A guide to making delicious and beautiful chocolates at home

Chocolate manufacturing companies have to invest millions of dollars to buy modern tools and machines to make delicious chocolate bars from bitter cocoa beans. However, only with simple tools in your kitchen can you make delicious chocolate bars. Try one of the two methods below to make your own chocolate candy at home!

1. Material preparation time: 15 minutes
2. Cooking time: 10-12 hours ( minimum cooking time is 10 minutes )
3. Full time: 12 hours

Resources

Method of using cocoa powder (for beginners)

1. 220g cocoa powder
2. 170g of butter is stored at room temperature
3. 100g sugar
4. 150ml of milk is stored at room temperature
5. 30g powdered sugar
6. 235ml of water

Method of using cocoa beans (for experienced people)

1. 0.5kg of cocoa beans
2. You can also use roasted cocoa beans and skip step 1 + step 2
3. Cocoa butter
4. Non-fat coconut powder
5. Street
6. Lecitin
7. Vanilla flavor buffet

The ratio of ingredients depends on each person. Read on below to prepare the ingredients accordingly!

Method 1: Method of using cocoa powder

The method of using cocoa powder can easily make delicious chocolate candies.

1. Add water to the pot and heat up . Heat until water is nearly boiling.

2. Put the softened cocoa powder and butter in a large bowl. Mix well together until a smooth paste is obtained. Use food fork, blender or hand blender to dissolve the lumps.

3. Put the mixture in a hot pot of hot water and stir well. Turn on the stove to continue heating this mixture. Note that only hot, not boiling.

1. Pour the hot cocoa mixture into a bowl.

4. Sift flour sugar into a separate bowl . Remove the " lumpy " sugar. Then, add sugar to the hot cocoa mixture and stir well. Pour fresh milk. Mix until the mixture becomes smoother.

5. Pour the mixture into the mold with many different shapes . When the chocolate is cool it will be funny sweet candies. If you want chocolate tablets with a rectangular shape, use a rectangular shape.

6. Put the chocolate in the cooler or keep the ice overnight for freezing.

Method 2: Method of using cocoa beans

1. Roast cocoa beans. Roasting cocoa beans will add a rich flavor to chocolate, furthermore it helps to disinfect and make cocoa pods more fragile. Here's what you need to keep in mind:

1. Put cocoa beans into a large baking tray underneath a thin layer of baking paper. Turn on the oven at 120 degrees Celsius and bake for about 18 minutes. When the crust slowly cracks and smells like chocolate, the cocoa beans are cooked ( let it cool before tasting ).
2. Usually, you should first bake cocoa beans at high temperatures and then slowly lower the temperature. Turn off the oven when cocoa beans begin to separate ( not to burn ). You can grill it in the oven at home or buy roasted seeds available outside the convenience store. The baking time and temperature also depend on the amount of cocoa, but the standard roasting condition is about 5 - 35 minutes with temperatures from 120 to 160 degrees C ( 250-325 degrees F ).
3. When roasting in a large number of cocoa beans, people often use roasting machines in spherical or tube and roasted form on gas cookers.

 

2. Break the grain. After baking, cocoa beans need to be broken and screened, and the shell must be removed from the seeds.

1. In small quantities, you should use a hammer ( rough grinding ) to break the grain and remove the shell by hand ( easily spread if it is properly roasted ).
2. In large quantities, use a grain crusher, then put in a coffee bean mill or a specialized machine for crushing seeds. Do not use a meat grinder.

3. Remove seeds. After breaking the seeds, remove the pods from the cocoa beans. Use the hand or spoon to stir and gently blow with a mini dryer or vacuum until the cover is completely removed.

4. Blend finely cocoa beans . You need to use a device that is strong enough to crush the core in the cocoa bean and separate the remaining shells. Types of food processing machines include: Vita-Mix, coffee grinder ( single blade and double blade ), meat grinder ( manual and electric ), especially note: do not use fruit juicer. You need to find a suitable device to perform this step.

1. Many home-made chocolate makers have successfully used the " Champion Juicer " vegetable press machine. Put a handful of cocoa beans in the blender / press, limiting the use of excessive force or the engine may become too hot. Filter the thick cocoa paste through the filter, while the shell and pulp will be released through the nozzle.

