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๐Ÿฌ Candy & Sweets

Chocolate Candy Shells

Dark chocolate drops with a thin candy shell colored naturally with beet, turmeric, and spirulina.

2 hrs intermediate Yields 50 pieces Keeps 2 weeks at room temperature in a cool place

Ingredients

  • 8 oz Dark chocolate (85% cacao or higher, chopped)
  • 3 tbsp Coconut butter (also called coconut manna)
  • 2 tbsp Raw honey
  • 2 tbsp Tapioca starch (for the shell base)
  • 1/2 tsp Beet powder (for red and pink shells)
  • 1/4 tsp Turmeric powder (for yellow and orange shells)
  • 1/4 tsp Spirulina powder (for green and blue shells)
  • 1 pinch Sea salt (fine grain)

Steps

  1. Melt the dark chocolate using a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until smooth and fully melted. Remove from heat and stir in the pinch of sea salt.

  2. Drop small rounds of melted chocolate onto a parchment-lined baking sheet using a teaspoon or a squeeze bottle. Each drop should be about the size of a marble โ€” roughly 1 centimeter across. Work quickly before the chocolate starts to set. You should get about 50 drops.

  3. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 20 minutes until the chocolate drops are completely solid. They should release cleanly from the parchment when ready.

  4. While the chocolate sets, prepare the shell coating. Gently melt the coconut butter in a small saucepan over very low heat. Stir in the raw honey and tapioca starch until you have a smooth, thin paste. Divide this mixture into three small bowls.

  5. Stir beet powder into the first bowl, turmeric into the second, and spirulina into the third. Each bowl will become a different color. Adjust the intensity by adding more or less powder โ€” a little goes a long way.

  6. Working quickly, use a fork or dipping tool to dip each cold chocolate drop into one of the colored coatings, letting the excess drip off. Place back on parchment paper. The thin coating will set as the cold chocolate chills it. For a thicker shell, let the first coat set for 5 minutes and dip a second time. Return to the refrigerator for 30 minutes to harden completely.

Why It Works

Dark chocolate with 85% or higher cacao content is rich in magnesium, iron, and copper โ€” minerals that support energy production and immune function. The thin candy shell replaces the petroleum-derived food dyes and refined sugar coating of conventional versions with whole-food colorants that carry their own nutritional benefits. Beet powder provides nitrates and betaine, turmeric delivers curcumin with anti-inflammatory properties, and spirulina is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. Coconut butter forms a firm shell at room temperature because of its high saturated fat content, giving the satisfying snap when you bite through.

Tips

  • Keep chocolate cold. The dipping process works best when the chocolate drops are very cold. If they start warming up in your hands, return them to the refrigerator for 10 minutes before continuing.
  • Uniform size. Use a melon baller or a piping bag to make consistently sized chocolate drops. Uniform pieces look more polished and coat more evenly.
  • Color mixing. Blend the natural powders to create more colors. Beet plus turmeric makes orange, spirulina plus turmeric makes a deeper green, and a tiny amount of beet gives a soft pink.

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