CHOCOLATE CANDY BARS ARE INEXPENSIVE TO MAKE AT HOME WITH THE ADDED BONUS OF INCLUDING YOUR FAVOURITE INGREDIENTS
I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t mind making homemade gifts for the people I love. So, I decided to make homemade low-carb chocolate bars as a surprise for Valentine’s Day to give to Mrs. CBB along with some not-so-crafty decorations that I’m sure she will laugh at. It’s the thought that counts, right?
Homemade chocolate bars or other chocolate candies are not meant to look perfect because it is the imperfect that says, “I made this with Love” that matters most. What I love the best is the cost of making homemade chocolate bars vs. store-bought.
Before we start this recipe for homemade sugar-free chocolate bars …..
I just want to point out that if you don’t care for sugar-free chocolate you can easily use regular chocolate chips to make this recipe for homemade chocolate bars. Once you understand the basics of melting chocolate, own the proper tools and have the ingredients on-hand then you’ll be set to go.
Chocolate Bar Mould
To be honest if you don’t fancy the same chocolate bar mould that we use that is inexpensive to purchase on Amazon Cybrtrayd AO072 Break Apart Bar Chocolate Candy Mold with Exclusive Copyrighted Molding Instructions
However if you want to make homemade chocolate bars with that homemade look and feel then invest in a good chocolate bar mould like we have.
Low-Carb Keto Treats
Making your own sugar-free homemade chocolate bars sweetened with Stevia are so easy to make with only 3-ingredients.When Mrs. CBB craves chocolate it must be sugar-free chocolate and low-carb to match her keto lifestyle.
In the past she would use her Bulk Barn coupon to buy Non-GMO, Gluten-Free Coco Polo Stevia sweetened chocolate bars which come with a hefty $6.00 price tag. Made in New Jersey these chocolate bars are the go-to bar of choice for sugar-free lovers.
Mrs. CBB describes it as the type of chocolate bar you want to sniff, lick and savour for hours or days because it cost too damn much. Clearly that’s not going to happen unless you have the best self-control in the world.
On a good note the chocolate bar is delicious so if you don’t care to make homemade chocolate bars then certainly we recommend Coco Polo.
Understanding Sugar Alcohols in Canada
What are sugar alcohols?
Sugar alcohols, a family of sweeteners also known as “polyols”, are used as food additives. They occur naturally in small amounts in fruits and vegetables, including berries, apples, and plums, but for large-scale commercial use they are manufactured from common sugars.
While they are chemically very similar to sugars, they are less sweet than sugars and have fewer calories per gram.
Currently the following sugar alcohols are permitted for use as food additives in Canada: hydrogenated starch hydrolysates, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, maltitol syrup, mannitol, sorbitol, sorbitol syrup, xylitol and erythritol. Source- Sugar Alcohols (Polyols) Health Canada
Some people may find certain sugar-alcohols bother their stomach with the big one being Malitol. Be careful when you choose products sweetened with Malitol or at least test it first.
Mrs. CBB won’t go near the stuff after a couple of bad experiences with it. This is why it’s so important to read product labels, ingredients and nutritional information.
What is Stevia?
The term stevia refers to the leaves of the plant Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni. The leaves of the stevia plant, which can be used fresh, dried, or dried and powdered, contain sweetening compounds referred to as steviol glycosides. The term stevia is also used to refer to water extracts of stevia leaf. These crude extracts have not undergone purification steps to concentrate the steviol glycoside content.
Purified stevia extract, however, is prepared in a manner that results in a highly concentrated (minimum 95%) extract of steviol glycosides. Purified stevia extract is also referred to as “steviol glycosides“. If the extract has been purified in a manner that favours one of the nine known steviol glycosides, the extract may be referred to by the name of the isolated steviol glycoside (e.g., rebaudioside A). Source: Health Canada
Can Stevia be used in Canadian Products or sold in Canada?
Purified stevia extract is regulated as a food additive in Canada. It has undergone a full safety review and has been approved for use in various foods sold in Canada. The conditions of use for purified stevia extracts are found under “steviol glycosides” on the List of Permitted Sweeteners.
Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips- Krisda
You can make your own sugar-free chocolate chips or squares if you have the time and the ingredients. A popular recipe for sugar-free chocolate chips can be found at Low Carb Yum although I’ve never personally attempted to make them.
