How to Make Chocolate

Chocolates have long been one of the favorite desserts in the world that there are so many recipes that uses chocolates in them. It is a perfect gift idea to a loved one and is a perfect treat even to yourself. It has become one of the comfort foods of people, and researches have shown and proven that it does release a happy hormone that can make a person feel better.

If you are tired of the usual chocolates you find in any grocery stores, why not learn how to make chocolate yourself? It is easy as well as a fun thing to do.

What You Need

The ingredients you will need are raw cocoa beans. The best way to find and purchase raw cocoa beans is through the Internet. You can look for companies selling cocoa beans and have them ship the beans to your home.

You will also need an oven, a pan, mortar and pestle, and a grinder – that is all.

The Process of How to Make Chocolate

It is quite simple, really, to make a chocolate. First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees before you roast your cocoa beans in it. On a pan, spread the beans, making sure that you have spread them evenly so as to ensure even roasting. Put them in the oven for about half an hour at 400 degrees. After that, let them cool off for a while before you peel off their husks, a fussy task that will test your patience.

After all the husks have been removed, break the cocoa beans apart with the use of your mortar and pestle. Once done and you have smaller pieces, put them through the grinder, taking care that they do not liquefy. Grind them just enough that you can use the mortar and pestle on them again before they undergo the final process.

In the last process, you place the grinded cocoa beans in a dish and heat the dish over a pan of water so as not to overcook them. The cocoa beans become mushy after you have grinded them in the mortar and pestle once more for a smoother texture. Now you have a pure chocolate, but it is still bitter. Add in your flavorings like sugar (to taste) and mint flavoring (about a drop).

Note, for every pound of cocoa beans that have been processed, it will need about half a cup of sugar, but then again, you can add sugar until it suits your preferences.