Written by A Wild Dove | Photographed by Conrado Veliz
It was a winter-meets-spring day when we gathered our lil’ doves for one of our signature learning workshops with a favorite of ours, Freaky Health Chocolate, a purveyor of organic chocolate whose benefits range from natural energy to beauty to immunity thanks to adaptogenic herbs like Maca, Chlorella, Gogi Berries and Ashwagandha. The subject of the day? Cooking deliciously healthy desserts using nutrient-dense chocolate. We set up shop at Freshmade NYC, the amazing kitchen and event space in Soho, to teach the kids the joys of making a sweet snack that packs a healthy dose of superfoods to boot.
As our little ones gathered around a long table, their cooking utensils at the ready, Freaky Health Chocolate founder, Karolina Palmer opened the workshop by introducing the idea of healthy eating, in particular using flowers as a surprising ingredient to many foods. “We realized many of us had already eaten them.” Karolina says. “Some examples we shared were chamomile tea, hibiscus ice pops, and rose jam.” The group then went on to try the two flowers they would be working with - borage and pansy. They shared the reactions and the nuances of the fragrant notes in each, like mint, cucumber, grass, and pepper. Each child then came up to the stove and dropped their Freaky Health Chocolate bar into a bowl of a double boiler to melt it down. Everyone received a piping hot bag filled with melted chocolate and that’s when things got freakishly fun. The kids had a blast filling the lollipop molds, pressing in the sticks, and decorating with their edible flowers. “It was magical watching them work and seeing the beautiful work they created with just two ingredients,” says Karolina.
While enjoying their high vibe cocoa snacks, the kids learned that historically flowers have been eaten medicinally and they discussed what that meant. They discovered that one of the flowers, borage, was associated with summoning courage when eaten. The kids shared what their understanding of courage meant and appreciated the idea that eating this sweet blue flower could make them feel brave. As the afternoon sun peaked in over Soho, the kids licked up the last of their lolly's, feeling a little more courageous and proud of the magic treats they created.
And so you can make these magical Fairy Lollipops at home, here’s the recipe below -
Chocolate Fairy Pops
Ingredients
- Freaky Health Chocolate
- Edible flowers (pictured are borage and pansies)
- Lollipop/candy molds
- Lollipop sticks
- Create a double boiler by inserting a metal bowl over a gently boiling pot of water.
- Break up chocolate bar into metal bowl. Mix frequently until bar is melted and chocolate is smooth. An alternative is melting chocolate in the microwave for 10 seconds, giving it a mix and microwaving for 10 more seconds, if needed.
- Pour melted chocolate into piping bag or zip top bag with a small corner cut off. Let cool for a few minutes.
- While you wait, place edible flowers into each candy cavity. Do not overfill.
- Pipe melted chocolate into molds.
- Place sticks in appropriate slot.
- Let chocolate harden in the molds for 30 minutes before you release them.
- Gently pop out each lollipop and ENJOY!!!