In Canada we’ve been able to find two brands of sugar-free chocolate chips one being Krisda (non-affiliate) which you can find at Loblaws stores and health food stores in Canada. They come with an $8.99 price tag for 285 gram bag but worth it for those who want to stretch their chocolate dollars.
Krisda was created in 2004 by a small group of friends who felt strongly that it was time to make a real difference in the food industry. Simply put, it was time to give the world great tasting, all-natural sugar-free ingredients that can be used to make food taste sweeter and better naturally.
One bag of Krisda Stevia sweetened chocolate chips will make approximately 6 large chocolate bars. I don’t know about you but I’d prefer to make 6 bars for the price of 1-1/2 Coco Polo bars.
You can make simple dark chocolate bars or add toasted nuts, natural peanut butter, dried fruits or even homemade jams to the center of the chocolate bar.
Krisda Chocolate Chips boast…
- No Sugar Added
- Gluten-Free
- No Artificial Sweetener
- High Fibre
- No Preservatives
- No Malitol
- GMO free
The other brand of sugar-free chocolate chips that you can find in Canada is called Lily’s which I know for sure are available at The Low Carb Grocery (non-affiliate)in Markham, Ontario or their online website. We have not tried these chocolate chips yet so I don’t have a review on them. The price-tag is comparable to Krisda.
How to make homemade chocolate bars
To make these sugar-free homemade chocolate bars you need only three ingredients
- Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips (We use Krisda but you can order Lily’s Dark Chocolate Chips
on Amazon)
- Nutiva Organic Virgin Coconut Oil
*we use this
- Himalayan Pink Salt
on Amazon)
*we use this
You’ll also need your chocolate bar mould and pastry brush along with a pot of water, large bowl to use on top as a double-boiler to melt chocolate chips and a spatula. Oh, and you’ll need a freezer too!
- 1 bag of Krisda Chocolate Chips or 285g
- 1 tablespoon Organic coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt
- Optional
- Roasted Nuts
- Dried Berries
- Fresh fruits
- Sugar-free jam ( I used our homemade strawberry chia jam for Valentines)
- In a medium sized pot add water to the half-way mark and turn the stove on to medium heat.
- In a large bowl- we used metal add your chocolate chips, coconut oil and Himalayan Pink Salt.
- Once it starts to melt with-in minutes with your spatula stir until it's smooth and silky
- With your chocolate bar mould in hand paint chocolate into the mould making sure all corners have a nice layer. Then freeze for about 10 minutes.
- Add sugar-free strawberry chia jam and then put back in the freezer for 10 minutes
- Remove and add a final layer of chocolate on top and smooth out with a knife until the entire chocolate bar is covered with chocolate.
- Put back in freezer for about 20 minutes and then pop out from the mould
- If you don't want to add strawberry chia jam like I did simply add the chocolate mixture to the chocolate bar mould and fill it up then freeze for 20 minutes or until solid. Remove from the mould and enjoy.
- If you want to add nuts or dried fruits I do that right in the pot and then scoop it out into the mould making sure there is enough melted chocolate to cover the nuts or fruit. You want to keep the nut or fruit ratio less than the chocolate.
- Easy to do and delicious.
- Note: You can make more chocolate bars if you add nuts or fruit. If you stick to solid chocolate bars you will make less. With one bag of chocolate chips I can make 4 solid chocolate bars. When I add nuts and fruits I can make 6-8 chocolate bars.
As you can read the savings is huge when you make homemade chocolate bars yourself whether they are solid chocolate bars or sugar-free chocolate bars. The fun part is adding ingredients you love. Our son also likes to add frozen strawberries and peanut butter when he helps to make chocolate bars. A simple homemade treat the kids can join in and have fun with.
You can store these in the freezer for months but they won’t last, at least not in this house. I wrapped these Strawberry Chia Jam sugar-free chocolate bars up for Mrs. CBB just in time for Valentine’s Day. I’m sure I’ll be off the naughty list!
Discussion: What are your favourite sugar-free chocolate bars to make? If you don’t make sugar-free what types of chocolate bars are your favourite to make? Leave me a comment below!
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Nutritional Info:
Approximately Per 1 Chocolate Bar (solid) depending on how thick or thin you make them: 6 tablespoons of melted chocolate approx 54 g carbs – Fibre 5g for each tablespoon 30g, Sugar Alcohols 2g x 6 12g = 12 (Net Carbs) for the entire bar
Note: The size of your mould will change net carbs as will if you add ingredients such as nuts or dried fruits and how much you actually add to the mould. I did my best to give you the exact measurements I used.
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