Black magic: Chocolate syrup on ice

Just two ingredients…

Awesome! This idea came my way courtesy of the Paddington Foodie, chef extraordinaire. It’s ridiculously easy. Combining just two super-foods, this simple syrup zaps any dessert you like with goodness that is sure to grant you the superpowers of your dreams.

Believe what you will, you can’t go far wrong with coconut oil and dark chocolate. The only downside might be a whack of calories. But as a little goes a long way, you get a lot of bang for your buck.

Coconut oil can make your hair shine and your skin glow from good health. It is said to lower cholesterol, help with weight loss, increase immunity, and improve your digestion and metabolism.

Dark chocolate or cacao/cocoa powder contains more minerals than any other form of chocolate. The list reads like the Periodic Table – calcium, copper, magnesium, and phosphorus… potassium, sodium, iron and zinc… It also has more flavinols than most other foods, a powerful antioxidant that protects you from chronic diseases. Finally, its caffeine and theobromine boost metabolism and suck out extra water to protect your heart. Plus… dark chocolate and cacao or cocoa powder have an amazing amount of fiber to aid your digestion. To top all this off, pure chocolate’s mood enhancers make you feel happy!

Choose good-quality ingredients for best results.  Like the Paddington Foodie recommends, I used a 70% cacao dark chocolate and an organic, cold-pressed, extra virgin coconut oil. Silky smooth syrup hardens into a shiny, shell as it hits ice cream. Heavenly!

Black Magic
Makes about 1 cup

• 1/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil
• 2/3 cup dark chocolate, broken into pieces

1. Put the chocolate and coconut oil in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on a low setting for 30 seconds. I use power level 5. Remove and stir well to combine.
2. Microwave and stir at 20-second intervals until all the chocolate has just melted (two or three times at power level 5, usually).
3. Stir well to combine one last time and allow to cool to room temperature.
4. Drizzle over a bowl of ice cream. In minutes, it magically sets into a hard, chocolate shell.
5. Keep leftovers in a bottle at room temperature for up to a month.

Working with Coconut oil

Coconut oil is usually solid at room temperature. It melts at temperatures above 25 C. Extra virgin coconut oil is stable at high temperatures. Ergo, I store mine in the cupboard. It has a shelf life of about 18 months.

I use it in cooking and baking as a butter substitute. You can get away with a little less than the amount of butter called for in the recipe. I usually use three-quarters of the amount of butter stated. It’s a worthwhile substitution, because its short-chain saturated fats are more easily digested than the long-chain ones in butter or lard.

Likewise I keep my Black Magic Syrup in a glass bottle in my pantry. Just give the bottle a shake before serving to redistribute the contents evenly. If the syrup thickens in cooler temperatures,  warm it up in hot water. Or, zap the bottle in the microwave on low for a minute.

Important PS – If you are trying to avoid ice cream (like me – LOL), use this sauce to dip dates, strawberries or banana pieces. Put the dipped fruit in the fridge to harden. Then enjoy!

Second important PS – If you use unsweetened cocoa powder to make the syrup, trying sweetening with stevia. Stevia and chocolate go very well together, as long as you don’t use too much stevia. Without sugar, this sauce is even better for you!