Roasted Ginger and Honey Chocolates

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

It’s Halloween time and a great excuse to make homemade candies.

Admittedly, I have a major sweet tooth, and I love chocolate. I just don’t love sharing it. So, if you too are looking for a candy that your kid probably won’t like (and you won’t have to share), then this is your candy!

The ginger in this recipe is nice and spicy, with a slight floral note. And, since it’s roasted, the ginger takes on a smoky, caramel flavor too. Dredged in dark (or semi-sweet) chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt, these chocolates will be hard to eat without overindulging. But, hey, since ginger is apparently good for you, maybe that’s a good thing (see note below)?!

To make this candy, start by roasting the ginger. To do this, place one pound of ginger, skin and all, on a baking sheet. Roast the ginger for 55 minutes at 475 deg F, flipping once, halfway through the roasting process. Set aside to cool.

Once cooled, peel some of the skin off of the ginger. This is a bit of a pain, so just focus on the big pieces and don’t worry about removing it all. Place the ginger in a food processor and chop the ginger until fine. Next, add three tablespoons of melted coconut oil and process the mixture until smooth. Add ¼ cup of local, raw honey and process for a third time until the mixture is very smooth. Put the ginger mixture into a bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour or until firm.

When ready, melt 1 ½ cups of semi-sweet or dark chocolate, plus 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, over either a double boiler or in the microwave. If using a microwave, be sure not to burn your chocolate. Heat the chocolate on high for about 1 minute and 20 seconds, stopping the microwave every 15 seconds to stir your chocolate.

Using a teaspoon, scooped out a dome-shaped portion of ginger mixture into your hand. Place on a fork, and dip the bottom of the ginger scoop into the bowl of chocolate to coat the underside of the candy. Use a spoon to drizzle chocolate over the top. Coat the ginger entirely in chocolate. Place the chocolate onto a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle each candy with a little salt. Repeat until all of the ginger mixture has been used. If your ginger mixture starts to get too soft to handle easily, put the mixture back in the refrigerator to firm up. If the chocolate mixture starts to get too firm to handle easily, heat to loosen.

 You will wind up with about 50 chocolates, or two baking pans worth. These will harden at room temperature, but I’m inpatient and usually stick them in the freezer to harden. Store uneaten chocolates in the refrigerator and enjoy at your leisure. Happy Halloween!

Note: Ginger appears to possess anti-cancer agents, reduce cholesterol and improve lipid metabolism. Therefore, consumption of ginger may decrease the risk of some cancers, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. See https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92775/ for more details.