Chocolate Bark Recipe

Whether you’re into clean eating or not, you will still want to learn how to make this clean Chocolate Bark Recipe with honey! Hands down, honey makes the best sweetener for chocolate. No dairy needed either….

Is Chocolate Healthy?

Contrary to the very popular misconception that chocolate is unhealthy, it’s not! Chocolate is actually incredibly healthy! What’s unhealthy is the dairy and loads of sugar that normally accompanies it in your average candy, or recipe.

However, for the absolute healthiest and most beneficial chocolate possible, you’ll want to seek out “cacao” as opposed to “cocoa”. Here’s the rundown…

Cacao vs. Cocoa

While both cacao and cocoa are derived from cacao beans, the difference all comes down to the processing of the chocolate.

Cacao

Cacao is the minimally processed product of cacao beans, resulting in a highly nutrient-dense, rich powder. To achieve such a high percentage of nutrient retainment, cacao is cold-pressed to remove the cacao butter, and roasted at low temperatures.

Navita’s offers an amazing, high-quality cacao powder. Purchase it here!

Cocoa

You might have guessed it by now, but cocoa is the highly processed form of cacao. It still maintains some of its original nutrients, but its not nearly as beneficial as its unprocessed counterpart.

Cocoa powder often includes added ingredients, preservatives, or is alkalized to reduce acidity, once again, reducing the nutrients.

Cocoa is not inherently bad, it’s just simply not as beneficial. However, when choosing this product, it’s vital to ensure you are purchasing from a clean brand with no added ingredients or preservatives. Anthony’s is a great brand for this!

For a more detailed explanation of the difference between cacao and cocoa, click here!

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Honey Mama’s is the Best Chocolate EVER

Have you ever heard of Honey Mama’s chocolate?  I had developed this recipe for clean chocolate bark with raw honey before I had ever heard of it.

In trying to develop a clean chocolate bark recipe I had experimented for a a few weeks using different natural sweeteners, including pure maple syrup and even date paste, like this one from Date Lady! All of the clean chocolate bark recipes I experimented with were good, but none were amazing…until I tried raw honey.

There are lots of recipes for clean chocolate bark online (and by “clean” I mean that they are made without refined sugar and without dairy), but there are not too many made with raw honey. And to be honest, raw honey was not what I expected to be the best combination for chocolate.

But I was wrong.

And Honey Mama’s was right!

Honey Mama’s Chocolate Bars

I discovered the award-winning Honey Mama’s clean chocolate bars (see photo above) at the Portland Farmer’s Market while we were on vacation here in Oregon and hands down it is the best chocolate I have ever had. (Honey Mama’s is even tastier than the one I recommended in my clean eating grocery list.) And I know now after trying to make my own clean chocolate bark recipe using other sweeteners that the honey is definitely the secret!

Honey Mama’s bars use only five whole food, nutrient-rich ingredients (raw honey, cacao powder, coconut oil, Himalayan pink salt, and either sprouted almonds or shredded coconut. That’s it!). So, if you don’t have the time or inclination to make my clean chocolate bark recipe below then you will definitely want to check out Honey Mama’s!

Where to Buy Honey Mama’s Clean Chocolate

• Click HERE for a store locator
• Buy Honey Mama’s online HERE

Tips for Making the Best Chocolate Bark

If you decide to make your own clean chocolate bark, here are just a few quick tips:

Sweeten with Manuka Honey

If you really want to make the absolute healthiest chocolate bark, then you will want to use Manuka Honey. It’s not cheap, but it is by far the healthiest raw honey.  You can buy manuka honey at any natural foods store or of course online. This is my favorite brand of manuka honey.

Add Stevia for Extra Sweetness

If you want it a wee bit sweeter, try adding just a little stevia leaf powder.

Use Dried Fruit

Add dried fruit for a bulkier chocolate! You can always use raisins, but if you want to be a little more creative try gogi berries, mulberries, dried cabernet grapes or dried wild blueberries.

Boost With Chia Seeds

If you’re looking for more texture, add chia! Teeny tiny chia seeds give great texture and an omega-3 boost!

Add Coffee

For more of a complex flavor, add ground coffee. This one is optional, but it definitely gives the chocolate a distinct, rich taste!

And much much more! The best part about this Chocolate Bark Recipe is that you’re free to get creative, and add whatever you’d like to your recipe! From peppermint oil, to pretzels, nuts, and so much more, you can really make this bark your own!

Let’s get into the recipe!

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