Excellent Quality Ethical Cacao
Who doesn't love chocolate?!? Not all chocolate is made the same though.
Cacao and Cocoa both come from cacao beans. With cocoa, the beans are roasted at high temperatures, destroying some of the nutrients. Then, typically, preservatives and additives are included, to cut the natural bitterness.
Cacao is minimally processed, which maintains it's nutritionally dense properties. Cacao has an abundant source of iron, magnesium, calcium, and potassium, as well as fibre. And, cacao is rich with antioxidants that support cardiovascular and brain health.
How cacoa beans are processed is vital to their nutritional value. How they are harvested is equally important with regard to the health of the land they come from and the farmers' standard of living.
Ecoideas Cacao beans are grown ethically and organically. Then, the beans are dried naturally and fermented, to release their intense chocolate flavour and aroma. The cacao nibs are then removed from the shells and ground to create a rich, chocolatey powder.
Ecoideas main objective is to increase the quality and quantity of organic and sustainable cocoa production to improve the standard of living of small farmers. This program began in 2008 and has since had a positive impact in the life of over 5000 farmers! Ecoideas Organic Cacao Powder is certified Fair Trade, Ecocert certified for quality, gluten free, non gmo, vegan, and keto friendly. Yes, organic raw cacao is pricier than processed cocoa powder, but you are getting a much better nutritional value and purchasing Ecoideas products contributes to support farmers and small communities.
Ecoideas Organic Fair Trade Cacao Powder is such a versatile superfood! I used it in one of my son's favourite cookie recipes below, but I also regularly add it to smoothies, healthy baked goods, adaptogen hot chocolate, and mole sauce.
Try some for yourself!
Fudgy Chocolate Strips
In stand mixer or large bowl, cream 3/4C butter with 3/4C LIVA Date Sugar (or brown sugar) and 1/2C Monkfruit sweetener (or Erythritol or white sugar) until light and fluffy. Beat in 2 large eggs and 2 tsp vanilla extract.
In separate bowl, whisk 2 3/4C Organic Spelt Flour (like Ontario's Oak Manor Organic) (White Whole Wheat Flour works well also), 1/2C Ecoideas Organic Fair Trade Cacao Powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp fine sea salt.
Gradually stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients, until well blended.
Stir in 2 1/2C of your choice of chocolate chips. I like to use a combination. In this batch, I used some milk chocolate chips, some semi sweet, and some white. A little bit of butterscotch chips would be a nice twist too.
Empty dough onto very lightly floured surface. You may have to 'smush' it around a bit, to work in all the chocolate chips. Then, divide into four equal parts. Roll each portion into a 12" by 1.5" log. Place two logs, a few inches apart, on a lightly greased cookie sheet (I usually use parchment paper instead).
Bake in 350F oven about 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool completely on cookie sheet.
When cooled, melt 4oz white chocolate in microwave. Start with a minute, stir and continue with 10 second intervals until you have a drizzling consistency. White chocolate can be a bit finicky. If you just aren't getting a thin enough consistency, adding a tsp of organic virgin coconut oil can help. Drizzle white chocolate over your cookie logs as desired, with a small spoon or piping bag.
Once the white chocolate has set, cut your bars into slices on a diagonal.
These are so delicious, if you're making them for a special occasion, you'll have to hide them lol