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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free ~
Before we dive into this recipe, let’s talk pheromones, yes you heard me right… pheromones!
Pheromones are chemicals secreted by the body that may influence the behavior of those of the same species. Research shows each person produces pheromones with a unique chemical formula. But did you know there are certain foods such as chocolate that can mimic human pheromones?
Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, contains a pheromone that has been linked to feelings of happiness and good moods. Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a stimulant that causes a sense of excitement and well-being. According to CBS News, the pheromone in chocolate is similar to the hormone dopamine. This is perhaps the reason so many people eat chocolate when they are stressed or worried.
I will be very honest here; I am not a strong chocolate lover. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy chocolate but if you were to set a bowl of fresh cherries and a bowl of chocolates in front of me… the cherries would be gone in no time flat. Chocolate just doesn’t tempt me. My grandmother on the hand, well shoot, I have witnessed her down a box of chocolate-covered cherries in one sitting. A big box, all by herself! And trust me, she is an itty bitty thing. I don’t know how she does it.
So, there is science behind chocolate, but who really cares, right? What we care about right now is making these lovely morsels and devouring them! For this recipe, I used store-bought, organic, gluten-free, dairy-free, corn-free, soy-free, free-trade, vegan chocolate chips (well that was a mouthful!). I get many emails from readers who have a hard time getting their hands on raw cacao powder, so I wanted to test it out using store-bought chocolate. That way I can help those of you out there who can’t readily obtain raw cacao. For those of you who wish to make this with raw chocolate, you can do so… Ok, let’s get busy.
Ingredients:
Remove the pits from each cherry and stuff an almond inside. Place it on the mesh sheet that comes with the dehydrator and dehydrate. Once done, dip in chocolate and EAT!
I can’t wait to try your new creation Amie Sue!
I love them :)
Your partner must be a very lucky guy ;-)
Love,
Julie
Okay you got me… I’ll take a box of the chocolates and a massage. That will do for today. ;)
love to you,
Jana X
PS: the packages are once more stunning!
haha Jana… me too! I need a massage after all that. :) I look forward to meeting you next month…YAY!!! Have a great day, amie sue
Oh ya!
You are the best!
Chocolate covered cherries! I am in love!
Great gift ideas. Creative packaging too.
I will try these.
I made chocolate covered raisins once after dehydrating the biggest most plumpest of grapes, tedious but worth it.
Thanks,
L
Hi Louise,
Yes, it is a bit of a tedious job but I agree – it’s well worth it! I had a few extra almonds that I threw on the dehydrator try and dipped them alone, as well as some dried cherries from a week ago… it was all heavenly! But then, you can dip a flip-flop in chocolate and I am sure it would taste good. lol
Have a wonderful day Louise! amie sue
Wow! absolutely amazing and outstanding of how raw sweets are not possible to make but very good looking. 100% design,1000% taste and 0% sorrows.
With my best regards.
Ciao from Rome.
Valerio
Amen Valerio! I love the way you put that. :) Thank you for commenting, amie sue
These look great. Can the cherries be dipped fresh without dehydrating them first? Thanks!
Good morning Julie,
You could use fresh but keep in mind that they won’t last long at all. I would make them the day you want to eat them personally. If you try it, after washing the cherries make sure they are really dry on the outside because any drops of water can seize up your chocolate when you go to dip them. Chocolate is funny that way. Now that I read your question one more time, I want to clarify…. are you asking if you can stuff the cherry, dip it THEN dehydrate it? If so, I wouldn’t think so because the chocolate wouldn’t set in the heat. I hope I answered your question. Have a happy day, amie sue
Lord ‘a’ Mercy, Amie Sue!!!! These look absolutely decadent! I’d be eating the whole batch, since I just LOVE Rainier cherries!
I understand Alta, hehe I am like that with Kale chips… a person almost has to make multiple batches to make up for the “taste testing” ones. lol I hope you try it! Many blessings on this mighty fine day…amie sue
These sound wonderful! But how in the world do you remove cherry pits w/o destroying the cherry?
Hello CArolyn,
I have used two different cherry pitters…and neigther one demolish the cherries. THey may not be really pretty after pitted but they held together enough to handle being stuffed with an almond. :) Not sure what else to tell ya. :)
Amie-Sue,
You are simply amazing, my mentor… I love how you do everything… from your website, photos, the way you explain to details.. and your end results are just stunning and so delicious. Thank you for sharing all that you do. I always look forward to the next Raw item you are creating.
Many blessings to you.
What is the name of the photo shop you use to make your labels?
Have a pleasant afternoon.
Lisa
Good morning Lisa,
Thank you so much. I appreciate your kind and warming words. It really encourages me. :)
I use PhotoShop 2 on my MAC. I tend to “fudge” the system to make the things I do and design my graphics, but they offer a great plug and play program.
Many blessings and thank you once again. amie sue
These look beautiful! Regarding raw cacao, I get my powder and nibs (Navitas Naturals brand) from Amazon. I love ! I also get chia, hemp, agave, coconut sugar, hemp protein powder and many other goodies from Amazon.
Here are links to the raw cacao I get:
http://www.amazon.com/Navitas-Naturals-Powder-16-Ounce-Pouches/dp/B001E5E0Y2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344809547&sr=8-1&keywords=navitas+naturals+raw+cacao
http://www.amazon.com/Navitas-Naturals-Cacao-16-Ounce-Pouches/dp/B001ELL9GI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1344809547&sr=8-3&keywords=navitas+naturals+raw+cacao
Hi Kim,
Yes, those are great products to use. I have them on my store page as well. I try to buy local but there are times Amazon becomes a life savor. :) Have a great day Kim!
Hi ami-sue, i love your website, you are so talented :-) i wonder, did you make the white chocolate yourself in this recipe or did you buy it somewhere ? I have tried to make good raw white chocolate for some time now but not been very successful. Do you by any chance have a recipe to share ? /Pernilla
Hello Pernilla,
I used organic, gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate chips from the health food store. I too have been tinkering with recipes to get as close to white as possible, but it still comes out a bit tan. I will surely keep you posted if I ever nail it. hehe
Paid topic? Are you referring the theme? If so, I modified a theme to get the look that you see. Have a great day, amie sue