Raspberry Cocoa and Raspberry Chocolate Chips

Leave it to fellow blogging friends to create a bee in my baking bonnet! A few weeks ago, Carla (AKA Chocolate Moosey) mentioned that she had procured two rather delectable sounding ingredients from local producers and couldn't wait to start using them: raspberry flavoured chocolate chips and raspberry cocoa powder. I know, doesn't it sound like Heaven? The cocoa she found came from Pittsburgh's Triple B Farms while the fruity chocolate chips were sourced from a place called Windy Knoll Farm Market and Creamery.

I've never seen flavoured chocolate chips around me (except for occasionally mint), and certainly not flavoured, unsweetened cocoa, but the combination sounded too good to pass up. Besides, how hard could it possibly be to whip up my own mixtures of fruit and chocolate after all those other concoctions in my Chocolate Fest blitz? With a Ziploc of frozen raspberries, a bag of Dutch processed cocoa, a couple chunks of chocolate, flavouring oil and a sense of adventure I set out to see if it could be done.

And could it! I was so proud of myself that I lauded my success at making my own infused cocoa and chocolate chips all over the social media scene, and Carla was kind enough to even do a little blurb of my "how to guide" on her post for last week's Sunday Supper event. Her One-Pot Fudgy Raspberry Cocoa Brownies were adapted from Katie Workman's book The Mom 100 to use her new goodies, and now that I know how easy it is to make the specialty ingredients myself I can't wait to try out the brownies in my own kitchen! For more on the fudgy chocolate nummies, check out Carla's blog - and if you've got it in mind to try making your own flavoured cocoa and chocolate chips, read on below.

Raspberry Cocoa Powder
Makes ½ cup  
⅔ - ¾ cup frozen raspberries, thawed but undrained (amount depends on how "strong" of a berry flavour you want in your cocoa - I use ¾ cup)
 ½ cup of Dutch processed, unsweetened cocoa

1. Press raspberries through a sieve to remove the seeds and add the puree to the cocoa.
2. Use a spatula to mix the berries and cocoa powder to a dry paste (if you use the larger amount of berries it will be like thick toothpaste).

Now you have two options:

Option 1 (suggested with the lower amount of berries):

1. Spread the cocoa mixture out onto a parchment lined baking sheet and let dry 24 hours at room temperature. Sift before using.

Option 2 (works best in humid climates and with larger amounts of berries):

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F. 
2. Spread the paste as thin as you can on a parchment lined sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes, until dry to the touch. 
3. Turn off the oven and let sit inside for at least 1 hour. Sift before using.

Amount Per (1 Tablespoon) Serving 
Calories: 18.0
Total Fat: 0.8 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 1.1 mg
Total Carbs: 4.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.6 g
Protein: 1.2 g

Raspberry Chocolate Chips
Makes about 2/3 cup 
2 oz good quality milk chocolate
2 oz good quality semisweet chocolate
1 tsp vegetable shortening
3-4 drops concentrated candy flavouring (i.e. Lorann's)
1 tbsp Raspberry Cocoa Powder (if you don't make the cocoa above just use a tablespoon of Dutch processed regular cocoa)

1. Melt together chocolates and shortening. 
2. Stir in candy flavouring and raspberry cocoa until smooth.
3. Pipe into chips on a parchment lined sheet and let set.
4. Store in the fridge or freezer.

Amount Per (1 Tablespoon) Serving
Calories: 57.6
Total Fat: 3.7 g
Cholesterol: 1.2 mg
Sodium: 5.0 mg
Total Carbs: 6.9 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.7 g
Protein: 0.7 g