For those of us who don’t have access to high-quality chocolate or can’t afford the real thing, making our own chocolate at home is the next best thing. It also helps if you have an abundance of cocoa powder and sugar on hand, along with some kind of fat (butter or oil) and, of course, chocolate liquor. Once you have these five key ingredients, you can make your own homemade chocolate by following these four easy steps.
Step 1: Melt Milk and Cocoa Butter
Heat 1 cup of whole milk and 1⁄2 cup of cocoa butter on medium-low heat until it's fully melted. (Use a wooden spoon when stirring so that you don't scratch your pan.) Pour into a container for later use. For an even richer texture, add 2 tablespoons of vanilla extract. Store chocolate liquid in your refrigerator until you're ready to pour it over hot cream. It can be stored for up to 3 days, but ideally should be used within 24 hours of making it. To speed things along, warm your container slightly in hot water before pouring it over cold cream. Be sure to cool down any bowls or spoons you use beforehand by placing them in a bowl of ice water. If not, they'll melt too! You'll need about two cups of heavy cream for each recipe; more if you want thicker chocolate. But don't worry if there are some leftovers—chocolate is good at room temperature and will taste just as delicious! Don't worry if there are some leftovers—chocolate is good at room temperature and will taste just as delicious! Just try not to eat it all at once! Remember: Milk chocolate requires regular old white sugar, while dark chocolate requires brown sugar. For best results, avoid using powdered sugar since its small granules won't dissolve easily into hot liquids. Using brown sugar gives you a richer flavor with less refined sugar than using white would. Plus, mixing white and brown sugars together creates what's called invert sugar—which is also called glucose syrup—and helps give homemade chocolates their creamy texture! Invert sugars are formed during cooking because sucrose breaks down through hydrolysis into glucose and fructose molecules, which join together again without changing back into sucrose. This process occurs rapidly when heated in water. The resulting mixture has a sweeter taste than either component alone, hence why it's used commercially to sweeten food products. Although glucose syrup has been around for ages, commercial production only began around 1910. Today, however, there are many different types of glucose syrups available based on their sweetness level and intended uses. Brown sugar consists of partially inverted sucrose crystals derived from raw cane sugar crystals. When raw cane sugar crystals are exposed to moist air or high humidity conditions they absorb moisture and become soft and sticky instead of remaining hard like normal table sugar does.
Step 2: Add Sugar
Choose raw sugar or evaporated cane juice (also called dehydrated cane juice). White sugar isn’t recommended because it doesn’t dissolve well, but it’s possible some can be used. Just make sure to mix up all of your ingredients before adding any sweetener because you don’t want clumps! You should add 1 cup of sweetener per 5 cups of cacao powder. If you don’t know how much cacao powder you have, use 1/2 cup and then add more if needed. Remember, always stick with natural sweeteners such as honey, maple syrup, raw agave nectar, stevia and so on when possible. Adding too much sugar will make your chocolate taste awful! A good rule of thumb is not to add more than 1/4 cup total.
The mixture will now look very grainy, which is normal for chocolate that hasn’t been processed into a bar yet. To smooth out those grainy bits, we need to melt them further until they are completely liquid and homogenous throughout. So place your bowl back over low heat and continue stirring until everything melts together like a rich hot fudge sauce! Keep stirring until it reaches between 120-140 degrees Farenheit . The exact temperature is not important; just get it warm enough that everything is melted together without burning anything.
Why does temperature matter? Well, if you don’t get it hot enough, your chocolate will be gritty and not smooth. If you get it too hot, your chocolate will taste burnt and have a waxy texture. So always keep an eye on it while stirring! You can use a candy thermometer or just watch for steam coming off of your chocolate as you stir. The steam is what tells you that everything is melted together and ready to pour into molds! If there is no steam, then your chocolate isn’t hot enough yet. Keep stirring until it forms some steam. Then remove from heat and proceed to step 3!
5 cups cacao powder (or 1 cup cacao powder + 4 cups sweetener) 1/2 cup coconut oil 1/4 cup raw honey 1 tsp vanilla extract pinch of salt 2 tbsp pure vanilla extract (optional) Instructions: Stir all ingredients over low heat until mixture becomes smooth like fudge and reaches 120-140 degrees Farenheit . Pour into mold(s) immediately before mixture hardens again. Allow to cool completely before removing from mold(s). Store in refrigerator or freezer so they last longer. Enjoy with friends and family!
Step 3: Refine Your Creation
Once you’ve created your chocolate, put it in a pan and melt it on low heat for about 20 minutes. Don’t overheat it because that can burn your chocolate. Then, pour it into molds to create whatever shape you like. Let them cool and they’re ready to eat! You can store these chocolates in an airtight container for up to two weeks. To make milk chocolate, add 1/2 cup of whole milk powder to step 2. To make white chocolate, add 1/4 cup of cocoa butter and 1/4 cup of powdered sugar instead of cocoa powder. To make dark chocolate, add 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder instead of sweetened cocoa powder. And don’t forget: The higher quality ingredients you use (especially when it comes to dark chocolate), the better your final product will be! That’s just another reason why high-quality chocolate is worth its weight in gold. And while we’re talking value... how much do you think homemade chocolates would cost? One pound of fine Belgian chocolate can cost anywhere from $25-$35. So if you spent $30 on chocolate, and then spent $10 to make more... that means each piece would only cost 50 cents! If you look at it that way, making your own chocolate is a pretty good deal. Not to mention, eating home-made chocolate makes you feel super fancy—and isn’t that what life is all about?
Step 4: Enjoy Your Homemade Chocolate!
Congratulations! You’ve just made chocolate. Now, you can use it as a topping for ice cream or brownies, or sprinkle some over whipped cream. You can even enjoy it by itself. How do you eat your homemade chocolate? We’d love to hear from you! Leave us a comment below. And don’t forget to share your creation with us on Facebook and Twitter! Happy chocolate making!