Rose & Pitaya Raw Chocolate (Handmade Vegan Treat for Your Valentine!)

Nothing says, "I love you!" to the lover without or within like a beautiful gift of handmade chocolates. The time and effort, attention to detail and carefully-researched flavor and color combination will definitely earn you a few oohs and aahs. The subtle perfume of Hungarian rosewater coupled with the audacity of pink, powdered pitaya sets the stage for drama and romance. Let's get cracking.

a hand reaching toward raw handmade chocolates on a plate

Rose & Pitaya Raw Chocolate (Handmade Vegan Treat for Your Valentine!)

Recipe Type:

YIELDS 27 pieces

PREP TIME 10 hour 00 min

COOK TIME 03 hour 00 min

TOTAL TIME 13 hour 00 min

Rose Chocolate
74g raw cacao butter
134g macadamia butter
60g oat flour
140g maple syrup
5ml lime juice
2g salt
5ml pure vanilla essence
30 ml Hungarian rosewater
Pitaya Chocolate
1 whole pitaya
30g maple syrup
50g raw cacao butter

Directions

1. Place a non-reactive bowl in a pot of warm water, 45°C (113°F). Melt 74g raw cacao. Do not adjust the temperature. If it is too high, the cacao will no longer be raw. If you have a dehydrator, then pop the cacao in there for about 3 hours at 113–115°F/ 45°C.

2. If you don’t have macadamia butter on hand, then simply blend whole, unsoaked macadamia until they liquify. Make sure there are no granules by pressing between your finger. It should be silky smooth. Weigh out 134g. Jar the rest and refrigerate.

3. In a blender, on your lowest setting, combine 74g cacao butter, macadamia butter, oat flour, 140g maple syrup, lime, salt, vanilla and rosewater until smooth. Take your time here.

4. Gently spoon or pour into your desired chocolate mold. You may choose to mold individual chocolates; one, large slab or even bark. Your choice.

5. Tap the mold to remove air bubbles. Once molded, refrigerate.

Pitaya Chocolate

1. Peel the pitaya then juice. Drink the juice 😉

2. Collect the pulp and dehydrate it for 6–8 hours until bone-dry.

3. Powder the dried pitaya pulp in a coffee grinder.

4. Be aware, the powder will clump after a few hours. Add a desiccant bag and store in an airtight container in the freezer.

5. Melt the 50g of raw cacao in the same way as you did for the rose chocolate. Stir in pitaya powder and maple syrup, bit by bit until you reach the desired color and flavor. Th color will change as it solidifies. Do a spoon test to see what intensity you like.

Spoon test: smear some pitaya chocolate on a white baking sheet. Refrigerate, then check color. Add more pitaya if you desire.

Assembly

1. Using a glove, remove chocolate from mold and dip half of it into the pitaya chocolate, letting the essence drip off. Set it on a teflex or baking sheet.

2. Using tweezers, add a bit of dried, pink rose petal, or pistachio or gold leaf at the center, bridging the pink and white line.

3. Refrigerate until set.

Also by Prish: Kimchi Gazpacho

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Photo: Prashantha Lachanna