Have you ever tried sweet hummus? It’s absolutely divine. I was pretty sure I would hate it the first time I experimented with it, because someone had tried to pass off multiple variations of those “black bean brownies” that are so ubiquitous on the internet. And to be honest, there’s just no way. For a true dessert loving woman, I just found them gross. I tried several different recipes, and there was just no way they were ever going to pass in my family for a worthwhile dessert.

We know that the Mayans not only called cacao the “Food of the Gods”, but they also used chocolate as a means to enlightenment. Raw cacao is loaded with Anandamide, the “bliss” chemical, and PEA, the “love” molecule. Anandamide is a neurotransmitter that is released naturally in the brain when we are feeling happy, and is contained in raw cacao. And, PEA is the neurotransmitter produced when we fall in love!

Countless studies have been done that show that cacao (without added dairy or processed sugar) has a multitude of health benefits. Luckily for those of us who enjoy the sublime taste of raw chocolates, there are no scientific studies that have concluded that cacao is unhealthy. One of the most intensive studies on the extreme health benefits of cacao was the twenty year Harvard University study of the Kuna Indians, who have “among the lowest rates of cardiovascular disease in the world.

Alas, we have chocolate! I love making chocolate creations of all kinds using pure, organic, raw Criollo variety cacao beans, paste, and cacao butter. The simplicity of just pure cacao paste with a touch of coconut sugar, a vanilla bean and some cacao butter yields an exquisite and unparalleled taste experience that engages so many of your senses. But I often find myself inspired by the endless variations of raw chocolate that are possible and experiment with all types of nut butters, flavors, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and superfoods to create true alchemy in a sublime bite.