoping to make french macarons. I’ve been craving them! I need something strong to make the almonds nice and fine. I’m hoping to make heart-shaped ones my friends birthday.
I would love to make strawberry banana smoothies
i would make all sorts of yummy smoothies for me and my children!!!
Definitely would be a smoothie!!
I would make a delicious pancake batter in my new blender! 😉
I’d love to try a nut butter in the Blendtec!
I’d use it every morning for my green shake!
If I won an amazing Blendtec, which I have been dying to have forever, I would definitely make a smoothie first. I make them all the time, but I really struggle with the blender I have now and trying to make them smooth. It’s also nearly impossible to make nice cream with my blender, so that would be what I made next!
Green protein powder and smoothies galore. Thanks. Take some pictures of your apartment I want to see it now that you’ve talked about it.
The first thing I would make would be homemade espresso coconut almond butter
Smoothie!!
Definitely a smoothie, with ice cream being a close second. I want this blender so badly to aid in my raw, whole plant-based food diet (but sadly, the price point is a little high for me). Thank you for doing the giveaway, and Happy Anniversary! 🙂
I would use all the fruit i’ve been saving in my fridge and make an awesome smoothie!
Smoothies!
I would love to try your recipe for home made healthy nutella and then use it for nutella frozen yoghurt!!
If i won the blender I would definitely make your cherry milkshake you just posted 😀
A very healthy yet delicious smoothie!! Make that several delectable smoothies!
I would make homemade butters of all kinds… peanut, almond, and more.
The first thing I’d make is a smoothie with lots of greens.
Tahini, then hummus.
If I won the super awesome blendtec one of the first things I would make would be a raw dessert, maybe a pie? Or cookie dough? Or my own coconut butter?! Ahhh. So many delicious possibilities.
If I won this blender, I would make my own homemade nut butters, flours, raw cheesecakes, and much more! I’ve been wanting to try many healthy recipes, but most of them require a good-quality blender that I don’t own.
I would definitely be making almond butter
A green smoothie!
Smoothies definitely would be the first thing I make! My old blender always leaves little chewie bits in it! yuck!
What I would make first with this Blendtec… energy bites followed by a mango smoothie!
And for the kids your home made nutella fudge bars!
Oh my goodness…homemade milk chocolate!! Following THAT, I’d just go blender crazy!! Green Smoothies, Ice Cream, Yummy Things, ground meat? Seriously? I’m game…I’ll even give that a go! lol Awesome 🙂
I’d make a super awesome green smoothie !!! 😀
I would make almond milk based vegan ice cream.
The first thing I’d do is a green smoothie!!
I would make some vegan ice cream!
The greenest of green smoothies…and I wouldn’t have to chew it!
The first thing I’d make is a green smoothie for breakfast to start me off with some energy!
I would probably make raw chocolate pudding first. It has become one of my favorite healthy desserts.
I would make all the cool recipes I find on Pinterest that I can’t make now because I don’t have one. Smoothie, ice cream, salad dressing, vegan cheeses … The list goes on. 🙂
I would probably make a smoothie. We have them almost every day:)