How to Make Chocolate
Oct 13, 2012, Updated Sep 27, 2017
Chocolate. What is it with girls and chocolate? You don’t find many of us who are neutral on the subject. I was, though. I didn’t see the point, really. Give me a chunk of goat cheese on nice cracker and call it a day. My eyes, as they say, have been opened. I am interested in chocolate, of course, out of a strictly scientific inquiry into its anti-oxidant benefits. Of course…
Chocolate has long been prized as a fortifying elixir. Montezuma, the Aztec emperor famous for his revenge, said that chocolate was a “divine drink, which builds up resistance and fights fatigue.” That’s right…we used to drink the stuff. And cocoa beans were ground with stones. The technology for a Snickers bar was a good 600 years off at that point.
If ‘chocolate’ is synonymous with ‘candy bar’ around your house, you might be surprised to learn that the cocoa bean is crunchy and bitter. You get two fractions from cocoa beans – the cocoa powder and the cocoa butter. Early on, chocolate was simply cocoa powder, cocoa butter and sugar. Technology made chocolate smoother, creamier and shinier; food conglomerates have made chocolate cheaper by substituting yucky vegetable oils, cheap fillers and very little of the precious cocoa bean. Good quality dark chocolate has very rich, complex flavours and cocoa buffs can debate single origin chocolate the way oenophiles can sniff out tobacco notes in a malbec.
Cocoa beans contain a whole lot of biologically interesting substances, namely caffeine and theobromine – they fight fatigue! – and compounds known to evoke the same chemical response in the brain as falling in love. That’s why girls like chocolate! Cocoa is also incredibly rich in compounds called flavonols, which are potent anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant chemicals. It is for these flavonols that you want to make your own, unprocessed, chocolate. Processing can degrade a lot of these healthful compounds.
Making your own chocolate can be inexpensive or a bit pricey, depending on the ingredients you use. If you typically buy good chocolate, you will definitely save money per bar.
Homemade Chocolate
Ingredients
- ½ cup either pure cocoa butter or virgin coconut oil
- ½ - ¾ cup cocoa powder, raw, ethically sourced
- 2-3 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- ¼ tsp vanilla bean seeds
- optional – unsweetened dried fruit or raw nuts of choice, plus up to 1/8 tsp of cinnamon and/or cardamom
Instructions
- Line a small loaf pan with a piece of parchment large enough that it wraps up two sides. This will make the chocolate easy to remove later on. Alternately, you could use silicone muffin cups for medallions. Sprinkle dried fruit or nuts across bottom of pan, if using.
- In a small saucepan, melt your fat over low heat.
- When melted, add cocoa powder and honey and stir to incorporate for 2-3 minutes. ¾ cup cocoa and 3 tbsp honey will give you a seriously dark chocolate. ½ cup cocoa and 2-3 tbsp honey is milder and sweeter.
- Turn off heat and stir in vanilla bean and spices, if using.
- Pour into loaf pan or cups and refrigerate until hard, at least 2 hours.
- Remove from fridge, cut into bars or just devour the whole darn thing. Note that this chocolate will be a bit more melt-y than the store-bought kind.
Notes
Nutrition
Wondering whether chocolate passes The Kitchen Test? Here’s Andrew’s #Unprocessed FAQ on Chocolate.
I’ve been making a lot of white chocolate lately but I have a feeling that this tastes WAY better. So fun and simple. I’ll have to try this soon!
Desiree, Have you tried this recipe with Dutch Chocolate? I know it is on the “exceptions” list for Unprocessed, but I love Dutch Chocolate! By the way, Dutch chocolate uses potassium to alkalize it.
Hi Colleen,
I have made it once with typical dutched cocoa with no issues but I know that Andrew had an issue with a dutched cocoa. The pH might affect the way it blends but give it a go. Be sure to turn off the heat before adding the cocoa and just stir through. Let me know how it goes!
Thanks for posting this recipe! I’ll definitely be trying it out. Maybe with some chili sprinkled through for spice? Yum!
Hi Katie,
Chili and cinnamon are delicious! And yes, thanks to Gloria for the note. Coconut oil gives an amazing, melting texture but the downside is that it melts in your hands…before your mouth. Keeping them well chilled will help.
Thanks for the suggestions of using silicon cupcake molds. I used a similar recipe for making vegan chocolate chips and I was wondering about making them into chocolate candies. One word of caution for those who have not tried this. Coconut oil has a very low melting point. These chocolates will definitely melt in your hands from my experience. I store my homemade chocolate in the freezer to keep it from being messy.
I’ve never tried making chocolate but I have everything I need in the pantry. It will be an interesting Sunday afternoon. 🙂
I so badly need to try this! NOW!
Wait… darn, it’s way too late. It’ll have to wait a bit. But I have a jar of extra virgin coconut coming in the mail and just bought the darkest, most beautiful cocoa powder ever. I just know what I will be using them for!
I’ll be making my very own Fleur de Sel Fine Chocolate. Oh my, I can’t wait! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe.
Hi Andrew! I just found your blog and am loving it! The rules on your ‘about’ page are ones I adhere to as well. This chocolate looks amazing! I can’t wait to explore more of your recipes.
Will real Vanilla/Vanilla Extract work in place of the beans? And will these work for chocolate chips?
Hi Jacqui,
Real vanilla will absolutely work in the recipes. Just a 1/2 tsp is all you need.
If you want to do chocolate chips, it will be a different method and ratio. You won’t need as much coconut oil; just melt the chocolate chips in a double boiler with just enough real cream, coconut oil or cocoa butter to give you the desired consistency. If the chips are totally unsweetened, add your favourite sweetener and then pour into molds.
Cheers,
Desiree
Thank you! I have been wanting to make chocolate chip cookies (I’m trying to show my family that unprocessed doesn’t mean that their favorite foods are “off the list”)
Jacqui, did you mean to MAKE chocolate chips?
Instead of pouring the chocolate into molds, pour it into a baking sheet lined with parchment, spread it out into an even layer, and let the chocolate cool. Then you can break it up into “chips.” =)
Is it crucial that the coconut oil is virgin? It seems like all I can find is pressed…
Hi Hannah,
Do you mean cold pressed? Essentially, that is virgin coconut oil!
Desiree, this looks heavenly! I can’t wait to try it. Where do you find your cocoa butter and cocoa powder?
Hi Cheryl,
I get my coconut oil from a local Vancouver company, Organic Lives, that sources directly traded raw products and my cocoa and cocoa butter from navitas naturals which is available online and all over north america.
Enjoy!
Desiree