New to Raw Chocolate

Hello
I am making raw chocolate, but having difficulty making it last more than a week or 10 days

I've read through these posts looking for advice. But I am not making it from the bean

I mostly use Sunfoods Raw Cacao Powder/ Mesquite/ Soy Lecithin / Vanilla... sometimes Spirulina
Mix it up and add Cacao Butter / Coconut Oil / Agave until I get a paste
I set it in the fridge and it gets hard (more like a brownie consistency left out)
but after a week it starts going a little off...

I have read the water content in Agave ma make it go bad...?

So i have even done experiments with coconut crystals to sweeten it, so the only binding liquid is the butter, but then the chocolate is too brittle. I like the slightly maleable (almosy brownie like consistency.

How would I go about making this last longer?
Should I use more cacao butter ?
Is there some trick to making it shelf stable?

Thanks so much, in advance
John

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Permalink Reply by Clay Gordon on November 26, 2011 at 10:13am

John:

When the chocolate "goes off" what does that mean? Does it start to taste rancid? Is mold growing? What's happening?

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Permalink Reply by John Benton on November 26, 2011 at 10:25am

'Morning Clay,

It's hard to describe. Not moldy, but soapy tasting, almost like it's heading towards rancid...

It has been suggested that maybe it's the water content in the Agave.

Any suggestions are appreciated

Thanks

John

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Permalink Reply by Clay Gordon on November 26, 2011 at 1:00pm

Certainly, free water in the agave syrup (or any other ingredient) is a contributor.

One way to test this is to make the exact same recipe but leave out the agave. If, in a week, you don't get the taste change you know that the water in the agave is encouraging the growth of something. You can then try an alternative form of sweetener (e.g., coconut palm sugar).

If you do get the taste change, make the recipe removing one ingredient at a time until the taste change does not happen. Now you know what ingredient is reacting with the water in the agave and you can find a substitute.

It may be that the cocoa powder/mass you are using has mold or other spores in it. These are much harder to control than in "cooked" chocolate because of the low temperature processing. You have to be much cleaner working, too.

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Permalink Reply by Kerry on November 26, 2011 at 8:41pm

If it is developing a soapy taste then saponification of either the cocoa butter and/or coconut oil is likely at fault. A metallic alkali reacts with a fat or oil to form soap.

Sunfood claims that it's cocoa is 'lower acid' than other cocoa - meaning higher pH and also high in magnesium, therefore I believe making it a 'metallic alkali'.

I'm uncertain if lowering the pH in some way may prevent this from happening, perhaps acidifying your agave in some way.