Matcha Chocolate, vegan and raw

My first attempt on vegan matcha chocolate wasn’t a real success; unfortunately few months ago I didn’t know how to make it without dairy products. But we wanted it so badly, we just love green tea chocolate, I also wanted a delicious white, vegan chocolate for making pralines and truffles. Of course, I could buy a vegan version online, but to be honest, first, I didn’t like the taste (I had the brand “Sweet William”), and second, I can only order it online. And, I wanted also two different kinds: a chocolate for making bars and also a “truly raw” matcha chocolate, with all the good, healthy ingredients I have right now at home.

For making these chocolate bars(or leaves), my first idea was to use soymilk powder(the non-vegan dairy and sugar loaded white chocolate is made from cocoa butter, sugar and milk powder, not the liquid milk or cream), but the last soymilk powder I had left a rather strange aftertaste,  fortunately I discovered something much better: almond milk powder. This stuff is really delicious, but also rather expensive(and very “dangerous” , as I was small I loved to eat milk powder with a spoon , directly out of the can,  after the powder arrived I just couldn’t stop eating it…), anyway, there was still enough left to make some delicious vegan matcha chocolate leaves . But, there was also a problem, this almond milk brand contains malt powder(it acts as a binder I think?). It didn’t dissolve well in warm, melted cocoa butter, so you need to mix it with a little soymilk or even water first. I didn’t know that, my first chocolate was a kind of sandy, but the taste was great.

If you can’t buy almond milk powder, the second recipe is vegan matcha “nama choco”. Nama choco is a “raw” or better translated “fresh” Japanese chocolate, which is soft and creamy, it’s fantastic. The original recipe isn’t of course “raw” at all, so I created a truly raw version with almond- and cashew butter, sweetened with xylitol (this is a sweetener made from birch trees). With this recipe you can also make raw matcha truffles, these have a delicious, rich, milky taste and a fantastic melt-in-your-mouth texture. Regarding the matcha quality, please use a good one, I prefer this brand(matcha for cooking from koyamaen), it has a deep, intensive aroma and a vibrant green colour.

Vegan Matcha Chocolate Leaves

100g cocoa butter, melted
2 teaspoons high quality matcha(green tea powder)
2 tablespoons cashew butter
3 huge tablespoons almond milk powder
2-3 tablespoons very fine xylitol or natural,powdered sugar(adjust the sweetness according to your taste)
1 teaspoon sunflower lecithin
Pinch of salt

Dissolve almond milk powder in 2 tablespoons hot soymilk or water in a small bowl, add the sugar or xylitol. Melt cocoa butter (in a small pot or in a bowl, place the bowl in a pot with hot water). Transfer melted cocoa butter and almond milk and sugar mixture into a blender and mix well. Add cashew butter, lecithin, salt, and sifted matcha powder, check the taste/sweetness. Pour the warm liquid into chocolate molds and let it cool in the refrigerator (I used silicone chocolate molds for the leaves, and forgot to take pictures).

Tip: if you would like to try this recipe but don’t want to buy the expensive(and maybe not easy to get in your country) almond milk powder, I think it is possible to substitute it with good, white almond butter, maybe even with more cashew butter. I didn’t try it yet, but I think it will be fine, just maybe a little too soft (then you will have Japanese “nama choco” ).

Raw Matcha Chocolate (Nama Choco)

50ml very thick, homemade almond milk (made with less water)
or milk made from 3 tablespoons white almond butter and 50ml filtered water
1 tablespoon light almond butter(only if using homemade almond milk)
2 huge tablespoons cashew butter
2 tablespoons xylitol sweetener
pinch Himalaya salt
50g raw cocoa butter, ground fine
1 teaspoon matcha powder + additional matcha for sprinkling

Beside matcha chocolate you can also use this recipe for other versions, like raw, white chocolate flavoured with real vanilla or raw milk chocolate(with 2-3 tablespoons raw cacao powder). This chocolate is very soft, it is more a kind of ganache and can also be used for making vegan, raw truffles, it can be formed into small balls (you get the idea, just be creative!).

Heat almond milk (not more than 40°C to keep it raw) in a small pot (or better, place the ingredients in a bowl, and then place the bowl in a pot with hot water), add cashew nut butter, xylitol and salt, mix everything well. Add fine ground cacao butter and melt it, then add sifted matcha powder.  Mix everything really well with a fork or a whisk (or transfer into a blender, when the chocolate is lumpy).

Prepare a small rectangular form(like this ), line it with parchment paper and pour the warm chocolate inside. Let it cool in the fridge, then cut into small pieces and cover these with sifted matcha powder. Enjoy right out the fridge, otherways the chocolate will become very soft.

Both chocolates are a fantastic gift for Christmas, not only for vegans, but also for vegetarians or lactose-intolerant friends. If you use xylitol, this chocolate is also sugar free and has reduced calories, but still contains all the good, healthy green tea ingredients. And most important, in my opinion self made gifts are the best, this way you show other people, that you really care(instead of buying something  inappropriate) .

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