Just experimented with making homemade chocolate. The same quantity of homemade versus bought equivalent gave a bG difference of 0.5 in favour of the homemade. It was easy to make and also very palatable, seconded by 'er indoors. If anyone is interested I will blog my recipe once I've played around a bit more.
Hi I would love to try and make some would definitely like to know the recipe once you have finished kind regards sal
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skyandfloppy said:
Will do. I'll be getting all the ingredients from Tesco tonight as I've run out of some. They're not exclusive to Tesco though. Sorry for the 'secrecy' but it is just because I want to check it works the same second time around with a new batch of ingredients and 'scaled up'. It didn't quite set rock solid first time which was not a huge problem because you can spoon it out of a ramakin-type container if you prefer it that way. I'm trying to make sure it sets in ice cube moulds. So, I'll blog the recipe etc. tomorrow. You don't need to be reminded to check the effect on your own bGs of course when you try it.
skyandfloppy said:
Hi Sal, am working on recipe. I repeated the original one whilst learning more about making chocolate and got the same results. It makes a slightly soft (bendy) chocolate rather like a thick ganache which is fine for eating from a pot. That's because I added liquid (water or milk) to make it more pourable before moulding which apparently changes the structure of the chocolate so it doesn't set hard and melts more easily. I won't bore you with diagrams of molecules!!! You may want to bear this info in mind for when you try it yourself. Will give you the recipe anyway a bit later and after 'Plan B' which I'm about to start. It's a tough job but someone's got to do it!
Weens12
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gezzathorpe said:
I'd be interested in your homemade chocolate recipe... must be tough doing all that research :wink:
My current favourite chocolate is Green & Black's 85% ... which is carefully rationed on account of cost and diabetes to a few squares after dinner. I like the sound of your softer, more easily melted ganache-type chocolate as I imagine it could form the basis of some great chocolate desserts. nom nom...
Can't wait !!! but will understand if you need to experiment a LOT more to perfect it !! :lol:
Weens12 said:gezzathorpe said:
I'd be interested in your homemade chocolate recipe... must be tough doing all that research :wink:
My current favourite chocolate is Green & Black's 85% ... which is carefully rationed on account of cost and diabetes to a few squares after dinner. I like the sound of your softer, more easily melted ganache-type chocolate as I imagine it could form the basis of some great chocolate desserts. nom nom...
Can't wait !!! but will understand if you need to experiment a LOT more to perfect it !! :lol:
Ha! Just finishing the last trial, having donated my body to scientific research. I've only eaten chocolate samples today so I can test the effect of different recipes on my bGs, and I'm getting a bit hungry! Then 'her indoors' will sample all 4 including the original ganache one. That'll earn me a few brownie points. We're both dark chocolate eaters so anyone who prefers milk chocolate will be disappointed.
xAoifex said:
Tee! Hee! I've just tried the final recipe which is the best but I need to check bG level. So hang on in there .....
Patch13
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Re: Homemade chocolate - The Recipe
I spent over a day on this including bG testing, i.e. at least two hours between tastings with preprandial, +1:00 and +2:00 hr testing. So, if you don't like what you see, don't whinge, just move on .... :evil:. If you have any sensible questions or feedback then I'll be glad to hear from you, although I'm no expert on chocolate-making. Please read the whole thing first.
All the ingredients came from Tesco (the palm sugar granules were hidden amongst the Thai ingredients and took a while to find).
My readings, from eating 15g chocolate (about 1/6th 100g bar of bought dark chocolate) from the recipe with granulated palm sugar included, easily the best tasting for us, and done before any other food today and no exercise, were
5.4 at +0:00, 6.3 at +1:00, & 5.3 at +1:30
This was using palm sugar granules at 20% (40g) of the total ingredients in grams which could probably be reduced to 15% (30g) or 10% (20g) according to personal taste and spikes.
