Adventures on Home Hill Farm: Chocolate

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Chocolate - Home Made

All those lovely chocolates in the stores, Australian, Swiss, Belgian, Austrian etc. But all of them made with a list of ingredients that you would prefer to not put in your body. Well you can have your chocolate and eat it by making your own. It's easy and it's quick. Fill a saucepan with warm water and sit a bowl (not plastic) in the saucepan so the base of the bowl is in contact with the water. Keep the saucepan warming on the stove top. You need the water warm but not too hot.

Ingredients required: Coconut Oil, Cocoa Powder, Dextrose.

Optional Ingredients: Nuts of your liking, Shredded Coconut, Vanilla pod or essence.

Scoop in 5 measures (spoons, cups whatever) of Coconut oil into the warming bowl and allow it to melt. You can melt it in warm water before hand.

Put in 5 measures of Dextrose. The dextrose will need some time and stirring to dissolve. You can use more less Dextrose depending on your sweet tooth.

When you think the Dextrose has dissolved add 5 measures of Cocoa powder. More if you want a more intense chocolate flavour. Stir without heating too much so the mixture becomes smooth. Taste it to see if you want more Dextrose or more Cocoa.

We use two different moulds. I prefer a flat based plastic container which allows me to break up the chocolate into rough pieces but I also use ice cube trays for even cubes. Let it set in the refrigerator until firm and then eat. Its keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

My favourite optional ingredient is roasted unsalted peanuts, just a thin layer in the base of the mould with the liquid chocolate poured over it. Texture wise I've found a thin layer of chocolate is best i.e. no more that 10 mm thick for the best mouth feel. We buy raw blanched peanuts and roast them in the oven. Shredded coconut raw or toasted in a frying pan is best added to the chocolate mix before pouring into moulds. I use it along with the nuts sometimes. Once you have the flavour right you can put in all sorts of additional goodies such as Vanilla Essence or pod scrapings, dried fruit, chilli, salt etc – entirely up to you.

There are different brands of coconut oil some are very expensive and some are very cheap. I have only come across one that was putrid and even the chooks wouldn't touch it when I threw it out. Some supermarkets carry Coconut oil as do most health food shops as well as Indian and Asian food stores. Try a few until you find one you like as they do taste a little different because of the processing.

Cocoa powder (use Dutch Processed) varies dramatically. Some only produce a light chocolate flavour and colour and others a much more intense colour and flavour. Again supermarkets and health food stores carry them.