How To Make Your Own Chocolate Candy at Home
November 6th, 2009The human body always has a way to counter things to maintain harmony in all its functions. Even eating chocolates and fatty foods like sweets will induce your body to release a regulatory hormone called serotonin to traffic gastric tasks. The brain has automated the behavior of utilizing the unused serotonin to manage things like your appetites, moods, spirits, excitement and enthusiasm.
Scientists bluntly refute the statement that this chocolate-eating habit’s an “addiction”. They say the stimulation caused by the flavor and nutrients of the chocolates cause you to surrender to its magnetic “power”; add to that positive mood changes each time you eat chocolates and your “addiction” is cemented. Now you can have ready access to a quick “fix” because you yourself can learn how to make them. But to start with, you must know the following:
- Cocoa butter being the main ingredient of chocolates should be extracted from cocoa liquor which is derived from cocoa beans through the grinding and roasting process. The fine texture and flavor of the chocolates are due to cocoa butter.
- You can get baking chocolate from hard and unsweetened chocolate that has gone through after cooling and molding.
- The refreshing shine to chocolates is thanks to couverture, which is 35% cocoa butter.
- You can make instant chocolate drinks only with cocoa powder, which is produced through dehydration process done on chocolate liquid from which cocoa butter is removed.,
- Dark or bitter chocolates come with 35% of chocolate liquor in them.
- If you want semi-sweet chocolates, you can add sugar to 15% chocolate liquor.
- Mouth-watering and delicious chocolate candy bars are produced from milk chocolate that contains chocolate liquor, sugar and milk.
- Only by tempering chocolates can you give shine, smoothness and longer shelf life to your newly-minted candies.
Without planning, you may end up facing quick defeat in any venture; therefore, “mise en place” items like a double boiler, a mixing bowl, candy molds or baking sheets, a rubber spatula or spoon, and white or dark chocolate. Keeping them ready will enable you to focus on the chocolate making process without any hassles.
In your chocolate candy making pursuit, commence with melting the chocolate in a double boiler, stirring all throughout with a spatula or a wooden spoon. Once melting is complete, let dry the chocolate on a baking sheet, in candy molds, or in the freezer. Completely robe fruits with the molten chocolate if you want fruit-filled candies. Air bubbles in the candies must not be allowed.
Note that chocolate tempering improves the quality of your chocolatesyou prevent blotches or crystal formations, distribute crystals evenly within the candy, and make your chocolates smooth and shiny. If you are not confident of maintaining specific temperatures during melting, you can very well use a chocolate tempering machine to automate the process.
Your hobby can be converted into a business and you can sell quality candies to other “chocoholics” and maybe, make handsome profits out of it.
