This month's round up looks different! I have created 4 recipes using a Zambian fair trade chocolate brand. Savanna Chocolate is made from Tanzanian cocoa and the chocolate bars are made here in Zambia.
Special thanks to Gaia store in Kitwe, Zambia for these delectable chocolates. I love that Gaia sells all Zambian made products that are eco friendly and natural!
The first recipe was just getting a taste of all the flavors. So I did what I love most: create a platter!
Simple Dessert Platter: taste testing all three flavors.
I created this simple snack to first taste 3 delicious flavours of savanna chocolate. All were exceptional! They paired lovely with chocolate mint leaves, walnuts, feta cheese and strawberries.
I thought I would love the chili or coffee most, but I ended up really enjoying the ginger one! After snacking on this platter with a glass of wine over a virtual book club meeting, I would say my favorites in this order:
1) coffee dark chocoalte
2) ginger milk chocolate
3) chili dark chocolate
It was a hard choice between them though, because really I love them all! They have many more flavors that I also look forward to trying.
Chili Dark Hot Chocolate: add espresso for a mocha version.
The cold season (feels like dry, crisp, autumn mornings) is here in Zambia and I’m loving all the cozy feels and hot drinks. This is a perfect drink to cozy up with.
Ingredients:
8 squares @savannachocolate chili dark
1 cup milk (I used full cream, any nut milk would be great)
1/2 cup strong coffee/espresso (optional)
Top with cinnamon
Method:
Melt the chocolate and milk in a pot on the stove top and then add in espresso/coffee if you so desire! Option to blend if you want it more frothy, and best topped with cinnamon.
I love this because it is rich and not too sweet, with a strong kick of spice. It’s similar to Mexican hot chocolate but with a healthier, fair trade, rich in flavor spin on it. You can get about 4 servings of this drink from just 1 bar! I’m savoring the rest bit by bit.
Dark Chocolate Coffee Brownies: gluten free ooey gooey fudgy goodness
• gluten free • coconut oil • dairy free • paleo • but doesn’t taste like any of those things •
The hubby’s first words after his teeth sank into these were, “they don’t taste gluten free.” You can use any favorite gluten free brownie recipe or even brownies from a box! To make them extra delicious, just add decaf instant coffee, use coconut oil in place of vegetable oil, and the savanna chocolate dark coffee high quality really topped it off! I literally did sprinkle chopped up bits of the chocolate bar on top, haha.
Ginger milk chocolate covered strawberries: with additional strawberry flavor dippings.
It’s as easy as: 1) melt the chocolate 2) dip the strawberry 3) let it cool I tried a few concoctions here:
1) ginger milk chocolate only
2) chili dark chocolate only
3) a combination of the two
Ginger milk chocolate was my personal favorite for the chocolate covered strawberries. The mix was my second favorite and had a fun twist! I absolutely loved the creaminess the milk chocolate and a kick of spice in the ginger with the bite of juicy strawberry all paired together.
So which flavor of chocolate would you most want to try and which recipe sounds the most intriguing or delicious? I'd love to hear in the comments section below!