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Chocolates

17/11/2023

I can provide you with a simple and delicious recipe to make homemade chocolates. Most chocolates require a technique called “tempering” of chocolate, to ensure that it solidifies with a glossy surface and a pleasant snap when bitten. Let’s look at a basic version:

Ingredients

  • 200 g of high-quality dark chocolate (70-75% cocoa)
  • Ingredients for the filling of your choice (whole hazelnuts, almonds, pieces of dried fruit, caramel, peanut butter, etc.)

Preparation

  1. Begin by finely chopping the dark chocolate.
  2. Melt two-thirds of the chocolate in a double boiler, making sure not to exceed 50-55 °C for dark chocolate (45-50 °C if you’re using milk or white chocolate). Gently stir until the chocolate is completely melted.
  3. Once melted, remove the bowl from the double boiler and add the remaining chocolate. Continue stirring until all the chocolate has melted and the temperature has dropped to 31-32 °C for dark chocolate (29-30 °C for milk or white chocolate). This process is called “tempering” and serves to stabilize the cocoa butter in the chocolate, ensuring a crunchy texture and a smooth, shiny finish.
  4. Pour the tempered chocolate into chocolate molds. Add your preferred filling: it can be a whole hazelnut, dried fruit, or whatever you like.
  5. After adding the filling, make sure to cover it with more chocolate until the mold is full.
  6. Tap the mold gently to make sure there are no air bubbles and that the chocolate is distributed evenly.
  7. Place the molds in the refrigerator and let cool for at least one hour.
  8. Once the chocolates have solidified, you can gently remove them from the molds.
  9. Store the chocolates in a cool, dry place, preferably not in the refrigerator to avoid temperature fluctuations that could spoil the temper of the chocolate.

Curiosities

Tempering chocolate is a crucial step in making chocolates because it allows the chocolate to crystallize correctly, achieving that desired consistency that is one of the great pleasures in eating chocolate. There are various methods for tempering chocolate; here we have described the “seeding” method, which is among the most accessible for those making chocolates at home.

Chocolates