Milk chocolate Candy recipe

Learning how to make chocolate is an art unto itself. Gather your basic supplies and learn how to make chocolate from scratch with these simple, step-by-step instructions. Whether you decide to make truffles or chocolate molded candies, candy making is a fun pastime.

Recipe for Homemade Chocolate

Whether it's a chocolate bar or a fancy filled chocolate, the base of chocolate candy is made from cocoa powder or cocoa beans, cocoa butter, butter, and sugar. Some recipes also recommend using blocks of unsweetened baking chocolate.

Traditional Gourmet Recipe

The gourmet recipe to make milk chocolate requires some unusual ingredients. You may not be able to find these at the local supermarket, but most online and gourmet retail shops carry them. Chocolate Alchemy sells cocoa beans, roasting equipment, and other equipment needed to make pure chocolate from scratch. In general, to make chocolate from raw beans, you need to select the beans, roast them, grind them, cook them with sugar and butter, then process them for many hours before pouring, molding, and melting them again to temper the chocolate. This process can take several days, and requires special equipment to grind the nibs.

Basic Gourmet Recipe

Since most people don't have several days to devote to chocolate making, the following basic gourmet recipe shaves off several days by starting with cocoa powder. Cocoa powder substitutes for roasting, grinding, and processing raw cocoa beans.

When purchasing ingredients for this recipe, make sure you buy the very best cocoa powder you can afford. The better quality cocoa powder will yield a richer, more satisfying chocolate taste.

Ingredients

• 2 cups cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup whole milk, room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup water

Equipment

• Heavy saucepan
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Chocolate molds

Instructions

1. Heat the water in a medium-sized saucepan until simmering.
2. Cream the cocoa powder and butter together into a paste.
3. Add the cocoa mixture to the hot water. Bring it back to simmering, and then remove from heat and transfer the cocoa mixture to a bowl.
4. Sift the two sugars and salt together in a separate bowl to eliminate any lumps.
5. Add the sugar to the cocoa mixture and stir well to combine.
6. Add the milk slowly and stir.
7. Pour the chocolate mixture in thin layers into molds and freeze or refrigerate until firm.

The recipe doesn't produce tempered chocolate, it is a more firm truffle consistency. You can make it harder by substituting softened cocoa butter for dairy butter - that will give it a raw chocolate consistency (firmer than truffles, but softer than a candy bar). If you want it harder still, you can reduce the amount of water or eliminate it all together using a double boiler to heat the cocoa mixture instead.

The thinner you pour it, the harder it will become as well; thick chocolate molds will produce a fudgier consistency.

Customize Your Candy

Mix one of the following into the chocolate just before pouring it into the molds to customize the chocolate:

• Raisins
• Peanuts
• Almonds
• Cashews
• Coconut
• Bits of crushed peppermint candies

Other Ways to Make Chocolate Candy

By far the easiest way to make chocolate is to purchase chocolate wafers especially created for candy making. You can find chocolate wafers at hobby and craft stores like Michaels and many supermarkets, especially around the holidays. Choose from milk, dark, or white chocolate. Plastic molds can shape the chocolate into any desired shape. You can add lollipop sticks to make chocolate pops and decorate with icing or other fun candies to make your own chocolate.

Create Your Own Chocolate Masterpiece

Whether you aspire to be the next Willy Wonka or simply want to make some homemade candy to give as gifts, candy making and learning how to make chocolate from scratch is a fun pastime. On the next rainy day, gather your supplies, head for the kitchen, and have fun making chocolate.