Note that I have delayed insulin release, always peaking at +1:00 but recovering at +2:00 which is not typical it would seem. I am classified 'officially' as 'diabetes resolved' but I'm not taking any chances so I regard myself as pre-diabetic or impaired glocuse tolerant.
Here is the recipe for homemade chocolate (with the addition of water/milk for ganache-style). I tried 4 recipes, 1 with water added, 1 with dried milk, 1 with full-fat milk and one with palm sugar (jaggery). Don’t baulk at the jaggery before you try it and test it on yourself. Although it’s sugar, it’s got ½ the sucrose of refined sugar and I wouldn’t touch artificial sweeteners with a bargepole myself. Also, you may be happy with no sweetness so you can leave it out. If you are lactose intolerant you can use cocoa butter in place of dairy butter and maybe soya milk etc. if you want to add milk. I haven’t tried these ingredients as yet.
We didn’t like either the dried milk or wet milk recipes so I won’t bother anymore with these. Feel free to try yourselves. WARNING – adding liquid, e.g. water or milk, will change the texture and the chocolate will not harden completely. But, that is fine if you want a ganache-type finish.
The basic mix based on 125g cocoa powder are
125g Green & Blacks cocoa power(carbs 15.5g, sugar 0.5g) OR CadBury’s Bourneville cocoa powder (carbs 13g, sugar 0g) according to the labelling.
75g butter (salted or unsalted)
NOTE: - You could add another 10-30g butter which should make it harder if you want, but you will probably have to reduce any other liquids if you include water or milk. Also, some butters have some sugar in them (maybe all to some extent) so you need to check.
40g palm sugar (or less) granules or slivers from block melted in as little water as possible until dissolved.
NOTE: - I managed 30ml of boiled water poured over the granules and mixed.
80ml water or milk ONLY if you want a ganache-style chocolate.
NOTE: - My mixing skills are **** and I ended up adding 125ml water before I got the right consistency but I’m not sure if I needed that much. It could also have been a temperature issue.
Warm the butter in a glass, ceramic or metal bowl over a bain marie until soft. Add the cocoa powder and blend with an electric mixer (preferably) until smooth. A mixer with solid stirrers worked better than the floppy stirrer on my Philips hand blender. Add the palm sugar syrup and blend in. Continue to heat and mix over the bain marie until hot but not bubbling. Now you can add other ingredients of your choice and blend in.
Pour into a container (for ganache-style) or ice cube moulds for hard chocolate– mine take about 15g chocolate per slot. Place in refrigerator for a couple of hours until set.
Now get your meter out and chomp away!
I spent over a day on this including bG testing, i.e. at least two hours between tastings with preprandial, +1:00 and +2:00 hr testing. So, if you don't like what you see, don't whinge, just move on .... :evil:. If you have any sensible questions or feedback then I'll be glad to hear from you, although I'm no expert on chocolate-making. Please read the whole thing first.
All the ingredients came from Tesco (the palm sugar granules were hidden amongst the Thai ingredients and took a while to find).
My readings, from eating 15g chocolate (about 1/6th 100g bar of bought dark chocolate) from the recipe with granulated palm sugar included, easily the best tasting for us, and done before any other food today and no exercise, were
5.4 at +0:00, 6.3 at +1:00, & 5.3 at +1:30
This was using palm sugar granules at 20% (40g) of the total ingredients in grams which could probably be reduced to 15% (30g) or 10% (20g) according to personal taste and spikes.
Note that I have delayed insulin release, always peaking at +1:00 but recovering at +2:00 which is not typical it would seem. I am classified 'officially' as 'diabetes resolved' but I'm not taking any chances so I regard myself as pre-diabetic or impaired glocuse tolerant.
Here is the recipe for homemade chocolate (with the addition of water/milk for ganache-style). I tried 4 recipes, 1 with water added, 1 with dried milk, 1 with full-fat milk and one with palm sugar (jaggery). Don’t baulk at the jaggery before you try it and test it on yourself. Although it’s sugar, it’s got ½ the sucrose of refined sugar and I wouldn’t touch artificial sweeteners with a bargepole myself. Also, you may be happy with no sweetness so you can leave it out. If you are lactose intolerant you can use cocoa butter in place of dairy butter and maybe soya milk etc. if you want to add milk. I haven’t tried these ingredients as yet.
