Homemade chocolate chips

Since Daniel is allergic to milk, eggs, and nuts, I have had to learn some things about making meals from scratch. Practically everything prepackaged from a loaf of bread to a can of soup contains something that Daniel cannot have. We have a health food store nearby that sells many allergen-free products, but they are quite expensive. So, I have found recipes to make many items that I would have never dreamed of making before our food allergy escapades. The most recent thing I have tried is homemade chocolate chips. Most store-bought chocolate chips contain milk, but I found a recipe here for ones without it. Making these chocolate chips was actually pretty easy. First, you combine sugar, coconut oil, and cocoa in a mason jar.

Then, you place the jar in a pan of water on the stove. Cook and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add vanilla and pour the mixture into a 9 x 13 lined with wax paper.

Refrigerate until hardened and then break into small chunks. I guess these are actually chocolate chunks, not chips. But close enough, right?

I wish I would have cooked and stirred my chocolate mixture longer, because the sugar did not fully dissolve, so the chips were a little grainy. I used them in a recipe for allergen-free chocolate banana cake, and they still tasted great! I have devoured several pieces of the cake already, but wouldn't you know that the little man who I actually baked it for will not eat a single bite. He prefers Oreos. Sigh.

At least he shares...