We all love chocolate. And Easter is just around the corner. Which means it’s time to eat chocolate to our heart’s content (specially if you are in isolation and specially with kids). But did you know that not all chocolates are made the same? In reality, cacao crops are usually mass produced and farmers end up with barely living wages and depleted soils to work with. Our chocolate addition is usually pretty bad for our planet.
But not all is lost. In fact, there’s a great solution for our chocolate problem: ethical and regenerative farming. I’ve known Alter Eco for a while, since my previous job in a lolly shop which allowed me to *ahem* test taste several chocolates and I was honestly hooked. But now that I’m doing some extra digging, I’m loving it even more so.
Ethical Chocolate From Bean to Bar: Yes, it’s possible
Alter Eco makes chocolate differently. They believe in a circular economy and support those working on it to make it a reality. From farmers working in co-ops and having their earnings invested back into their communities all the way to Fairtrade and Organic certifications to being a carbon neutral company, Alter Eco is supporting growers to invest in eco-forestry to support the land and regenerate the soil, yielding better crops and supporting the community. Also, there’s no damaging palm-oil here!
Not only that, but they also offer a circular product with compostable packaging and plenty of other sustainable practices, you can learn all about it on their website, here. Now isn’t that a great excuse to eat some choccies?
Choc Chip Cookie Truffles
So to keep you inspired to eat delicious but conscious and enlightened indulgence this Easter, I made some Choc Chip Cookies Truffles with delicious Alter Eco chocolate!
Shall we dig in?
- ½ cup sugar
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup refined coconut oil
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 150gr chopped Alter Eco dark chocolate
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour (almond meal works too)
- Extra Alter Eco chocolate to drizzle on top
- Coconut flakes (optional)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, salt, and coconut oil until combined.
- Whisk in non-dairy milk and vanilla, until all sugar has dissolved and the batter is smooth.
- Sift in the flour and baking soda, then fold the mixture with a spatula, being careful not to overmix.
- Fold in the chocolate chunks evenly.
- Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Scoop the dough with an ice cream scoop onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Be sure to leave at least 2 inches of space between cookies and the edges of the pan so cookies can spread evenly.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until cookies just begin to brown.
- Cool completely and let it sit overnight.
- In a large bowl, add the cookies and break them up with a spoon.
- Add the coconut milk and flour and mix well until you have a uniform dough you can mold with your hands.
- Create little balls and set them aside.
- Cool in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Melt the extra chocolate to drizzle on top and add the coconut flakes (optional).
- Enjoy!
- PS: alternatively, you can use store-bought chewy (or crunchy) cookies and just add the coconut milk and coconut flour to create the truffles. Just be mindful that you'll need to adapt those quantities according to the cookies you get. The idea is to work with a batter you can mold easily with your hands and that can keep together.
Peace and love (and Happy & Safe Easter)!
Larissa x
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