How to Make Homemade Chocolate

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

The thought of rich, sweet, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate is hard to get out of your head once you’ve got a craving. You don’t have to run out and buy a candy bar to get your fix though. We’ll show you how to make your own chocolate right at home using a few basic ingredients. Be careful though—these chocolates are so easy and delicious, it will be hard to stop making them once you start.

Ingredients

Dark Chocolate

3.5 tablespoons (48 g) cocoa butter
3.5 tablespoons (26 g) cocoa powder
1 tablespoon (14 g) sugar
½ teaspoon (3 ml) vanilla extract

Milk Chocolate

5.5 tablespoons (75 g) cocoa butter or plain butter
9.5 tablespoons (75 g) icing sugar or powder sugar
6 tablespoons (25 g) milk powder
4 tablespoons (30 g) cocoa powder
Pinch of salt

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Making a Dark Chocolate Bar

1
Gather all of your ingredients and supplies. By definition, dark chocolate is chocolate that has a higher concentration of cocoa butter and less milk. It’s actually possible to make dark chocolate without any milk at all, so it’s perfect if you can’t have dairy. Along with your ingredients, you're also gonna need:^{[1]
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- A grater
- A double boiler
- A metal whisk
- A candy mold
- Optional yummy extras, like nuts or dried fruits.
2
Heat up the double boiler. In the bottom of the double boiler, fill the pot with an inch (2.5 cm) of water. Place this over medium heat and let the water to come to a boil.
- If you don’t have a double boiler, don’t worry. Just fill the bottom of a regular saucepan with water, and use a metal or glass bowl as the top portion of the double boiler. Make sure the bowl isn’t touching the water or the chocolate will burn and all of your hard work will be ruined! Pour out some of the water if necessary.
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3
Grate and melt the cocoa butter. Cocoa butter melts much faster if you grate it first.^{[2]
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- Interesting fact: wooden utensils can still contain moisture from the tree, which can leach into the chocolate and change its composition. Stick with metal utensils when mixing your chocolate.^{[3]
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- Some recipes call for coconut oil instead of cocoa butter, but coconut oil will result in an oily chocolate that isn't as smooth, rich, and creamy as chocolate should be.
4
Add in the remaining ingredients. Once the cocoa butter has melted, add the cocoa powder and whisk to combine. When the cocoa powder melts and the mixture starts to take on a glossy appearance, whisk it until it becomes smooth and creamy.^{[4]
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- When the chocolate is creamy and glossy, add the sugar and vanilla, and whisk to combine. Continue heating and whisking until the sugar is melted.
- Fee free to use honey, maple syrup, or any other sweetener in place of the sugar.
5
Pour the chocolate into your mold. Once all of the ingredients are melted and fully combined, pour the mixture evenly into your mold. Use a flat mixing spatula to distribute the chocolate in the mold if necessary.
- Once the mold is full, go ahead and sprinkle in any additional ingredients you're using, like nuts or dried fruit. Try to distribute the ingredients evenly throughout the chocolate.
- You can use any mold you like for this chocolate, including a bar mold, heart shapes, or any other design. If you don’t have a chocolate mold, you can even use clean ice cube trays.
- You can also use dark chocolate to make chocolate chips, truffles, and other delicious confections.
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Cool the chocolate. Set the chocolate aside to cool to room temperature so it doesn’t harden too quickly. Once it reaches room temperature, transfer the mold to an air-tight container and into the fridge to set for about an hour.^{[5]
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- It’s tempting to skip this part so you can enjoy your chocolate sooner, but don’t do it! If you put the chocolate in the fridge too quickly, it could bloom, which is when the surface of the chocolate becomes dull and streaked.^{[6]
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7
Remove your chocolate from the mold. Take the chocolate out of the fridge once it has set. To get it out of the mold, place the mold upside down on a flat surface, then peel the mold away from the chocolate.
- If the mold is being stubborn, put the chocolate in the freezer for 5-10 minutes and then try again.^{[7]
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- Gently tap the back of the mold with the butt end of a kitchen knife if the chocolate doesn’t come out right away. Or, you can gently tap the entire mold against a hard, flat surface to release it.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Making Milk Chocolate Chips

1
Get your supplies. Making milk chocolate is very similar to making dark chocolate. The major difference is that milk chocolate incorporates milk powder. When you make milk chocolate, you don’t just have to make chips. You can also use it to make chocolate bars, sauces, and other yummy treats. To make milk chocolate chips, you'll need your ingredients, plus:
- A double boiler or metal bowl and saucepan
- A metal spoon
- A whisk
- A parchment-lined baking sheet
- A pasty bag with a small circle tip
- A toothpick
2
Grate and melt the cocoa butter. You can also cut the cocoa butter into small chunks—either way works! Place the cocoa butter into a double boiler over medium heat. You can also use a bowl set on top of a saucepan filled with one inch (2.5 cm) of water over medium heat. Stir with a metal spoon until the cocoa butter melts.^{[8]
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- Double-check that the bowl isn't touching the water to avoid burning the chocolate. If it is, just remove the bowl and pour some of the water out.
3
Add in the remaining ingredients. Add the pinch of salt, followed by the cocoa powder. Stir to combine, then add the sugar and stir. When that is all incorporated, add the milk powder and stir until everything is mixed together.
- Once the ingredients are fully incorporated, whisk the chocolate vigorously until it becomes glossy.
- You definitely want to use powdered milk when making chocolate instead of liquid milk. Liquid milk contains a lot of water, and water causes chocolate to seize, meaning it clumps up into a chunky mess.^{[9]
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Form the chocolate chips. Spoon or pour the chocolate into the pastry bag fitted with the circle tip. Dab pea-sized dots of chocolate onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. While the chocolate is still warm, dab a toothpick into the center of each chip and lift to create a peak in the middle.^{[10]
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- If you don’t have a pastry bag, use a freezer bag. Fill the bag with the chocolate and use scissors to snip off a small hole in one of the bottom corners. Push the chocolate out of the hole like you would with a pastry bag.
- Don’t worry if your chocolate chips aren’t perfect and uniform. They’ll still taste delicious!
- When you’ve finished piping out the chips, set them aside to cool to room temperature. When they're cool, transfer them to an air-tight container.
5
Finished.

Expert Q&A

Question

What is the difference between ganache and melted chocolate?

Jessica Banh
Pastry Chef
Jessica Banh is a Pastry Chef and the Owner of Fancy Flavors in San Jose, California. With over 12 years of technical experience, Jessica has expertise in a wide variety of pastry techniques and has a focus on macarons. Her work has been featured in The SF Chronicle, The Mercury News, and Good Morning America. She received her training from The Professional Culinary Institute.

Jessica Banh

Pastry Chef

Expert Answer

Well, ganache is typically a combination in one to one ratio of chocolate and heavy cream. You can make it by microwaving them together in a bowl to fully melt everything and mix them.
Question

Can we substitute butter for cocoa butter?

Community Answer

Yes. You can. Butter is almost the same as cocoa butter. However, if you use cocoa butter the taste of the chocolate will be slightly different. You can try making a bit of each and see which is nicer before you decide which on to use. However, if you are unable to find cocoa butter, you can use regular butter.
Question

How do I make and decorate heart shaped chocolate?

Community Answer

Put the chocolate mixture into heart shaped ice cube trays or a heart shaped candy mold. Then, before it cools, add sprinkles, edible glitter or other edible decorations which will harden on the chocolate. You can also drizzle a different color candy on the hearts after they harden and you remove them from the mold.