After a busy morning or a tiring day, why not relax with some yummy homemade chocolate? Many chocolate lovers like us don’t want the usual store-bought kind. We prefer making our own chocolate bars. It lets us pick the ingredients, try different flavours, and stay healthier. If this interests you, keep reading!
We’ll tell you about the differences in various chocolates and guide you in making milk, dark, and white chocolate bars. You can get creative by adding fruits, nuts, or caramel to suit your taste. These homemade treats are great gifts for teachers, friends, and family, or perfect for parties.
Once our CocoTerra chocolate maker is available, it’ll be even easier. In the meantime, you can practice at home with these recipes using your favourite craft chocolate.
Key Ingredients For All Types Of Homemade Chocolate
Let’s start with the basics of chocolate! There are two main parts: cocoa beans and cocoa butter. First, we roast the cocoa beans, take off the shell, and break them into bits called cocoa nibs. Cocoa butter is like the fat from cocoa beans, just like olive oil from olives. Adding cocoa butter makes chocolate creamier. Chocolate also has sugar and often some milk powder.
We have divided chocolate bars into three categories. This division is based on the main ingredients.
- Milk chocolate: Cocoa nibs, cocoa butter, milk powder, and sugar.
- Dark chocolate: Cocoa nibs, cocoa butter, and sugar (can use some or all of these).
- White chocolate: Cocoa butter, sugar, and milk powder (unique because it has no cocoa nibs).
Below you can find the list of common ingredients that will help you to make delicious chocolates.
- Cocoa beans
- Cocoa butter
- Sugar
- Milk powder or vegan milk powder
- Salt
- Vanilla
- Cocoa powder
- Natural flavour oils
- Nuts
- Spices
- Dried fruit
Is Cocoa Butter Required When Making Chocolate?
Nope, you can make dark chocolate without adding cocoa butter. But if you want that smooth, European-style chocolate that melts nicely, add some cocoa butter. It’s crucial for how the chocolate feels, looks shiny, and stays firm. It also makes the chocolate easy to handle since it flows smoothly.
Choosing the right cocoa butter for your chocolate: First, make sure it’s food-grade. Cocoa butter isn’t just for cooking; it’s also in creams and lotions. Not all cocoa butter are the same; some are better. So, knowing what to look for ensures you’re using the best for your favourite desserts.
Difference Between Cacao Butter & Cocoa Butter
Cacao and cocoa are kind of the same, used interchangeably. But when it comes to cocoa butter, there are two types. One is “raw” or “natural,” and the other is “deodorized,” which gets extra filtering or high-temperature treatment. If you want less processing, check the bag or the company website. Also, on Amazon, the Q&A section is useful. People ask about how and at what temperature the cocoa butter was processed.
Types of Chocolate You Can Make At Home
Making chocolate is really creative, and you can do a lot with it! Try making your own unique chocolate at home. If you don’t have a CocoTerra chocolate maker, be ready to spend some time and be patient. Decide on the type of chocolate and ingredients you want to use.
Dark Chocolate Bar
Lots of folks love dark chocolate these days, calling it “the new health food.” Homemade dark chocolate bars beat store-bought ones because you can skip the refined sugar, use alternative sweeteners, keep it vegan and nut-free, and ditch the extra stuff. Making it at home also means you choose top-notch ingredients and swap things based on your health or preferences. Moreover, if you are running a chocolate business then you can have custom chocolate box packaging to pack dark chocolate bars. These boxes are perfect to meet your packaging needs.
White Chocolate Bar
White chocolate is sweeter and creamier, with a taste like cocoa butter and a touch of vanilla. It’s milder than dark chocolate, which might suit those who don’t like strong, bitter flavours. The main thing in white chocolate is cocoa butter, plus a dairy product like cow, goat, or even camel milk powder for healthy. They add sugar and vanilla too. If dark chocolate feels too strong for you, give making white chocolate at home a shot in your own kitchen.
Milk Chocolate Bar
Milk chocolate bars are the top pick for many. They’re sweet, creamy, and not as strong as dark chocolate. This kind usually has a bit of cocoa nibs and more fat, thanks to cocoa butter and full-fat milk powder. The mix of sweetness, creaminess, and a hint of cocoa flavour is just right for lots of chocolate fans.
Best Homemade Chocolate Bar Recipe
Luckily, with the CocoTerra chocolate maker, making chocolate bars at home is a breeze. You’ll use top-notch ingredients that’ll wow your friends and family. Choose a recipe with flavours you love, or tweak them to match your taste. Get creative and use your favourite ingredients—it’s the way to go! If you plan to give the chocolate as a gift Moreover if you have any confusion about gifting you explore Best christmas gift ideas 2024 , customize the ingredients based on what your loved ones enjoy. Some folks like it spicy, some prefer salty, and others just have a sweet tooth!
You can try the following recipe at your home. Below are the ingredients and a method to make chocolate bars at your home.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces / 170g dark chocolate
- 1/4 cup / 36g almonds (chopped, sliced or whole)
- ½ tsp / 3g fleur de sel
Method
- Put parchment paper on a baking sheet and spread almonds on it.
- Melt the chocolate in a double-boiler, checking until it’s between 122°F (50°C) and 131°F (55°C).
- Take it off the heat and stir until it cools to about 88°F (31°C) to 90°F (32°C).
- Pour the tempered chocolate over the almonds.
- Tap the tray to get rid of air bubbles.
- Sprinkle fleur de sel on the chocolate.
- Stick it in the fridge for 30 minutes (or leave it on the counter for a couple of hours).
- Once set, take it out, and snap into pieces.
Tips for making chocolate at home
- You can swap some or all of the cocoa butter with coconut oil if you like—it can be easier to work with, but you won’t be able to temper it.
- Make sure to use food-grade cacao butter, as some are meant for cosmetics.
- When using cocoa powder, go for the unsweetened kind to control the sugar content.
- For “inclusion” chocolate bars, toss your chosen item into the moulds before pouring in the melted chocolate.
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