Home made chocolate bars
If you do not know by now let me tell you that I am a chocoholic, not only do I really enjoy eating chocolate but I also love making pralines, chocolate bars or anything to do with chocolate.
I bought a polycarbonate chocolate mold for making chocolate bars and I was waiting for the next opportunity to test it out. I finally got the opportunity to use the chocolate mold for my mother's birthday.
I made two types of chocolate bars for her. I think she saw it coming because I always give her something sweet for her birthday. I made a chocolate bar with dried mango strips and toasted coconut plus a chocolate bar with dried forest fruits and a chocolate cookie in the middle.
First I tempered dark couverture chocolate. After the chocolate was tempered I poured it into one mold and tapped the mold so that there were no air bubbles. Then I added strips of dried mango and toasted coconut. For the other chocolate bar I poured some of the chocolate in the mold and pushed in the chocolate cookies. I poured the rest of chocolate over the cookies and tapped the mold to even out the chocolate. For the finishing touch I added dried forest fruit pieces evenly over the chocolate.
You can make this chocolate bars with almost any dried or candied fruit, nuts, cookies and spices.
The same process can be done with milk or white chocolate or you can even mix those two for a unique look.
Chocolate bars turned out great but the flavor of mango was not strong enough. To improve the flavor, it would be probably better to chop the mango in small pieces and stir it throughout the chocolate more evenly so that in every bite of chocolate there is some dried mango.
I bought a polycarbonate chocolate mold for making chocolate bars and I was waiting for the next opportunity to test it out. I finally got the opportunity to use the chocolate mold for my mother's birthday.
I made two types of chocolate bars for her. I think she saw it coming because I always give her something sweet for her birthday. I made a chocolate bar with dried mango strips and toasted coconut plus a chocolate bar with dried forest fruits and a chocolate cookie in the middle.
First I tempered dark couverture chocolate. After the chocolate was tempered I poured it into one mold and tapped the mold so that there were no air bubbles. Then I added strips of dried mango and toasted coconut. For the other chocolate bar I poured some of the chocolate in the mold and pushed in the chocolate cookies. I poured the rest of chocolate over the cookies and tapped the mold to even out the chocolate. For the finishing touch I added dried forest fruit pieces evenly over the chocolate.
You can make this chocolate bars with almost any dried or candied fruit, nuts, cookies and spices.
The same process can be done with milk or white chocolate or you can even mix those two for a unique look.
Chocolate bars turned out great but the flavor of mango was not strong enough. To improve the flavor, it would be probably better to chop the mango in small pieces and stir it throughout the chocolate more evenly so that in every bite of chocolate there is some dried mango.
Home made chocolate bars
(Makes 2 bars)
Time:
Preparation: 10min
Cooking: 20min
Cooling: 20-30min
For the base:
- 200g dark couverture chocolate
- 50g dried mango strips/pieces
- 2 tablespoons toasted coconut
- 2 chocolate cookies (I used Leibniz chocolate cookies)
- 50g dried fores fruit
Chop 150 grams of dark chocolate in medium sized pieces, put in the heat-proof bowl and set aside. Chop the remaining 50 grams of the chocolate in tiny pieces and set aside.Put some water in a pot and heat gently to a simmer. Place the bowl with 150 grams chocolate on top of the pot, the water should not touch the bowl. When the chocolate starts to melt, stir and check the temperature. Keep checking the temperature until it reaches 45-48°C (113-118°F). When the chocolate reaches the right temperature take the bowl of the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate. The temperature should drop. Stir the chocolate gently to cool until it reaches 27°C (81°F). This may take a while, depending on the room temperature. When the chocolate is cool enough place the bowl back on the pot of simmering water and heat back to 30-31°C (88-90°F).
Now the chocolate is at the ideal working temperature, and you must work quickly.
If the chocolate cools to much (below 27°C or 81°F) and becomes to thick to work with, I use a hair dryer to gently warm the chocolate back to 30-31°C (88-90°F). Be careful not to over-heat the chocolate (more than 32°C or 89,6°F) because then the chocolate will be out of temper and you will have to start again.
Making the mango-coconut chocolate bar
Fill the mold (one bar) with chocolate, tap the mold a few times so that the air bubbles pop and the chocolate evens out. Add the dried mango and sprinkle the toasted coconut all over the chocolate bar.
Making the cookie-forest fruit chocolate bar
Fill the mold 3/4 full and tap it a few times. Add the chocolate cookies and gently press them in the chocolate, so that they are half way submerged. Add the rest of the chocolate and tap to get rid of air bubbles and to even out the surface of the chocolate bar. Add the dried forest fruit on top.
Place both of the chocolate bars in the fridge and leave to set for about 10 minutes. Take out and set aside for another 10 minutes or until they pop out when the mold is turned upside down.
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