5. Estimate other consumables. Use the scale to weigh and estimate the amount of cocoa in grams, then apply it to calculate the amount of other ingredients needed. If you don't have a scale, you can still estimate the ratio quite accurately by below:

1. Cocoa butter: 20% of cocoa mix.
2. Sugar: 15-20% ( if you want bitter chocolate ) to 75-80% ( if you want chocolate milk to taste sweet ) compared to the amount of cocoa mixture obtained.
3. Nonfat dry milk: to make milk chocolate, use an equal amount of cocoa, or a little less.
4. Vanilla ( optional ): Split cocoa pods and soak in cocoa butter for one hour.

6. Mix and refine chocolate. Theoretically, the grinding process can affect the characteristic flavor, aroma and chocolate product. The refining process will melt sugar and make chocolate softer. Both of these processes can be done simultaneously by " crushing a stone roller " ( the Spectra 10, also known as the "Stone Chocolate Melanger" ). The method of mixing and refining chocolate depends mainly on the device you use, below is the instruction to use the Spectra 10 grinder:

1. Melt chocolate and cocoa butter at a temperature of 50ºC (120ºF) with an oven.
2. Add nonfat milk powder, sugar and lecithin.
3. Pour the chocolate mixture into the blender. In the first hour, use a dryer every 2-3 minutes to dry the melted chocolate mixture.
4. Stir the mixture for the first 10 hours, do not let it exceed 36 hours until the chocolate has a smooth and smooth texture as desired. Do not refine too long or chocolate will become thick.
5. After refining, turn off the blender, cover the chocolate mixture carefully and place it in an oven that has been heated at 65 degrees C ( 150ºF ) but turn it off and leave it overnight. Chocolate will not freeze, if chocolate cools , open the lid and turn the oven hot for about 65 to 80ºC ( 150-175ºF ) and wait until the chocolate melts ( save Do not use plastic containers when melting .

7. Freeze chocolate. This is probably the most difficult step in the whole process but if chocolate is properly brewed in time and temperature, it will be shiny and smooth. Conversely, if done wrong, it will lose its gloss and ease of melting. However, when you do wrong, you can still do it again at any time ( until you get the results you want ) and the chocolate mix will not be broken. Most importantly, do not let water stick to chocolate because water will damage them.

1. Melt the chocolate carefully. If you want to make a large amount of chocolate, you should use an oven or water bath. However, it must be stirred evenly or chocolate will burn. It is difficult to keep the exact temperature when melting the amount of more than 680g of chocolate mixture.

1. Melt chocolate at a temperature of 45 to 50ºC ( 110 to 120ºF ), pour the mixture into a dry, cold bowl, and continue to stir until the chocolate temperature drops to 38ºC ( 100ºF ) . Use a thermometer to measure the temperature. The temperature of chocolate should be equal even when placed in the bowl and when left outside.
2. Pour about 1/3 of the mixture of chocolate in a bowl into a porcelain plate or on the surface of the kitchen table ( made of granite or diamond ). Using the flour dredge (spatula) spread out the chocolate, then mix it all together.

1. Continue cooling in this way for 10-15 minutes until the temperature of the chocolate drops to 30ºC ( 85ºF ) because the chocolate mixture can only freeze when lowered to low temperatures.
2. Add some chocolate in a 38ºC ( 100ºF ) bowl to the mixture and do the same as above.Mix the chocolate gently on the ice.

1. Combine the chocolate and mix it into a mixture of 38ºC ( 100ºF ).Stir gently to avoid foaming.

1. Check the temperature of the chocolate.The finished product must now be at a temperature of about 32ºC ( 90ºF) , not exceeding 33ºC ( 92ºF ).If chocolate has a higher temperature, you need to mix it again to lower the temperature.
2. Alternatively, you can buy a cool mixer that is sold online for about $ 300-400.

8. Create chocolate molds at a temperature of 32ºC (90ºF) . Be careful not to let chocolate spill out of the mold.

1. Some people think it will be easier to use chocolate syringes to mold.However, you can completely pour it by hand, just don't shake your hand.
2. After pouring chocolate into the mold, put the chocolate in the fridge to freeze or wait for the chocolate to harden at room temperature.It all works, try the way you think is the easiest.However, if you live in a warm climate, it is best to put chocolate in the refrigerator.

9. Remove the chocolate from the mold when it has solidified.Whentaken out, thechocolatepelletsmust have a smooth, glossy outer shell.

1. If you are not satisfied with the finished product, you can recalibrate the chocolate temperature again as long as it is dry and not burnt.