Tea Infused Chocolates
by Tea Master DANIELA CUBELIC
This is the kind of magical recipe that makes you believe in miracles or sorcery. You’ll never believe it when you taste the end product, but these recipes require NO cooking & are unbelievably easy to make. Kids will love making them, so will those of you who feel like desserts are hard to make, or cooking isn’t your thing.
It makes THE most delicious tasting chocolates, & allows you to create sophisticated or simple combinations depending on who you are making them for. Your foodie friends will fall in love with jasmine, chai or smoked tea infused chocolates, classic tea lovers will adore Earl Grey tea chocolates, & kids will love the mint tea chocolates.
All you need to do is simply put tea & chocolate in an airtight container for up to a week for the flavours to infuse. The tea releases its flavour into the chocolate, & all you need to decide on is which yummy combos to make.
It’s the perfect dessert idea or gift for someone who avoids gluten or dairy - if you make the recipe using dark chocolate (double check to make sure it’s vegan-friendly).
Healthy Tip Accompanying this food item with the same tea used in the recipe (hot, iced, or as a tea latte) can enhance the enjoyment of all the flavours, as it adds a layer of complimentary flavour, which amplifies & brightens the taste of all the ingredients. Tea is also a delicious, low-calorie, healthy alternative to alcohol or sugary drinks.
As well, when you’re eating carbs or sweets, it can also be a great idea to reach for teas that help counteract these effects.
Mulberry tea has been used in Asian traditional medicine for hundreds of years as a way to support blood sugar balance & assist weight management. Studies are starting to support these ideas, & are finding that the mulberry can help block carbohydrate absorption.
Detox tea may be an even better choice when having rich or higher-fat foods, as well as carbs & sweets, as the herbs in it were traditionally consumed to counteract all three of these.
Accompanying treats or rich foods with a cup of Detox or Mulberry tea, or having these teas half an hour or an hour after eating, may be a healthier & smarter way to indulge.
Recent studies show that a HOT BATH can have similar benefits as exercise! Effortlessly burn calories, stimulate the metabolism, manage blood sugar & more. Click HERE to discover how to optimize your bath & learn about the surprising benefits of a bath.
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Get inspired with more tips, techniques & recipes - watch & learn directly from Tea Master Daniela Cubelic in this captivating VIDEO SERIES.
Learn how to make chai tea soup, tea hot chocolates, mulled cider teas, tea infused oatmeal, ice cream tea floats, tea lemonades, iced teas & more. You’ll also discover fascinating facts & info about the health benefits of tea, tea history & secrets for tea brewing.
TEA-INFUSED CHOCOLATES
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tbsp Silk Road loose tea (placed into a tea filter bag) or 2 Silk Road teabags*
- 1⁄2 cup chocolate tablets, chips or a chocolate bar.
If using a chocolate bar, break it into bite-sized pieces. The smaller the chocolate pieces, the more surface area is exposed to tea, which results in an even better tasting finished product. - Airtight container (this is a great way to re-use your empty Silk Road tea tins!)
1. Place the teabag in the bottom of an airtight container. If using loose tea, place tea into a filter bag first, before placing it into the airtight container.
2. Place chocolate over top of the tea, & put the lid on the container
YOU’RE DONE!! All you need to do next is place the airtight container into a cupboard where it avoids exposure to heat or sunlight. Leave it there for about a week for the flavours to infuse.
TIPS
- Always select a tea with a strong aroma – for instance, trying to infuse the aroma of a plain black tea, or a plain green tea into chocolate doesn’t work very well, because it doesn’t have a lot of flavour or scent to release. Teas that don’t release a lot of flavour until they are brewed don’t make good teas for infusing into the flavour of the chocolate. Teas or herbs with strong, enjoyable aromas work best – Peppermint, Chai, Jasmine, Citrus, ROSE, Lapsang Souchong (smoked black tea) & Earl Grey are great options. I love jasmine with white chocolate, & smoked black tea with dark chocolate.
- Don’t refrigerate the tea/chocolate while it is infusing – too cool an environment will inhibit flavour release. Avoid storing the tea/chocolate near excess heat too (don’t keep it near a stove) as heat can make the chocolate melt or change colour.
- Once the chocolate has been infused, continue to store it in an airtight container to prevent flavour loss. As long as you continue to store it in an airtight container, it will maintain the tea’s flavour for several months. Over time, the tea’s flavour will lessen. In that case, you can refresh it by repeating the procedure of adding tea to the airtight container. It will usually take less time to infuse the second time, as some of the tea’s flavour will still remain.
- Snack on these chocolates anytime, or serve them as dessert. Create an easy tea & chocolate pairing for dessert by taking creating several different types of tea infused chocolates, & then serving them with small amounts of the tea they were made from. It’s absolutely divine!