How to Make a Chocolate BarChocolate lovers may savor the taste of a good chocolate bar, but if you have ever had a low quality one, it may have been tasteless or had an unappealing texture. Skip the store bought versions the next time you have a chocolate craving and try making your own, exactly as you like it. You don't have to be a chocolatier to make a chocolate bar at home for a decadent indulgence. Keep it to enjoy yourself, or make extras to serve at parties or give to friends and family as gifts.Steps1. - Watch a 10 second video1Purchase high-quality, candy-making chocolate which has been tempered so it will set up to a smooth, solid finish.Look for this type of chocolate, which is usually available in blocks, larger chips or bars, at gourmet foods or specialty stores.Ad2. - Watch a 10 second video2Prepare the mold and chocolate.Spray inside the mold lightly with cooking spray. Blot the mold gently with a towel or paper towel to remove excess moisture. Make sure your mold is dry and on a level surface. Cut or break the chocolate into uniform chunks so that it will melt evenly.3. - Watch a 10 second video3Melt about 5 oz.(142 g) of chocolate for each bar that you want to make. Place the chocolate in a double boiler on low heat, or melt in a bowl the microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring in between. Stir almost constantly once the chocolate begins to melt. Remove from heat when chocolate is almost fully melted. Continue to stir until completely smooth.4. - Watch a 10 second video4Place nuts, dried fruits, crushed mints, shredded coconut, or candies, if desired, inside the mold.Leave enough room to pour in the melted chocolate.5. - Watch a 10 second video5Pour the melted chocolate into the mold and fill to the top.If you pour too much, scrape a knife evenly across the surface to remove excess chocolate. Tap the mold carefully on the working surface a few times to release any air bubbles that will blemish the surface of the bar.6. - Watch a 10 second video6Let the bar set up.Place the filled mold in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes or until solid. You can put it in the freezer for about 5 minutes to solidify it faster.7. - Watch a 10 second video7Remove the chocolate bar from the mold.Flip the mold over and gently press; the chocolate bar should immediately release and seem very firm. Do not force the bar out of the mold, or it may crack. Put it back in the refrigerator or freezer for a few more minutes until set, if needed. Do not touch the bar excessively or you will leave fingerprints on the chocolate.8. - Watch a 10 second video8Wrap the homemade chocolate bar, if desired.. Cut out a piece of waxed paper double the size of the bar. Fold over the bar, with the waxier side touching the chocolate.. Tear a sheet of plastic wrap that is twice the size of the bar. Wrap around the chocolate gently to cover the entire bar.. Decorate by cutting a piece of craft paper, or another sturdy type of paper, into a sheet that is approximately 3/4 the size of the bar. Fold it over the bar, center it and tape the underside to secure. - Watch a 10 second video9Personalize the chocolate candy bar for special occasions.. Print out customized labels on your computer if you would like to add a specific name or theme. - Watch a 10 second video10Store the chocolate candy bar in a sealable baggie or in an airtight container until ready to serve or present.Keep in a cool, dark place. Consume within a few weeks, or freeze for up to 6 months. - Watch a 10 second video11Finished.

The following Kitchen Deconstructed experiment was put together by Tessa Arias, the multi-talented blogger behindHandle the Heatand cookbook author ofCookies and Cream: Hundreds of Ways to Make the Perfect Ice Cream Sandwich. Be sure to check out her blog andUltimate Brownie Recipe Guide.Theres no gift quite as sweet as homemade candy. Though for many bakers, making candy at home can seem daunting and a task best reserved for the professionals. To introduce you to the wonderful world of homemade candies, Im going to break down a simple chocolate truffle recipe and through my experimentation teach you how to use its method to make five surprisingly different truffles.Share the following truffle findings in one Pinterest pinMy chief control recipe relies on a standard chocolate ganache base. This recipe also requires coating the truffles in tempered chocolate (learn to temper chocolate here). However, if you want to make your truffles without tempering chocolate, simply coat the truffle balls in melted chocolate and refrigerate until ready to serve. You can even add a teaspoon of coconut oil to help the chocolate harden.Control RecipeMakes about 24 truffles 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed 1/2 cup heavy cream Prepared Tempered Chocolate1. Place chocolate and butter in a medium heat-proof bowl. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the cream to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and butter. Let stand for 2 to 3 minutes before whisking until melted and smooth. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 1 hour, or until slightly firmed.2. Use a small 2-teaspoon spring-loaded scoop, form mounds of chocolate onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Roll the mounds into balls with the palms of your hands. Return the truffles to the baking sheet and chill for another 30 minutes, or until firm. Dip the balls in prepared tempered chocolate. Let chocolate set before serving. The truffles can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.Corn SyrupFor my first batch I took the control recipe and simply added one tablespoon of light corn syrup along with the cream. As a result, the truffle mix was a little easier to shape and the resulting truffles were fudgier and chewier than the ultra smooth and rich control recipe. I ended up preferring the result of these corn syrup truffles to that of the control recipe.Sweetened Condensed MilkTo experiment with condensed milk, I used eight ounces of semisweet chocolate and 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk. I didnt use any butter or cream like in the control recipe; I just heated the milk and chocolate together until melted. Then chilled the mixture as I did in the control recipe. These truffles were easier to shape than the control recipe and didnt require as long of a chilling period.Taking a bite into them was much like taking a bite into a hunk of chocolate-coated fudgemeaning they were very sweet and much firmer than the control recipe. The truffles were far too sweet for my taste and possibly my least favorite batch. If I were to make sweetened condensed milk truffles again, it would have to be with bittersweet or even unsweetened chocolate.Cream CheeseLike the condensed milk batch, I didnt use cream or butter for these truffles, this time replacing the pair with cream cheese. This meant the only ingredients were four ounces of room temperature cream cheese and eight ounces of semisweet chocolate. I beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth then gradually added the melted and cooled (but not hardened) semisweet chocolate. I chilled until firm then shaped into balls.The truffle mix ended up being too firm and the most difficult to shape out of all the batches. The firm texture carried through to the mouthfeel and they ended up being the hardest to bite into. So while I liked the slightly tangy flavor the cream cheese, the texture definitely wasnt a favorite.Oreo CookiesSome of the most popular truffle recipes Ive seen floating around the web have been those featuring ground Oreo cookies. So for this batch, I veered away from the control recipes ingredient list and the only two ingredients I used were eighteen whole Oreo cookies and four ounces of room temperature cream cheese.In the bowl of a mini food processor, I pulsed the cookies until finely ground then added the cream cheese and pulsed until combined. I chilled the mixture until firm then shaped into balls and followed the rest of the control recipes method. This batch was by far the easiest to make and work with.The finished truffles had a completely different texture to all the other batchesthey were almost grainy (but in a pleasant way) and overall more substantial in mouthfeel than the others. They ended up being my favorite, which surprised me a little, because they werent as decadently rich as some of the other batches.Brazilian InspiredIf you are familiar with Brazilian food, youve probably heard of the Brigadeiro, a chocolate truffle made from cocoa powder, butter, and condensed milk. To create my own take on the Brigadeiro, I used three tablespoons unsalted butter, 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, and 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk in lieu of the control recipes ingredients.Usually a Brigadeiro is coated with cocoa powder or sprinkles, but because I wanted to maintain the method from my control recipe, I went ahead and gave mine a tempered chocolate coating. The recipe was easy to make and shape. Unlike the Sweetened Condensed Milk batch, these truffles used unsweetened cocoa powder so they werent overly sweet. Instead, they were super rich and fudgy, yet still softmaking them quite enjoyable.