Since 1842, when Cadbury's of England created the first chocolate bar, thousands of people experienced a love affair with chocolate. It's estimated that the common American eats 4.5 kilos per year and the common Swiss eats 9.5!

Obviously the real history of chocolate stretches back to ancient Olmec and Aztec civilizations where it was considered to become a "Food of the Gods."

I personally was never a large fan of chocolate, at the least not until I began experiencing pure raw cacao. I think associated with that normal chocolate has literally been cooked to death. To create a typical chocolate bar, cacao beans are crushed, fermented and then roasted at 150 C (300 F) for 1 - 2 hours. From then on, they're tempered with boiling water for 20-30 minutes.

When you add processed sugar, milk products, preservatives, artificial colors, chemical flavors and more to the lifeless chocolate substance it's no surprise that some individuals develop allergies to chocolate. Interestingly, though, I've seen that many individuals with chocolate allergies, do not have the same reaction with raw cacao.

Raw cacao has many nutritional benefits and is generally considered one of the very complete foods on the planet.

Since experiencing the consequences of raw cacao for myself, I find myself deploying it often. I regularly add a couple of whole beans to my smoothies, I take advantage of cacao in salad dressings and sauces, and sometimes I just snack a couple of beans with a little bit of agave or honey.

But, as a result of my partner Gabrielle's love of chocolate, I get nearly all of my raw cacao in the proper execution of great tasting raw chocolate bars.

I'm happy to share her basic recipe with you here.

To make this recipe you will need a grinder or a mortar and pestle

Ingredients for easy chocolate:

1/2 C whole peeled cacao beans  wonka bar edibles, ground

1/8 C coconut oil
1/8 C melted cacao butter (use coconut oil or even available)
1/4 C raw honey or raw agave syrup

Optional ingredients:

1/4 cup raisins
1 T almonds, finely chopped
1 drop orange, lemon, clove, lavender and other gas
Cinnamon to taste
Celtic sea salt to taste

Preparation:

Grind cacao until it's very fine. The cacao could have a consistency like raw almond butter and will adhere to the sides of the grinder. Mix ground cacao with coconut oil or cacao butter in grinder. Remove mixture and add honey and other ingredients. Stir well with a fork. The mixture should manage to be poured. If not, add more coconut oil. Pour into ice cube trays or other forms and freeze for 45 minutes. Serve right after removing from the freezer.

A Few Interesting Facts About Cacao and Chocolate

The word 'Chocolate' originates from the Aztec word, "cacahuatl" or "xocolatl." This means 'bitter water' ;.

Raw Cacao was regarded being an aphrodisiac by Aztecs.

In 1624 Johan Franciscus Rauch an Austrian professor, tried to ban chocolate from monasteries and urged monks to not drink chocolate as he said it "inflamed passions."

Cacao contains antioxidants which might help prevent cancer and heart disease.

Cacao brings instant comfort and acts as a delicate anti-depressant by increasing our serotonin and endorphin levels.

Cacao contains theobromine, which is really a mild relative of caffeine and magnesium. This chemical is present in some tranquilisers. Because coffee also incorporates caffeine, it both picks you up and calms you down.

Cacao beans were so valuable in ancient Mexico that the Maya and subsequent Aztec and Toltec civilizations used them as a means of currency to cover commodities and taxes.

The French Leader Napoleon insisted that wine, from the Burgundy vineyard called Chambertin, along with chocolate be available during military campaigns.

Through the Second World War, the U.S. Government commissioned Milton Hershey to create a candy bar to be contained in soldier's rations. The candy bar chosen was the famous Hershey Milk Chocolate Bar.