Everybody loves chocolate! For many, chocolate is a major craving and for some it may even border on an addiction. Studies have shown that eating foods that are sweet or have raised fat content (like chocolate) releases serotonin, a hormone that regulates our intestinal movements. Any unused serotonin is used by the brain to control appetites, moods and anger. That’s why, after eating chocolate, some people are happier and more energetic; and why some has come to depend on chocolate as a ” pick me up”.

The good news is, scientists assure that excessive chocolate craving is not really an “addiction”. It’s just your body’s heightened awareness to the sensory stimulation coming from the flavor, chemicals, and nutrients found in chocolate as well as the hormonal and mood swings it arouses.

More good news: you don’t need to make that secret trip to the store every so often for your chocolate “fix.” You can make your own chocolate candy right at home, with ingredients found on grocery or supermarket shelves and utensils that are available at home.

Chocolate Basics

Before you begin though, there are some terms that you have to be aware of for a better perspective on chocolates and chocolate making. That way, you can also evolve your own chocolate candy recipes later on.

• Chocolate liquor – Also known as cocoa liquor or cocoa mass, this smooth liquid is produced after roasting and grinding cocoa beans. Containing about about 53% cocoa butter, chocolate liquor is the foundation for all chocolates.
• Baking chocolate- Unsweetened, it is hardened chocolate liquor, cooled and molded into blocks.
• Cocoa butter – It is the natural fat found in cacao beans. It is usually extracted from the chocolate liquor before it is hardened to baking chocolate. Later it is added back to lend texture and flavor to the chocolate. Cocoa butter is at the heart of the white chocolate.
• Couverture – A French word which means “cover”, couverture is used to coat truffles and candies. It has 35% cocoa butter added and gives your chocolate candy a glossy patina.
• Cocoa powder – The powder used for instant chocolate drinks, it is basically your dehydrated chocolate liquor minus the cocoa butter.
• Bitter chocolate – Known as dark chocolate, it has 35% chocolate liquor.
• Semi-sweet chocolate – Containing 15% chocolate liquor, sugar is added to make it sweet.
• Milk chocolate – The basis for most chocolate candy bars, it contains chocolate liquor, sugar, and milk
• Tempering – The last step in chocolate making, to ensure that your chocolate is shiny and smooth, and has a longer shelf life.

Making Chocolate Candy

Now that you’re more or less acquainted with a basic chocolate making glossary, you’re ready to make your own chocolate candy. Before you start though, make sure that you have all utensils and ingredients ready.

You will need:

• A double boiler
• Mixing bowl
• Candy molds or baking sheet
• Spatula/wooden spoon

Assemble the following ingredients:

• Chocolate (white or dark)
• Optional: Fruit or stir-ins

All you need to do is melt the chocolate in the double boiler, constantly stirring it with a wooden spoon or a spatula. When all the chocolate has melted, remove it from the double boiler and pour the mixture onto a baking sheet or into candy molds to dry. To add some pizazz to your candy, just stir in some chopped nuts, toffee pieces or rice krispies prior to pouring into molds. If you want a fruit-filled chocolate candy, put the fruit on the mold and submerge it in the melted chocolate. If you strained your chocolate into a mold, gently tap the tray on the counter top to eliminate air bubbles. You can air dry your chocolate candy in a cool dry place.

There is a caveat to this simple process though, it does not temper the chocolate. If chocolate is not tempered, it will appear blotched and dull, as chocolate isn’t naturally shiny. It will also have a rough texture as chocolate is neither originally smooth. Tempering distributes chocolate crystals evenly, otherwise the cocoa butter will show, appearing as whitish-gray spots on the surface. Tempering is a challenging process because you have to maintain precise, specific temperatures for specific chocolates all throughout the melting and cooling process.

There’s an easier way to properly temper your chocolate treasures. You can purchase a chocolate tempering machine to take the guesswork and manual labor out of tempering chocolate. Moreover, you’ll be able to make chocolate candies like a professional chocolatier without going through those expensive classes. For sure, you may even progress beyond making chocolate candies for personal consumption and gift giving, to selling them and making tidy profits out of your chocolate “addiction”.

Why Buy a Chocolate Tempering Machine?

Chocolate tempering is one of the last steps taken to process and prepare chocolate candy. In this process, the cocoa butter molecules within the chocolate are stabilized through a process of heating and cooling that allows the chocolate to harden properly and ensures a shiny finish.

Untempered or incorrectly tempered chocolate can be brittle and may appear lackluster, spotted, or blotchy because the cocoa butter separates from the chocolate and some cocoa butter crystals are visible to the eye. Tempered chocolate will have a nice shine and a “snap” when you bite into it.

Tempering chocolate can be challenging because it requires precise temperature control in order to maintain the proper temperature while the chocolate cools.

Chocolate tempering can be made easy with a chocolate tempering machine. We offer three models of chocolate temperers, suited to beginning candymakers, intermediate users, and professional chocolatiers and candymakers.