You know what I find deceptive? When I walk into the craft store and the sign above Wilton Candy Melts says “candy making.” It should be called “candy molding” because the only process to this is melting the chocolates and pouring them into molds. You’re not really making anything. Candy melts are not real candy per se, as they are mostly hydrogenated fats and sugars with cocoa added. Read more about Candy Melts vs. Chocolate
In this post I show you how to make chocolate candy, not just mold it. It doesn’t take that many ingredients to make this although the cocoa butter is expensive and a little hard to get. You can find raw cocoa butter here. I have a recipe using coconut oil in place of the cocoa butter here, but, it does give the chocolate a slight coconut taste and real chocolatiers use cocoa butter. In addition to the main ingredients you can add optional add-ins such as nuts, rice krispies, cocoa nibs, peppermint pieces, etc. Also, you can flavor your candy with candy extracts such as maple or peppermint just remember to use the flavorings made specifically for candy and not the baking extracts on the grocery store shelf. And with candy flavorings, a little goes a long way. Usually only a few drops are needed to get the results you’re looking for.
Another idea is use this chocolate for cake pops, to make peanut butter cups, or mallomars.
One suggestion is to take notes when you first begin making chocolate. It took me a few tries before getting it right. How much sweetener you use should be adjusted to how sweet you want to make your chocolate. Use less sweetener to make your chocolate bittersweet, more if you have a sweet tooth. You want to write down how much you use so next time, you can adjust it. This is especially important if you are using different sweeteners each time.
This recipe will make about a cup of chocolate melted, more depending on whether you use a liquid sweetener and how much you add.
118 grams Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder (or more if chocolate is too thick)
165 grams Cocoa Butter (make sure it’s edible food grade quality and not the stick labeled 100% cocoa butter that is found in the beauty aisle)
Sweetener of your choice (these are approximations and should be adjusted to fit your taste. Always start off with less and add more as needed):
1/2 cup raw honey
215 grams of powdered sugar (also called confectioner’s sugar and icing sugar)
27 grams Splenda(for sugar free version)
2/3 cup Agave nectar
1/2 – 2/3 cup maple syrup
1 1/4 cup Brown Rice syrup
2 or more teaspoons of Stevia (another sugar free option)
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract or other flavors to taste
Optional Add-ins
1. Melt cocoa butter in a double boiler on a low to medium low temperature until completely melted.
2. When cocoa butter is completely melted, remove from heat and add cocoa powder, sweetener, vanilla, any other
flavorings and add-ins.
3. Mix well. If the chocolate is too thick to pour, add more melted cocoa butter until thin and pourable.
4. Pour the chocolate in to molds or onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper to harden. Let harden either on the counter at room temperature which will take a few hours, or stick in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
NOTE: Never add water to chocolate as it will turn stiff. It will still taste good but it will lose that creamy texture and you won’t be able to mold it.
My goodness me! These look amazing.