We didn’t like either the dried milk or wet milk recipes so I won’t bother anymore with these. Feel free to try yourselves. WARNING – adding liquid, e.g. water or milk, will change the texture and the chocolate will not harden completely. But, that is fine if you want a ganache-type finish.
The basic mix based on 125g cocoa powder are
125g Green & Blacks cocoa power(carbs 15.5g, sugar 0.5g) OR CadBury’s Bourneville cocoa powder (carbs 13g, sugar 0g) according to the labelling.
75g butter (salted or unsalted)
NOTE: - You could add another 10-30g butter which should make it harder if you want, but you will probably have to reduce any other liquids if you include water or milk. Also, some butters have some sugar in them (maybe all to some extent) so you need to check.
40g palm sugar (or less) granules or slivers from block melted in as little water as possible until dissolved.
NOTE: - I managed 30ml of boiled water poured over the granules and mixed.
80ml water or milk ONLY if you want a ganache-style chocolate.
NOTE: - My mixing skills are **** and I ended up adding 125ml water before I got the right consistency but I’m not sure if I needed that much. It could also have been a temperature issue.
Warm the butter in a glass, ceramic or metal bowl over a bain marie until soft. Add the cocoa powder and blend with an electric mixer (preferably) until smooth. A mixer with solid stirrers worked better than the floppy stirrer on my Philips hand blender. Add the palm sugar syrup and blend in. Continue to heat and mix over the bain marie until hot but not bubbling. Now you can add other ingredients of your choice and blend in.
Pour into a container (for ganache-style) or ice cube moulds for hard chocolate– mine take about 15g chocolate per slot. Place in refrigerator for a couple of hours until set.
Now get your meter out and chomp away!
Weens12
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Re: Homemade chocolate - The Recipe
gezzathorpe said:
I spent over a day on this including bG testing, i.e. at least two hours between tastings with preprandial, +1:00 and +2:00 hr testing. So, if you don't like what you see, don't whinge, just move on .... :evil:. If you have any sensible questions or feedback then I'll be glad to hear from you, although I'm no expert on chocolate-making. Please read the whole thing first.
<snip>
Note that I have delayed insulin release, always peaking at +1:00 but recovering at +2:00 which is not typical it would seem. I am classified 'officially' as 'diabetes resolved' but I'm not taking any chances so I regard myself as pre-diabetic or impaired glocuse tolerant.
<snip>
Hi gezzathorpe,
Your chocolate looks delish!! Thanks for all your hard work on our behalf - it's much appreciated
I can't wait to try this... I have already have G&B cocoa powder and butter.... I don't have any palm sugar (yet) ... I've not come across a granular version - I've only ever seen the solid stuff. I had a google around about it and got a hit on coconut sugar, which apparently is low GI and therefore good for diabetics, http://www.sugarcoconut.com/ so that might be another alternative.
Like you, I try to avoid all artificial sweeteners, and much prefer a natural alternative, (mostly I do without) so this is a real find!!
I think I might try a version with nuts, and also the ganache type... <thinks>.... must be able to use this in a dessert. yum yum!
I'm intrigued... you say that you have delayed insulin release, always peaking at +1:00...back to normal at +2.00.
I'm the same.....but didn't realise that this might NOT be typical?
I too believe I have resolved my diabetes ... (not officially, like you .... yet
see viewtopic.php?f=43&t=39059&start=10
therefore I suppose I should also regard myself as pre-diabetic or impaired glucose tolerant, or as having a faulty phase 1 insulin response?
Have you had an OGTT either officially or self-administered (which I'm currently considering)? On one hand I'd like to know if I'm officially resolved, but am also scared that I might find out I'm not :?
