Mango Chili-Stuffed Chocolate Bar Recipe

Recipe developer Tess Le Moing, who brings us this mango-chili chocolate bar, explains her inspiration for it by telling us, "Having lived in San Diego for a while, I draw a lot of inspiration from Mexican cuisine, where fruits, spices, and chocolate are often paired together." The mangoes, she says, "bring a natural, tropical sweet to the bitter taste of chocolate," while the chili powder adds some smoky notes and helps enhance the chocolate flavor. "When you take a bite, the delicate shell of bitter dark chocolate shatters and the sweet mango filling comes out," she describes. "It's bright, a little sweet, a little tart," and she notes that it's followed up with a wonderful warmth from the chili.

If you're wondering about the chili powder called for in the recipe, Le Moing tells us she uses the seasoning mix that typically includes herbs and spices like ancho chiles, cumin, and oregano. Chili powder isn't usually too fiery, but a powdered chile like cayenne pepper could make for a spicier substitute. Other dried, powders chiles would work as well. Le Moing says "Chipotles will make [the filling] smokier and a bit earthy," while recommending the mild, slightly sweet ancho chiles as providing extra complexity without too much heat.

For the filling, you will need mango chunks, sugar, a lime (both zest and juice), salt, and chili powder (or powdered chiles, if you prefer). For the outer shell, you'll be using baking chocolate. As Le Moing tells us, "I used two bars with different cacao percentages to even out the sweetness levels," but says that you can use any kind of chocolate you prefer, even milk or white chocolate.

Add the mango chunks, sugar, lime juice, water, and chili powder to a small pot.

Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes.

Puree with an immersion blender until smooth.

Transfer to a bowl and cool completely.

Finely chop and place both types of chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl.

Microwave, stirring every 30 seconds with a rubber spatula, until melted.

Place chocolate bar mold over a baking sheet and pour about 2-3 tablespoons melted chocolate into each mold.

Wiggle the mold to fully cover with chocolate, tapping the mold on the counter to remove any air bubbles.

Place the mold in the fridge for 10 minutes to harden.

Spread 2 tablespoons of the cooled mango-chili filling into each chocolate bar mold.

Reheat the melted chocolate in the microwave if needed and pour about 2-3 tablespoons over the mango puree.

Spread the melted chocolate with a rubber spatula to cover the mango filling.

Sprinkle the top with chili powder, lime zest, and salt, then place in the fridge to set for 30 minutes.

Once set, flip the mold over and gently tap to release the chocolate bars.

Use a sharp knife to clean the edges of the chocolate bars.

Serve immediately or store in the fridge.

While the ingredients list calls for thawed mango chunks, you can use either frozen or fresh ones. As Le Moing observes, "Frozen is more convenient because it's already peeled and chopped." She also points out that frozen mangoes were processed when they were ripe, which makes using them somewhat more foolproof than trying to pick out a perfectly ripe mango in the store. You also won't have to deal with the possibility of your mango going bad or getting all slimy (keep it in the fridge to prevent the latter from happening). One tip for using frozen mangoes, though: Not only should you thaw them as per the recipe directions, but you should also drain off the excess liquid before using them in this recipe.

If you'll be using fresh fruit, Le Moing feels that the small yellow ataulfo or honey mangoes are the best for this recipe, telling us, "They have a sweet, creamy, and slightly tangy flavor that I prefer over the large green kinds we usually see in the store." If your go-to grocery doesn't offer a choice of mango varieties, however, she allows you can use the more widely available Tommy Atkins variety. In her opinion, though, the recipe might need a bit more sugar if you do since they're not quite as sweet as honey mangoes.

The secret to a successful DIY chocolate bar lies in melting and tempering the chocolate. It all starts with choosing that chocolate and Le Moing tells us she uses baking chocolate because it has a higher percentage of cocoa and also melts more readily than other types. She does say, though, that either chocolate chips or plain chocolate bars (the kind without filling) could be used if that's what you have on hand. As for the actual melting, she recommends microwaving it in a plastic bowl or resealable container in 30-second bursts. As she explains, plastic provides a more even and gentle heat than either metal or glass.

Le Moing also recommends that you stop heating the chocolate when it's almost melted, but not entirely, then stir the remaining solid bits of chocolate until these melt in the residual heat. Doing so, she explains, is what lets the chocolate temper. In order to test to see if it has tempered, she suggests dipping a spoon into the melted chocolate and then letting it sit for a few minutes at room temperature. If it has set within five minutes, you're good to go. Even if it doesn't set up, though, you should still be okay since these bars were meant to be refrigerated. "Even if you don't get the tempering right," says Le Moing, "don't sweat it," explaining that the refrigerator's cool will keep the chocolate firm.