
History has it that sweets were originally fed to the gods…a taste for mere mortals an afterthought.
Let’s not forget how fortunate we are that chocolate is (usually) just moments away. These dark little beauties are ready almost as quickly, too. Check ‘em out.

Dark chocolate, pistachio, the ruby tang of raspberry and the counterpoint crunch of sea salt flakes, is a foursome Bacchus, Greek god of pleasure-seeking himself, would lust after. (If you stick around on Morning, Delicious long enough, you’ll see I have my own love affair with this flavour combo.)
This isn’t breakfast, obviously. But I like to eat a few handfuls afterwards alongside my latte of the season—and especially after a savoury brekkie, like this one.

Chocolate-making, or chocolatier-ing, can be an art, if you want it to be. But it can be easy, too.
Start with a good quality mould—silicone works best for me for easy removal and durability. Next, have a double-boiler on hand. If you don’t own one, all you need are two pots of differing diameter, or one pot and a slightly larger heatproof bowl, like kitchen-grade metal or ceramic.
For this loaded dark chocolate heart recipe, I simply melted chopped chocolate over a baby double boiler, spooned my trio of fillings into each mould cavity, and then poured over the molten chocolate. A quick tap to release any trapped air bubbles, and leave to set.


There are two potential tricky bits when DIY-ing chocolates—
Explains The Kitchn—
“Fat bloom happens if the chocolate gets too warm. The cocoa butter melts and then re-solidifies, leaving those grey streaks.
Sugar bloom happens if the chocolate was stored in a damp area. Moisture collects on the surface of the chocolate and draws out the sugar. When the moisture evaporates, it leaves behind a grit of sugar crystals across the surface.”
To prevent either of the above (or both) from blemishing your little darlings, make sure you take it slow ‘n’ low with melting your chocolate. Don’t rush the setting process, either. Forget the fridge—store in an airtight container to prevent condensation and leave in a cool area to set.
Tempering is another technique seasoned chocolatiers use to prevent bloom. Here’s a great little tutorial on how to temper chocolate.
Personally, if I’m not making chocolate as a gift, I ditch the tempering step and embrace the bloom. The taste isn’t affected one bit. (Plus, there’s nothing a little lustre dust can’t fix.)


RASPBERRY, PISTACHIO AND SEA SALT DARK CHOCOLATE HEARTS
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 10 (Freezing time)
- Total Time: 25
- Yield: Makes 14 chocolate hearts 1x
DescriptionYum
The CUTEST post-meal dark chocolate treats ❤. A little sweet, a little fruity, and a little crunchy, with a sprinkle of Maldon salt flakes. You’ll fall in luurrv with these babies, promise.
Ingredients
- Silicone heart mould (I used an ice cube tray, like this one)
- 150g dark chocolate, chopped (I like to use a mix of 50 and 70% cocoa)
- 5 heaped tsp dehydrated raspberry crumb
- 5 heaped tsp pistachio nuts, shelled
- 5 level tsp Maldon sea salt flakes
Instructions
- Fill your double boiler and place on the lowest heat setting. If using a pot and heat-proof bowl, fill the pot with water and place the larger bowl on top.
- Place half the amount of chopped chocolate in the double boiler and stir continuously while melting. Once melted, add the remainder of the chocolate and keep stirring. Remove from heat immediately once melted.
- Next, toss your pistachio nuts into a food processor and blitz until you have bits a size you like—I like mine similar in size to the raspberry crumb. (You can also just finely chop with a knife if you don’t have a processor.)
- In a small bowl, mix the pistachio, raspberry crumb and sea salt together with a fork. Using a teaspoon serving, spoon the mixture into each mould cavity.
- Now carefully spoon over the melted chocolate. Tap the mould gently once or twice to release air bubbles.
- Cover with a cake dome and leave to set in a cool area of the kitchen. If the refrigerator is your only cool spot, leave the chocolate to set only as long as they need—keep checking at five minute intervals to see how they’re progressing.
- Once set, gently press the chocolates out of the mould from the back.
- Get comfortable. Dig in.
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