By Hannah Powling
With Easter fast approaching, it can be rather dull not being able to join in on all the chocolate festivities while you’re watching your diet right? Well believe it or not; there ARE healthy ways to enjoy chocolate. So go on, be a good egg and opt for some healthy treats this Easter.
Whether you’d like to go for a healthier option of buying organic dark chocolate eggs instead of milk chocolate; or embark on a creative day of cooking with unusual and rather nutritious ingredients; we are hand selecting our favourites for you here.
To start, take a look at these recipes to create at home to give you the sugary fix while staying healthy – an essential for this long Easter weekend…
Honestly Healthy

INGREDIENTS
FOR THE FILLING:
90g raw cacao butter melted in bain marie
35g pitted dates (approx. 6)
4 tbsp raw cacao powder
1 tbsp date syrup
4 tbsp coconut yoghurt
¼ tsp pink salt
¼ tsp vanilla
FOR THE RAW CHOCOLATE:
225g raw cacao butter melted in bain marie
12 tbsp raw cacao powder
130g agave syrup or sweet freedom
½ tsp vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
1. There are two options to making these chocolate eggs – you can either surprise your friends and family but using real egg shells for the moulds, or you can just use normal small egg moulds. I am going to explain how to use the real eggs but the same method applies to using normal chocolate moulds.
2. With a skewer, gently tap the bottom of the eggs to make a hole about the size of a 5p coin. It needs to be big enough to get the contents of the egg out (put this to one side and make a yummy frittata for dinner!). Repeat this for all the eggs and then rinse them out under cold water. Leave them out to dry for 24 hours in their egg box for best cracking results or put into freezer for 1 hour.
3. To make the filling, put all ingredients into a blender and blend until completely smooth. Put it into a piping bag and into the freezer for 30 minutes – this will make it easier to use later.
4. Make the raw chocolate by putting all ingredients into a high speed blender. Alternatively, you can mix the cacao powder into the melted and cooled cacao butter then add the syrup and vanilla extract and stir until smooth and velvety.
5. Pour about 2 tbsp of the chocolate into the bottom of the eggs or moulds and tip them slightly so that the chocolate coats the sides of the egg. Put them back into the box and into the freezer for 5 minutes to set.
6. Take the eggs out of the freezer along with the filling in the piping bag. Carefully pipe into the middle of the egg a long cylinder of the filling. If its gone really hard, pipe it into your hand and mould it into a long sausage and push into the centre. Do this for all the eggs then put back into the freezer for another 5 minutes.
7. Take out of the freezer and fill the eggs with the remainder of the chocolate up to the cracked edge. Once filled put back into the freezer for a minimum of 5 hours.
8. Top tips: 1) keep them in the egg box at all times – they are so delicate and can crack at any time. 2) Use a piping bag or a small funnel if you don’t have a steady hand for the raw chocolate so that it doesn’t go over the edge.
9. Surprise your guests on Easter morning by putting one into an egg cup and see if they can crack it! Surprise happy chocolate day!!!
To Her Core

INGREDIENTS
Dark chocolate eggs:
100g raw cacao butter
75g raw cacao powder
30g raw honey or maple syrup
1/8 tsp sea salt
Coconut cream chocolate eggs;
100g cacao butter
20g raw cacao powder
45g raw honey
3 Tbsp coconut cream
1/8 tsp sea salt
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Add all ingredients for whichever chocolate you choose to make into a small sauce pan over the lowest possible heat. Stir with a metal spoon until all melted together and smooth.
2. Remove from heat and pour into moulds, reserving a few tablespoons of the mixture.
3. Set in the freezer at least 20 minutes.
4. Once completely set, remove from the freezer and heat the leftover chocolate again over low heat. Using a brush, paint a small amount of chocolate over the flat side of an egg half, and then stick to the flat side of another egg half. Continue this process until all egg halfs are combined and you have a set of whole eggs. Place back in the freezer to set, and then store in the fridge.
Note: The dark chocolate version is my favorite – though it’s very “dark” and bordering on bitter. If you prefer a sweeter style chocolate, add a little extra sweetener, or try the coconut cream version instead.
Nourish

INGREDIENTS
1 cup melted coconut oil
¼ cup raw coconut sugar
2-4 tbsp raw cacao powder
½-1 cup amaranth puffs (depending on how ‘crunchy’ you want your chocolate)
INSTRUCTIONS
In a large bowl, gently mix the oil, coconut sugar and cacao powder together.
Fold in the amaranth puffs until combined.
Pour into a lined tray and freeze for 30 minutes or until firm.
Vanilla & Spice

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp raw cashews
2 tbsp raw walnuts
2 tbsp rolled oats
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of sea salt
2 tbsp golden raisins
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2-1 tsp agave nectar (I forgot this and I still liked them – they just weren’t very sweet)
1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 tbsp non-dairy milk
Dried apricot and raw cacao nibs for decorating
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place the first five ingredients in a food processor and process until finely ground. Add the raisins, vanilla and agave and process again until it forms a sticky mixture.
2. Roll dough into 6 balls – 3 should be a slightly bigger size for the bodies and 3 should be smaller to form the heads. Carefully stick the heads onto the bodies, pressing together to make sure it sticks and reforming the balls so that they keep their shape.