Re: Homemade chocolate - The Recipe
Hi, you can use coconut sugar. I don't know quantities but I suspect it's pretty much the same as jaggery nutritionally . Blocks of jaggery are fine, as you can just scrape slivers off and melt them. There is the temptation of shoving the whole block in your mouth though! :twisted: I find them easier than the granules which, as I said, were hidden in Tescos in the Thai section. Even when the guy looked up the row and shelf number, it still took 5 minutes to find it. Mind you he wasn't sure which end of the shelving to start counting from!!!! The good thing is that you can get the 'sweet' sensation with half the amount you would need with refined sugar, even though sugar is sugar is sugar. If you are adding other ingredients there may be less need for the sugar anyway as it just takes away the strength of the bitterness.
Here's a snippet I sent someone else (not that I'm suggesting you are preggers!) .... note the use of the term 'compensatory hypersecretion' rather than 'reactive hypoglycemia'. It seems to be an 'adaptation' which possibly you and I have developed or always had.
"In pregnancy-related insulin resistance, insulin secretion similarly rises substantially and then rapidly falls again postpartum. The mechanisms by which compensatory hypersecretion of insulin occurs are not well understood. Moreover, the failure of this compensatory adaptation to insulin resistance in diabetes is less well understood and a subject of intense investigation."
from http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/483307_4
I did a home OGTT a few weeks back just before being told I was 'resolved'. I discussed with my GP and DN the OGTT and delayed insulin secretion but they were more interested in my overall bloods including HbA1C. However, after the 'shock' of my OGTT, I have decided to continue as if ... That's no problem since I'm a normal, but sensible eater, a 'littler and oftener' and eat when I'm hungry, with 200g carbs or so 60%, 17% fat, 23% protein roughly, lots of fruit and other good things as I am as concerned about overall nutrition, especially vitamins & minerals. Why swallow a pill when you can chomp an apple or pear with some cheese!! The 'carbinieri' will be after me for this!! :lol:
I found the home OGTT VERY unpleasant .... 200g glucose all at once was not nice, nor was it when I had an 'official' OGTT 5 years back. Made me feel very odd for the rest of the day. By all means get an OGTT done or do it yourself if you want to. But, as you say, it may disappoint you. My blood glucose rises almost in a linear manner up to +1:00, so I could have predicted what the OGTT would say. By spreading my food across the day, I keep the 'spikes' in the same range as non-diabetics, with the odd hiccup here and there.
I't good to hear from someone who seems to have a similar pattern to mine. What's your regime?
Weens12 said:gezzathorpe said:
I spent over a day on this including bG testing, i.e. at least two hours between tastings with preprandial, +1:00 and +2:00 hr testing. So, if you don't like what you see, don't whinge, just move on .... :evil:. If you have any sensible questions or feedback then I'll be glad to hear from you, although I'm no expert on chocolate-making. Please read the whole thing first.
<snip>
Note that I have delayed insulin release, always peaking at +1:00 but recovering at +2:00 which is not typical it would seem. I am classified 'officially' as 'diabetes resolved' but I'm not taking any chances so I regard myself as pre-diabetic or impaired glocuse tolerant.
<snip>
Hi gezzathorpe,
Your chocolate looks delish!! Thanks for all your hard work on our behalf - it's much appreciated
I can't wait to try this... I have already have G&B cocoa powder and butter.... I don't have any palm sugar (yet) ... I've not come across a granular version - I've only ever seen the solid stuff. I had a google around about it and got a hit on coconut sugar, which apparently is low GI and therefore good for diabetics, http://www.sugarcoconut.com/ so that might be another alternative.
Like you, I try to avoid all artificial sweeteners, and much prefer a natural alternative, (mostly I do without) so this is a real find!!
I think I might try a version with nuts, and also the ganache type... <thinks>.... must be able to use this in a dessert. yum yum!
I'm intrigued... you say that you have delayed insulin release, always peaking at +1:00...back to normal at +2.00.
