Vegan Chili Mango Dark Chocolates

I was given a bag of dried, unsweetened mango.  It was delicious!  It tasted like fresh mango intensified!  I snacked on some, but I wanted to make something with it as well.  Something in the form of dessert that I could share with the person that gave it to me.  I decided that I wanted to pair the sweet, tangy mango with dark chocolate. As if that wouldn't be a good enough pairing as it is, I added in a little heat in the form of chili too.  Eric is always telling me that he misses fruit candy made with chilies that he got in Arizona when he lived there as a kid, so I figured I would share some of these with him as well.

They are really quite simple to make if you can find the dried, unsweetened unsulfured mango.  This kind came from Trader Joes.  When I am looking for dried fruit, I always look for unsweetened and unsulfured because dried fruit is already concentrated and very sweet so why add a bunch of refined sugar to it? Also, I don't like un-natural preservatives in my foods.  I mean, they were meant to have a shelf life, not last forever.  But anyways, this mango was perfect.  I made raw dark chocolate the way I always do, and stirred in the finely chopped mango and chili flakes.  The combination was delicious, I thought to myself when I had a taste before pouring it into the molds.  It is that simple, just mix together, pour into molds, chill and enjoy!

They tasted fabulous once set, sweet, rich, a little spicy, and the type of thing that you want to indulge in but it only takes a few to be satisfied.  I think sometimes when flavors are more interesting we are satisfied with less.  At least that is how I feel.  I can't wait to share these and get other people's takes on them!  I think if you try them, you will enjoy them as well, provided you like a spice in your life.

Vegan Chili Mango Dark Chocolates
Makes 6

Chocolate:
3/4 cup raw cacao powder
1/2 cup melted cacao butter (warmed to liquid)
pinch sea salt
1/4 cup maple syrup (at room temperature)

1/2 cup chopped, dried unsweetened mango
1/2 tsp red chili flakes

To make the chocolate, whisk together all ingredients until smooth in a medium sized glass measuring cup. Mix in the mango and chili flakes. Spoon or pour into molds, and place in the freezer to harden, about 30 minutes. Pop out of molds and enjoy! Store any extra in the refrigerator.