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Top 5 raw chocolate treats

I've always had a sweet tooth, but as this is a health blog I thought I'd eat my way through a load of raw chocolate as it's full of goodness, or so the makers claim.

To know about the health benefits,  click here .for a previous article, or read to discover what I found on my raw chocolate binge.
Perfection in a box. They may look like Oxo cubes, but all similarity ends there. Coated in a soft cacao dust, which has a bitter hit, as I bit into the crisp shell, a bit like snapping into the side of a Crunchie, the full extent of the raw chocolate walloped my taste buds.
Booja Booja say the product was 4 years in the making - and I can see why - perfection is worth waiting for. Award winning and affordable

Recommendations
Eat Booja Booja Truffles slowly to uncover a series of taste sensations - bitter powder, crisp shell, soft centre, creamy whipped texture - smooth and rich. Hold the taste and you get a hit, akin to that of a luxury liquor - but there's no trace of alcohol - it's one damn fine indulgent cube.
Taste
Substantial, sweet and bitter. Where some truffles leave you wanting more - these guys are satisfying in their smallness.
Rating - 4/5 - would have got a 5 but the cacao dust got everywhere and on my clothes

Shazzie claims to be the UK's first and only organically certified chocolate and she puts as much energy into chocolate as she does pomegranate soup. The  result is a series of diverse bars that are free from wheat/dairy/gluten/sugar but still manage to pack a taste and be curiously different.

Recommendations
Shazzie's bars are ideal for those of us who really like chocolate - but are either too weight or health conscious to wolf down a sugary bar, but still secretly want to.

If you hanker after the sweet creaminess of a Caramac try the Intacta bar. It has a soft, creamy taste with added vanilla and maca, giving it a fresh and syrupy flavour.
Empress bar- dark sultry &  sexy - eat straight from the fridge if you like a first hard bite - or keep at room temperature for a softer, fudgier taste.
Rating - 3/5 - good choc, good range, not the best


    As a lover of dark mint chocolate, I had to hold off devouring Minted in one go. It wipes the floor with Matchsticks, my secret childhood favourite.

    It uses a birch derived low glycemic sweetener instead of sugar and mint oil instead of flavouring, so I didn't feel sick.

    Recommendations
    Minted - made in Sussex with Madagascan vanilla, Minted is the perfect bar for mint choc lovers. Straight from the fridge it's a satisfying slab which needs a good break to get a chunk.
    Rating - 5/5  childhood happiness in an adult bar - what more can I say

    Vanoffe - this blue wrap bar has a blend of vanilla and raw cacao - and is smooth and fudge like. I ate it at room temperature and the soft texture proved creamy and luscious on my taste buds. A sweet bar without sugar, ideal for a kids treat too.
    Rating - 3/5 bit sweet - I'm a dark choc girl really
      Healthy chocolate snacks
      If it's chocolate you're after but not a full block, consider snacking on raw chocolate covered goji berries or mulberries. Full of antioxidants, these tasty treats provide numerous health benefits. Mulberries have a high iron content, strengthen blood and cleanse the liver so you can detox on chocolate!
      Rating - 3/5 great for work, but again cacao dust gets on everywhere

      These round, handmade snack balls have a potent punch. With all the goodness of dairy free, raw, gluten free etc, they ticked the healthy list, and were a great source of superfood - with maca, ginseng, chai seeds and cranberries.

      Taste
      The Berriball had a hint of Christmas pudding - a strong fruity taste with a concentrated intense flavour. I wolfed down the LoveBite Ball,  and was soon bouncing off the walls because of the ginseng and guarana. My energy was high!
      Recommendations
      I rate these products highly as energy foods, but if you're looking for a sweet chocolate fix, look elsewhere - these guys are superfoods, not sweets.
      Rating -  3/5 for sweets, 4/5 for energy

      Somewhere between a treat and a slab of intense, moody chocolate I found Raw Living's choc bars. At first they looked small and I wondered if they'd suffice (I can eat a lot in one go when the mood takes me).

      I prefer cold chocolate, but trying to snap a bit off later was impossible so I did what any chocoholic does and bit off a huge chunk and got crumbly bits all round my mouth.

       Taste
      Infused with rose oil, agave, pink salt and maca, the Hi Lovers kept offering aftertastes. And because it is raw goodness, the aftertaste was not sickly but curious and satisfying.

      The SuperMagic bar was different to anything I'd ever tasted. Mesquite, Mucuna and Crystal Manna comprise just some of the rare  ingredients in this - to be eaten slowly - choc treat.
      Rating - 4/5 - good, different, tasty and a little bit bizarre - i like that

      Recommendations
      These chocs are best served at room temp, so if you do chill them, take them out before you want to eat them. They are powerfully raw and addictive - beware.


      All the above mentioned and tasted raw chocolate treats are organic, vegan, raw, fresh and guilt-free. And most add healthy stuff - maca, purple corn, agave, mesquite, spirulina and so on - so you don't just get a choc hit, you get an energy boost - super food, not just a confectionery replacement. If you think you love chocolate, you'll love raw chocolate.