I'm the same.....but didn't realise that this might NOT be typical?
I too believe I have resolved my diabetes ... (not officially, like you .... yet
see viewtopic.php?f=43&t=39059&start=10
therefore I suppose I should also regard myself as pre-diabetic or impaired glucose tolerant, or as having a faulty phase 1 insulin response?
Have you had an OGTT either officially or self-administered (which I'm currently considering)? On one hand I'd like to know if I'm officially resolved, but am also scared that I might find out I'm not :?
Hi, you can use coconut sugar. I don't know quantities but I suspect it's pretty much the same as jaggery nutritionally . Blocks of jaggery are fine, as you can just scrape slivers off and melt them. There is the temptation of shoving the whole block in your mouth though! :twisted: I find them easier than the granules which, as I said, were hidden in Tescos in the Thai section. Even when the guy looked up the row and shelf number, it still took 5 minutes to find it. Mind you he wasn't sure which end of the shelving to start counting from!!!! The good thing is that you can get the 'sweet' sensation with half the amount you would need with refined sugar, even though sugar is sugar is sugar. If you are adding other ingredients there may be less need for the sugar anyway as it just takes away the strength of the bitterness.
Here's a snippet I sent someone else (not that I'm suggesting you are preggers!) .... note the use of the term 'compensatory hypersecretion' rather than 'reactive hypoglycemia'. It seems to be an 'adaptation' which possibly you and I have developed or always had.
"In pregnancy-related insulin resistance, insulin secretion similarly rises substantially and then rapidly falls again postpartum. The mechanisms by which compensatory hypersecretion of insulin occurs are not well understood. Moreover, the failure of this compensatory adaptation to insulin resistance in diabetes is less well understood and a subject of intense investigation."
from http://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/483307_4
I did a home OGTT a few weeks back just before being told I was 'resolved'. I discussed with my GP and DN the OGTT and delayed insulin secretion but they were more interested in my overall bloods including HbA1C. However, after the 'shock' of my OGTT, I have decided to continue as if ... That's no problem since I'm a normal, but sensible eater, a 'littler and oftener' and eat when I'm hungry, with 200g carbs or so 60%, 17% fat, 23% protein roughly, lots of fruit and other good things as I am as concerned about overall nutrition, especially vitamins & minerals. Why swallow a pill when you can chomp an apple or pear with some cheese!! The 'carbinieri' will be after me for this!! :lol:
I found the home OGTT VERY unpleasant .... 200g glucose all at once was not nice, nor was it when I had an 'official' OGTT 5 years back. Made me feel very odd for the rest of the day. By all means get an OGTT done or do it yourself if you want to. But, as you say, it may disappoint you. My blood glucose rises almost in a linear manner up to +1:00, so I could have predicted what the OGTT would say. By spreading my food across the day, I keep the 'spikes' in the same range as non-diabetics, with the odd hiccup here and there.
I't good to hear from someone who seems to have a similar pattern to mine. What's your regime?
By the way, the ganache version seemed fine without sugar maybe because it's less dense and therefore less strong per mouthful.
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Weens12
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gezzathorpe said:
Well, I made the ganache version with G&B organic cocoa, with unsalted butter & half semi-skimmed milk and half water according to the recipe. (with no sugar) The mixture was very thick, so I kept adding splashes of boiling water to get a more runny consistency. After chill-axing in the fridge for a few hours... the chocolate ... not me! I ended up with a mixture akin to a fudge brownie. I liked it a lot... but him indoors who also likes dark chocolate had to sprinkle it with some sugar. We had it (not all of it, of course!) with a few raspberries & blueberries. Lovely! It would benefit from a little of the jiggery to make it palatable to most people, but I would make it again without. I'm afraid I didn't test, I was too excited!
