Salty chocolate? Make a savoury and spicy Keto treat
Salty chocolate is my new passion! There’s a whole army of salty chocolate lovers around the globe. It all started with that wonderful chocolate meat sauce I posted a couple of months ago. I realised that the way ancient Aztecs or Mayas enjoyed savoury chocolate might be the right way.
Over the years, chocolate became popular as a dessert but it can be a savoury treat too. Interestingly, many low-carbers who take pride in buying 90% chocolate in the supermarket. What does this mean? They are buying industrial chocolate that contains 90% cacao mass and 10% (guess what?) cane sugar. Well, on occasion or on a road trip this actually works as a spirit lifter. But if you have just a little bit of time, why wouldn’t you make it 100% healthy at home?
Salty chocolate advantages
You don’t need any sweetener to explore the world of salty chocolate flavour and texture. Additionally, this will help you with cravings and reduce sugar addiction. We don’t need to connect pleasure only with the sensation of sweetness! There are so many other flavour combinations which can taste equally good and provide the energetic chocolate experience. In fact, a combo of salt and potassium from raw cacao will work as a natural electrolyte bomb!
Salt as a flavour booster
Salt is known to pastry chefs for centuries as the ultimate secret to enhanced flavour. Every chocolate dessert always has a certain amount of salt to bring up the sensation. But in this case, we’ll give it the main role! And since salt will be the flavour ruler here, why don’t we use the queen of all salts – flower of sea salt.
The flower of sea salt (“Fleur de Sel“) is created during warm summer days as a thin layer of minerals on the surface of the sea. It is usually collected with a wooden shovel very early in the morning before it sinks to the bottom. The composition of the flower of sea salt is somewhat different because it has a slightly higher proportion of harder soluble salts. This affects the taste. For this reason, it’s a bit pricier!
Spicing it up for the Bravehearts
When I tried chocolate with Chili peppers for the first time I couldn’t believe the explosion of different sensations. Cacao is actually very alkaline and it wants some acidity. Also, it needs some saltiness to taste perfect. So, the way Chili pepper flakes work with chocolate is comparable to dancing the tango on your taste buds. The question is, can you stand this tango?
How to pair hot peppers with salty chocolate
From personal experience, I’ll remind you to do this in tiny amounts. Don’t forget, capsaicin burns are a serious thing. When pairing you need to consider natural flavours in the Chili and chocolate, or make a contrast between light and complex feeling. For example, You can build the smoky aftertaste of chocolate by adding some smoked paprika. Or you can lighten up deep and strong chocolate with a dash of citric acid. Be a Keto kitchen alchemist, play with your magic ingredients.
How and when to eat salty chocolate?
- After the training! Break the fast after a good session of fasted training with this electrolyte bomb and fat-bomb!
- Together with any meat or fish meal
- with a cup of coffee during the feeding window
- Keep them in a portable refrigerator on a road trip and use them as energy boosters
Salty chocolate with Chili flakes
20
servings5
minutes0
minutes85
kcalIngredients
200g (7 oz) butter (we used goat butter)
30g (1 oz) organic raw cacao powder
2/3 tsp finely ground flower of sea salt
1/3 tsp Chili flakes (or hot paprika flakes)
Directions
- Leave the butter at room temperature for at least 2 hours.
- When the butter is soft, place it into a deep mixing bowl, whisk energetically using a fork or a metallic whisk.
- Add raw cacao powder, sea salt and Chili flakes/ hot paprika flakes. Keep whisking to get a shiny and smooth texture.
- Line a wide plate with parchment paper and scoop 20 chocolates out of your mixture.
- Refrigerate them for at least 1-2 hours before they are ready and firm.
Recipe Video
Notes
- You can play with the spices and use Ceylon cinnamon, cloves, saffron, turmeric, white/red/black pepper, nutmeg, vanilla, or any spice you like.
- Whisking is crucial, try to make energetic movement so that your butter gets shiny and smooth.
- If you want to speed the process you can place them in the freezer, but they will lose the attractive shiny effect.
- Instead of mixing the salt and chili flakes in the mixture, you can sprinkle small amounts on top of each chocolate before storing them in the refrigerator.
