Chocolate is definitely not encouraged in Nourishing Traditions. There are several recipes using carob, but none with cocoa or chocolate.
I’m not convinced cacao beans are bad for you. It is a bean that is actually fermented in a multi-day process. It does have some caffeine, but it is extremely high in anti-oxidants (higher than blueberries). My problem comes in with highly processed varieties of chocolate. Your standard Hershey bar is certainly not good for you.
I happened across Rapunzel chocolate bars. In particular the Rapunzel bittersweet bar. Rapunzel is the company that makes Rapadura and they use it in many of their chocolate bars. The bittersweet bar in particular is made with only the best ingredients and follows NT principles very closely (unless you’re anti-cacao).
The great benefit of this bar is that it is quite nutritious while at the same time being delicious. If you don’t like dark chocolate you won’t like this bar, but it is one of the best chocolate bars I have ever tasted.
I’ve been working on my bread skills (see