Weens12 said:gezzathorpe said:
Well, I made the ganache version with G&B organic cocoa, with unsalted butter & half semi-skimmed milk and half water according to the recipe. (with no sugar) The mixture was very thick, so I kept adding splashes of boiling water to get a more runny consistency. After chill-axing in the fridge for a few hours... the chocolate ... not me! I ended up with a mixture akin to a fudge brownie. I liked it a lot... but him indoors who also likes dark chocolate had to sprinkle it with some sugar. We had it (not all of it, of course!) with a few raspberries & blueberries. Lovely! It would benefit from a little of the jiggery to make it palatable to most people, but I would make it again without. I'm afraid I didn't test, I was too excited!
..... benefit from a little bit of jiggery? ... too much information ... palm sugar is easier to spell! :crazy: But glad it's OK. I tried with a 50/50 mix of cocoa power and butter with juice & zest of two fresh oranges as the liquid. It's really quite nice but 'her indoors' thinks it does need a bit more sweetness (e.g. jaggery ... not so much due to contents of orange). Also, the orange juice separated out somewhat and so some of the benefit of the orange was lost. That's probably mixing technique or a problem with mixing fruit juice with butter? I'll try it again. And, of course, other less acidic fruit juices may work as well if not better.
I'm hoping she'll want a bit of jiggery later!!!
luceeloo
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Thank you so much for posting this recipe.
I was a chocaholic before my diagnosis four weeks ago, and haven't touched the stuff since. Boy have I missed it though!
Just made up a batch of the ganache style, threw a bit of plain greek yoghurt in instead of the milk/water, just because it was in the fridge and I wondered what it would do! Didn't have the palm sugar, so sweetened it with just a touch of stevia. It's now setting in the fridge and later I will adorn it with pecans and whatever else I deem fit! Obviously I had to taste test it thoroughly during the creating process... and oh my god, I used to make a Nigella recipe with dark chocolate, cream and marshmallows... and your recipe is hands down so much better.
I was a chocaholic before my diagnosis four weeks ago, and haven't touched the stuff since. Boy have I missed it though!
Just made up a batch of the ganache style, threw a bit of plain greek yoghurt in instead of the milk/water, just because it was in the fridge and I wondered what it would do! Didn't have the palm sugar, so sweetened it with just a touch of stevia. It's now setting in the fridge and later I will adorn it with pecans and whatever else I deem fit! Obviously I had to taste test it thoroughly during the creating process... and oh my god, I used to make a Nigella recipe with dark chocolate, cream and marshmallows... and your recipe is hands down so much better.
Weens12
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gezzathorpe said:
Hiya Gezza,
Ooops on the jiggery
I was browsing in the baking section in the supermarket and came across orange oil.... which I might try for my next batch.... maybe with some finely grated orange zest?? I'm obviously thinking along the same lines ... chocolate & orange go together don't they? I still need to get some palm sugar... or jiggery maybe! I bought some agave nectar which I thought might work too. When, I got home, I googled it, and found it gets a bad press because of the high fructose content, which apparently elevates triglyceride levels amongst other BAD stuff.. :cry:
luceeloo said:
Ooooooooo! greek yoghurt ... nom nom....good idea :thumbup: ... let us know how it goes!
Taste test ... hmm ...yes yes... it's gotta be done... could be poisoned ...gotta make sure....
ENJOY!!
luceeloo
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Weens12 said:Ooooooooo! greek yoghurt ... nom nom....good idea :thumbup: ... let us know how it goes!
Taste test ... hmm ...yes yes... it's gotta be done... could be poisoned ...gotta make sure....
ENJOY!!
The greek yoghurt gave it a nice and creamy texture... and it was delicious. The non-diabetics wolfed it down. I ate half of a serving then checked my numbers to make sure it didn't do anything absurd. They have been around the 7.5 mark an hour or two after eating (which I know is high for some, but I'm working my way down... slowly!). Post chocolate dessert it was 6.
Probably something to do with the 5 mile hill-walk this morning, but still my best reading to date. So naturally, I celebrated by eating the other half of a serving for my tea
