How To Make Homemade Chocolate From Scratch

The Best Chocolate Is Always Homemade!

Homemade chocolate is the most delicious treat mom used to make when I was a child. Using simple ingredients and requiring little time and effort, homemade chocolate is easy to make from scratch, and the taste is divine!

The velvety softness and aromas will make you fall in love with it and prefer it over the classical bars, guaranteed!

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Mom always saved it for special occasions, Christmas, Easter or birthdays, making it more desirable.

These days, homemade chocolate would make a perfect Valentine’s Day treat or gift or a unique addition to the special meals you would prepare for your loved ones on this occasion.

I make this sweet treat rarely, but I always prefer the scratch version rather than melting another already-made chocolate or making fudge.

Homemade Chocolate VS Fudge

Fudge might be the closest version to homemade chocolate, but it is not the same thing. The difference is the proportion of sugar used in fudge – way too much for my taste!

When I moved to the UK, I visited a candy shop and witnessed their fudge making. Although the location was picturesque and the fudge business very successful, I lost interest in the demonstration when the makers emptied an entire sack of white, refined sugar in the massive bowl they used for making fudge.

Anyone who cares the slightest bit about their health knows that refined sugar is a no-no. I will not debate here; there are enough facts easily accessible on the internet to make an informed choice.

I prefer coconut sugar for two main reasons: it is less refined than white sugar and is a healthier option than artificial sweeteners!

Besides, I always use it in small quantities. I never liked anything sickening sweet, and I understand that sugar is not a preservative, although there are enough people who believe so!

If you add 2kg of sugar to a kilogram of fruit when you make jam, for instance, it will not preserve it for longer but will surely make the jam sickeningly sweet!

Likewise, I use reduced sugar quantities in baking; I would rather taste other flavours besides sugar in my cakes!

Homemade Chocolate VS Chocolate Bar

Although I love dark chocolate, I am very selective with the brands I choose to buy. A sickly sweet one won’t do!

In time – and persistent tasting (Oh, I know, I was talking about health barely a minute ago, oops!) I settled mainly with German/Swiss/Austrian chocolate producers. And I will always pay a few pence extra for quality than still paying and not enjoying a bar of chocolate!

I want to feel the taste of cacao in my chocolate and distinct flavours, not tons of sugar that would diminish any other savour!

Because I am picky, I make my chocolate the way I fancy, and this offers me a variety of aromas to enjoy.

I love the punch pepper or chilly gives to chocolate, just as I enjoy a citrusy flavour or a boozy one. Plus, I relish hazelnuts, dried fruits or nougat crumbs in my chocolate.

It is so easy to adapt the recipe, and creativity is essential!

Who can say making homemade chocolate from scratch is no fun when you are free to experiment all you like?

It might get a bit messy in the process, but this is cooking: you are in your kitchen, not in a pharmaceutical production line! Enjoy the fun part and leave the chores for later! Or even better – persuade someone else to clean up; after all, you’ve already done your bit!

Ingredients:

Water

Organic coconut sugar

Organic cacao powder

Powdered milk

Unsalted butter

Flavours to your taste

Roasted hazelnuts (optional)

Method:

In a pan, boil the water with sugar for eight minutes until it becomes syrupy.

Add the cacao powder, mix well and continue boiling at low temperature for another four minutes. Stir occasionally so that it does not crystalise or stick to the pan.

Remove the pan from the hob, add the powdered milk and mix well.

Depending on the type of powdered milk used, you might want to grind it before if it is too lumpy.

During this step, you will see how the powdered milk quickly absorbs the syrupy composition and thickens. The thickness will balance when you add butter. Keep mixing until all lumps dissolve and the consistency is of thick cream.

Add the butter and mix well. Optionally, add roasted crushed hazelnuts, dried fruits, or anything else you might think of that goes well with chocolate.

Add flavours of your choice, and feel free to experiment with small bits first to see if you want to go for that specific taste.

My favourite flavours are rum essence with a dash of ground pepper or orange essence with pepper. The choice is yours!

At this point, the composition should be malleable enough to pour in silicone moulds if you decide to go for unique occasion shapes.

If you are going for simple bar shapes, place parchment paper on a tray, empty the content from the pan and level nicely with a spatula.

Cool in the fridge for at least 4-6 hours, depending on the layer’s thickness. Overnight is better!

If you used shapes, carefully remove your chocolate from the silicone moulds. Otherwise, cut bars of desired thickness and enjoy when you are craving something sweet!

The Best Chocolate Is Always Homemade!