How Do You Make Chocolate

by Laura
(Indiana)

I need to know, how do you make chocolate from scratch?

My son can't have sugar and it is really hard to find sugar free chocolates that don't give you that laxative effect.


So, I wanted to make my own chocolate using this natural sweetener that I have found, but I can't find a recipe on the web for chocolate that I can make and put into molds or make chips out of for cookies. Please help.

---

Hi Laura,

The question, "how do you make chocolate" is a pretty common one around here. Most who ask it are looking to make substitutions like you are.


Unfortunately, we have yet to come up with a really good answer or solution to that problem. Some visitors have fiddled with these basic chocolate candy recipes, but no one has come back to report the secret to making a chocolate that would be candy bar consistency.


That's essentially what you are looking for, I suppose.


Have you tried buying unsweetened chocolate and adding the sweetener you have to it when it is in its melted state? That may be worth a shot.


If you were looking for a recipe using cocoa powder, you would also need an agent like cocoa butter to make it the consistency you need for making molded chocolates.


Making chocolate from "scratch" is VERY involved. You can sometimes find a demonstration online at the Chicago Field Museum to give you an idea of how involved it is.


Have you considered trying carob chips instead? You can buy them unsweetened and use them in some recipes where you would normally use chocolate.


Carob isn't so good for making molded candy, but you could certainly give it a try. You'll need to add a little of some form of fat to get them to melt. I think you'd probably get the best results if you used Paramount Crystals.



If you do some experimenting and come up with a solution, PLEASE come back and tell us how you did it. There are definitely a lot of people who would be very pleased to know the answer to the million dollar question - How do you make chocolate (particularly using substitutes!).


~Angie