Individual Infos

There are really lots people who craves for chocolates, maybe, one of the reasons is that underneath it all is the serotonin that chocolate produces to regulate intestinal functions as well as control anger, moods and appetite. Try to observe someone after eating chocolates and you will see that they tend to become more hyper and lively.

Scientists say unusual cravings for chocolate don’t mean addiction. It simply is the body’s growing awareness of the stimulation that comes from the chemicals, flavors and nutrients in chocolates.

The good thing is that you don’t have to go to the store whenever you want a chocolate, you can just make it right at your own home. Before making your own chocolate candy, make sure you know some of the basic terms first.

• Chocolate liquor - The cocoa mass or paste that you can get once you roast and grind the beans, the basic ingredient of chocolates which contains 53% cocoa butter.
• Baking chocolate - The chocolate liquor that has been cooled down and molded into blocks.
• Cocoa butter - This is the oil that you get from the cacao beans. It’s the foundation for white chocolates.
• Couverture - Meaning “cover” in French, it’s used for coating truffles and candies, contains 35% cocoa butter and provides glossy sheen to the chocolate.
• Cocoa powder - Your typical instant chocolate drink ingredient. Dried out chocolate paste without the cocoa butter.
• Bitter chocolate - Also called dark chocolate, it contains 35% chocolate liquor.
• Semi-sweet chocolate - 15% chocolate liquor; also contains sugar as sweetener.
• Milk chocolate - Most chocolate bars has this, made of chocolate liquor, milk and sugar.
• Tempering - The last procedure in chocolate candy making, this process makes chocolate rich, shiny and last for a long time.

With all these basic terms, you’re now somehow familiar with the chocolate glossary, and ready to craft your own chocolate candy. Before you begin, prepare everything that you’ll need, which includes a mixing bowl, candy molds, spatula, and double boiler as well as chocolates and bite-sized fruits.

Heat the chocolate until it completely melts, gently stirring with a spatula. Remove from fire and pour the chocolate on a baking sheet or candy molds to cool down and dry. If you’re making fruit-filled candies, dip the fruit into the chocolate mush. You can also design varied-shaped chocolate using candy molds. Gently pat the tray on the countertop to strain out air bubbles. Let your chocolate dry at room temperature or in the chiller before serving.

This is the simple process of chocolate candy making. Remember though that non-tempered chocolate will be prone to be patchy, dull and crumbly. Tempering can be a challenging process that requires patience and skills. You can also choose to temper your chocolate the easy way by using a chocolate tempering machine, which will yield chocolate that looks like a master chocolatier prepared it.

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