Chocolate confection recipe

it's a little complicated: you have to prepare some of the ingredients
first, and you need the right equipment.

i consider the product a "health food": it's gluten-free, high in
omega-3s, antioxidants, and fiber; and the only added sugar is in the
crystallized ginger

--

1 - "sweet curry powder":

1 c ground cinnamon
1 c ground ginger
1/2 c ground cloves
1/2 c ground dried mild chili peppers
	( mine are from my garden - could use paprika )

blend well, store in old "bulk" spice containers,
appropriately relabeled.

i use this in several things i make

--

2 - "chocolate confection powder":

1 c cocoa powder
1 c "sweet curry powder"
1 c ground chia seeds
1 c ground flax seeds
1 c ground raw shelled hemp seeds ( "hemp hearts" )
1/8 c ground cayenne pepper ( +/-, depending on your preference )

blend well, store in freezer.

the seeds are all high in oils ( mainly omega-3 ), and therefore
difficult to grind into powder.  they will clog a mill.
i used to grind them in 1/4 c batches in a small "coffee grinder" which uses a
high-speed spinning blade to chop them very finely, almost to thick paste.
the result must be scraped out of the bowl of the grinder into the bowl of the blender.
the cocoa & sweet curry powders are drier, and when everything
is blended together, the result is a moist powder.
store in freezer to retard the oils turning rancid.

i recently had to replace my old vitamix 3600 blender ( from 1978 ) due to motor
failure, after repairing the same problem last year.  i bought a new vitamix pro 750.
this machine, using a "dry container", will handle grinding the seeds in 1 cup batches,
using the highest speed and tamper.
be careful not to overblend into seed butters.
if you have a similar machine, you can simply mix all the ( unground ) ingredients,
and grind in 1 cup batches, and blend all the batches in the large "wet container"
or cuisinart.

--

3 - "chocolate confection"

2/3 c almond flour
1/6 c cacao nibs
2/3 c chocolate confection powder
16 quartered dried pitted prunes ( be sure to remove the occasional pits )
10 squares ( 125 g ) of Trader Joe's "pound plus" 72% cacao dark chocolate bar
	( 1/4 bar )

pulse chop in ninja large ( 6+ cup ) container;
then dump and scrape mix into cuisinart bowl;
then blend until balls form;

then add

2/3 c crystallized ginger cubes
1/3 c "sweet" apricot kernels

pulse about 30 times until ginger is chopped into small pieces
distributed thru the mix

line a 6"x8" pyrex dish with parchment or wax paper;
dump and scrape the mix into the the dish;
compress with vitamix tamper & a spatula;
place another sheet of paper on top;
insert another matching pyrex dish on top;
compress the top dish down ( i do a handstand on it );
microwave the assembly for 1 minute on high ( to melt chocolate );
compress again: liquid chocolate in mix will flow to fill voids;
remove top dish, wipe off any melted wax from the paper from the dish;
remove the paper "sandwich" from the bottom dish;
wipe off any melted wax from the bottom dish; 
( the wax is much easier to remove while the dish is still warm );
remove the top sheet of paper and pull down the bottom sheet sides;
with spatula, scrape off melted chocolate from paper and spread on top
of confection, and smoothe over any sharp corners and edges;
replace top sheet of paper; place a platter upside down on top;
invert assembly; remove now top sheet of paper and repeat scraping
and smoothing operations; replace paper;
store assembly in refrigerator for several hours until chocolate
resolidifies;
remove from refrigerator and place on cutting board;
remove paper;
cut into pieces of desired size by pressing down with a sharp, broad
knife;
place pieces into covered container and store in refrigerator;
consume as desired.

note: the sizes & amounts given were determined thru many trials
to give the best results.  smaller & larger batch sizes and
microwave times had various problems with the consistency &
cohesion of the product.

variation for vitamix owners:
you can make a fudge-like product by putting all the ingredients
into the "wet container" and blending, using the tamper, at the
highest speed or using the "puree" program until you get a uniform paste.
this will not need to be heated or compressed.  just scrape into a
shallow pan or dish, smooth with spatula, and refrigerate.

notes on ingredient sources:

i use Buderim "std dice" Australian crystallized ginger, which i buy in
bulk from the distributer.  this ginger is soft and chops easily.
you might find similar stuff at whole foods.  avoid the hard chinese
slices you might find in supermarkets.

Trader Joe's chocolate should be obvious.  their cocoa powder is also
very good.

we get chia & flax seeds at whole foods and costco.

we get almonds at costco ( cheaper than at whole foods ).

i buy bulk spices, grains, & seeds, including the hemp, online from
nuts.com, when i cant find them at whole foods or local health food
stores.

i prefer to buy whole seeds, which i keep frozen until i grind them,
instead of packaged ground seeds, meals, & flours.  this is a
freshness issue, as the oils start oxidizing as soon as the seeds
are ground.

note on apricot kernels:
there are 2 kinds: "bitter" and "sweet".
"bitter" kernels contain significant amounts of amygdalin, which metabolizes
to sugars & cyanide.  these can be fatal if consumed in "large quantities"
( e.g. > 3 dozen for adults, much less for children ).
bitter apricot ( & bitter almond & peach ) kernels used for food products,
as in marzipan & persipan, are "debittered" ( processed to remove the
amygdalin ) during manufacture of the paste.
some people actually deliberately consume the raw bitter kernels ( in
small amounts ) as a "treatment" for cancer, under the theory that cancer
cells produce the enzymes which metabolize amygdalin, which produces
cyanide in the those cells, which then kills them; while "normal" cells
do not contain the enzymes, and so are spared.
( the "alternative cancer treatment" drug laetrile is a synthetic analogue
of amygdalin. )
unfortuately, amygdalin can also be metabolized to cyanide by other enzymes
normally in the body; and the kernels also contain the necessary enzymes
to metabolize the amygdalin to cyanide, which are released by chewing
the kernels; and the cyanide is produced in the gut, and absorbed into
the body.  the body naturally produces and uses cyanide in very small
amounts in biologically "controlled" circumstances; but it cannot handle
it outside of those situations.
"sweet" kernels contain much less amygdalin, so they are safer to consume
in small quantities.
if you want to reduce the amygdalin & bitterness, soak the kernels in
water with vitamin c ( for acidity ) for a day, then optionally boil for
a minute, then drain, rinse, and dry in a dehydrator.
apricot kernel purveyors can be found online.  be careful to get the
"sweet" kernels.  the "bitter" kernels are unfortunately more prevalent
and sold to those who buy the "anti-cancer" theory.