Chocolate Recipes

1. Easily Make Delicious Chocolate Rocks at Home

What you need:

150 gm. Bitter Dark chocolate- roughly chopped

50 gm. Roasted almonds/cashews

1/2 tbsp. Orange essence

A Plastic spatula for tempering*

Butter paper

Some ice

Chocolate paper for wrapping

To begin, place the chocolate chunks in clean dry vessel, preferably a heat-proof bowl and place this vessel in a pan with water (filled about 1/3rd with water). Do not cover the vessel. Heat this on a low flame. This is the double boiling technique used for melting of the chocolate.

When about 1/3rd of the chocolate has melted and looks soggy shut the gas and remove the bowl from the water. Add the essence to it. Now the chocolate has to be cooled to room temperature. By room temperature we mean the temperature at which the chocolate would neither be cool nor hot. This is known as tempering* of the chocolate. For this, place the bowl on a vessel filled with some ice and stir it from left to right and right to left using a flat spatula. (Ordinarily, to make chocolates by filling them into moulds you do not need to place the vessel on ice. This is done only for making rocks.) Tempering is not only the ideal way to cool chocolates but it also makes the chocolate richer.

You could dip your finger to check and see if it has cooled to be sure. When you feel that the chocolate has cooled to room temperature add the nuts to it. As soon as you realise that the chocolate is cooling down using your fingers place dollops of chocolate along with 1 or 2 nuts in each dollop on butter paper twirling your hand slightly so as to give it a nice shape. Go on doing this real fast and your rocks will be ready. Remember that each piece has to be bite sized and not too large to fit into your mouth.

This has to be done very soon or else the chocolate will cool down and harden and will have to be reheated. The art of making these beautiful rocks neatly will be mastered with practice. Therefore in the beginning one can try making only a few rocks using very little chocolate. Place this tray of rocks in the refrigerator for at least 15-20 minutes. Remove from fridge, separate from paper and wrap them into chocolate paper. Now you are ready with the beautiful, delicious almond rocks you always adored in chocolate shops.

 

2. Make Mint Chocolates At Home

What you need:

100 gms. Dark chocolate
100 gms. Milk chocolate
4-5 drops mint essence- oil based
Plastic spatula for tempering the chocolate
Some chocolate moulds (Make sure that the moulds are clean and dry. You could use leaf-shaped moulds to make the mint chocolates more attractive)
Chocolate wrapping paper

Method:

1. Chop both the chocolates roughly and place them in a clean, dry vessel. Place this vessel in a pan with water (filled about 1/3rd with water). Do not cover the vessel. Heat this on a very low flame. This is the 'double boiling' technique used for melting of the chocolate. Double boil the chocolate till it is of flowing consistency.

2. Remove from heat and carefully take out the vessel from the water. Now the chocolate has to be cooled to room temperature. By room temperature we mean the temperature at which the chocolate would neither be cool nor hot. This process is known as 'tempering' of the chocolate. Add the essence and temper the chocolate. For this you need to stir the chocolate from left to right and right to left using a spatula. Tempering is not only the ideal way to cool chocolates but it also makes the chocolate richer. You could dip your finger to check and see if it has cooled.

3. Now quickly pour the chocolate into the cavities of the moulds. For this it would be convenient to use a spoon. (You need to be a little fast because the melted chocolate will start to harden soon). Gently tap each mould 2-3 times to remove any air bubbles. Clean any excess chocolate around the moulds cavities.

4. Leave these moulds in the refrigerator for about 25-30 mins.

5. Remove them from the fridge and keep them for 5 mins. in the freezer.

6. Again remove them from the freezer and keep them in the fridge for another 5 mins.

7. Invert each mould on a clean, dry surface and gently tap them. The pieces will fall off on their own.

8. Now you can wrap each piece with chocolate paper.

9. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place at about 15 deg. C

In the same manner vanilla, orange or coffee flavoured chocolate can also be made using those essences instead of the mint essence. It is best if chocolates are enjoyed at room temperature at about 18-20 deg. C. If someone is fond of dark, bitter chocolates add more of the dark compound for eg. you could take 125 or 150 gms. Dark chocolate and 100 gms. Milk chocolate in the above recipe, depending on how much bitter you want the chocolates to be.

Instead of these plain chocolates you can make them more rich and delicious by adding nuts of your choice. You could roast some nuts (almonds, cashews, etc.) and roughly chop them and add them after the tempering stage. Mix lightly with a spoon and pour them into moulds taking care to see that there are a few pieces of nuts in each spoonful that you pour into the moulds cavities.

Also Marie biscuits or wafer biscuits could be added into the chocolate after the tempering stage. Remove each biscuit gently and place them on butter paper a little away from each other and refrigerate for about 15 mins. Separate from paper and wrap each into chocolate paper. You get delicious biscuit chocolates. Chocolate making is all about experimenting as per your taste. If something new works out, it could be your very own discovery.