(Recipe) Healthy Nama Choco Fresh Creamy Chocolate
Nama choco is a popular Valentine's Day dessert in Japan. It is sold in many supermarkets and department stores, but it is a bit pricey if you buy it at a store. Plus, you might not be able to find it anywhere in the United States. However, it is actually easy to make at home. Generally, fresh cream is used to create the creaminess, but if you use a Japanese ingredient everyone probably knows, you can make it healthier while still retaining the creaminess. The secret to its unique melt-in-your-mouth texture is tofu. Choose only the finest kinugoshi extra soft tofu to make this dessert.
Ingredients:
5 oz./140 g of kinugoshi extra soft tofu
6.7 oz./190 g of milk chocolate
appropriate amount of cocoa powder
House Foods, Tokusen Kinugashi Extra Soft Tofu
Directions:
1. Drain the tofu. Wrap it in kitchen paper and leave for 5 minutes to drain.
2. Strain the drained tofu through a strainer. If you do not have a strainer, you can use a colander, food processor, or a blender.
3. Heat the chocolate in a microwave. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave at 1000W for about 30 seconds. If the chocolate is not yet melted after that, increase the heating time.
4. Put melted chocolate into the bowl with tofu and mix well with a rubber spatula. Mix well and evenly until all the white parts of the tofu are gone.
5. Fill a 4" x 4"/10 cm x 10 cm mold with the chocolate mixture. If you do not have a mold of the right size, you can use a storage container or plastic wrap as a substitute. You can even make one with a parchment sheet like in the photo.
6. After the surface is evened out, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour until hardened. Putting in the freezer is recommended during the summer.
7. Cut into pieces with a knife.
8. Sprinkle with cocoa powder using a strainer. Sprinkle the cocoa powder gently by hand at the end so that all sides are covered with cocoa powder. It's ready!
Tips:
If you heat the chocolate too much, it will burn, so try heating it for only 30 seconds at first, and then gradually increase the heating time as you see how it goes.
Pure cocoa powder has a strong bitter taste, so use sweet milk chocolate for a better balance of the sweetness. You can also add nuts or dried fruits to your liking.
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(Recipe) Gluten-Free Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Sweets are delicious, but for those who are concerned about their health, the ingredients used are a point of concern. This recipe, like the one above, contains no additives. And not only is it healthy, but it is so artisenal and delicious that even people who do not usually eat sweets will praise it as tasting like a pastry shop's. We hope you will give it a try.
Ingredients (about 6 large pieces):
3.5 oz./100 g of rice flour
7 oz./200 g of butter
1 egg
1.2 oz./35 g of brown sugar (or other sugar)
1 oz./30 g of chocolate
1 pinch of salt
Joshinko Rice Flour
Directions:
1. Bring butter to room temperature and let it soften. Preheat oven to 340°F/170°C.
2. Knead the butter until creamy. Add salt.
3. Mix in eggs and sugar, then add rice flour and mix again.
4. Break in the chocolate to your favorite size.
5. Drop the dough by spoonfuls onto a parchment sheet lined pan and bake at 340°F/170°C for 18 minutes, then let cool on the pan. It is ready.
Tip:
When freshly baked, they are soft. Cooling them down thoroughly gives them a crispy texture.
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(Recipe) Crunchy Chocolate
This is a crunchy chocolate that can be made in large quantities at one time. It is very easy to make, so it is perfect for cooking with kids. It looks professional, but requires only two ingredients, and you might already have both ingredients at home!
Ingredients (12 tbsp):
100 g of chocolate
50 g of panko bread crumbs
Additive-Free Panko
Directiones:
1. Break the chocolate into a bowl. Melt the chocolate over a pot of boiling water. Be careful and ensure that water from the pot never gets into the bowl with chocolate!
2. When the chocolate is melted, remove the bowl from the pot. Add the panko bread crumbs at once and mix well.
3. Mix well so that as little white part from panko bread crumbs remain as possible. If it does not mix well, put the mixture in a bowl into the pot with hot water again and mix well.
4. Scoop the dough with a tablespoon or rounded spoon. Press it tightly against the wall of the bowl.
5. Line a tray with plastic wrap and place the mixture on it.
6. Chill in the refrigerator to harden. It is done.
Tip:
Instead of panko bread crumbs, you can mix in crushed cornflakes, biscuits, or marshmallows. White or strawberry chocolate would be interesting. too.
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There is a lot of food items, housewares, stationery, and gifts available at the store and our online store, Maido! Kairashi Shop, where you can place your order for shipping or store pickup! Happy shopping. :)