I have wanted to learn how to temper chocolate forever! So much so I signed up for the class Homemade Chocolate Candy via Craftsy. Unfortunately, this is the first class at Craftsy I was disappointed in. Yes, they taught me about tempering chocolate and how to dip things into chocolate but not much more than that. It was not worth the money.
I found this excellent simple video that really goes over the basics which I attempted for this post.
Chocolate Hazelnut Bark
I picked up Lorann’s Professional Kitchen Hazelnut Bakery Emulsion at Bulk Barn and was curious to see how it would do flavouring chocolate. I adore chocolate and hazelnut (I am a Nutella fiend) and really wanted to make my own hazelnut bark.
This is what inspired me to figure out the Best Way To Remove Hazelnut Skins!
Tempering The Chocolate
I personally am not going to get super finicky about chocolate temperatures. I wanted a basic technique that I could use instinctually.
I used the ratio of 2/3 of dark bitter chocolate and 1/3 chopped semi-sweet chocolate. I put it over a double boiler and let it melt 2/3 thirds.
You will want there to still be some chunks melting in the chocolate.
To help temper the chocolate by slowing the cooling process down, add some more chocolate and stir until that is melted.
This is the key to tempering chocolate. Slow the cooling down!
Because I was making two batches of chocolate I divvied it between two bowls and added the hazelnut emulsion.
And that is when it went to hell! Note to self: emulsions are not chocolate-friendly! Can you see how the chocolate got all grainy?
I quickly spread the melted chocolate over parchment paper and covered it thickly with roasted hazelnuts.
Not exactly pretty or what I wanted but most importantly… How did it taste?
The texture was not perfect but the hazelnut flavour was great and I loved how having the roasted hazelnuts on top compounded that fabulous foodie combo. Live and learn!
Dark Bitter Blood Orange Chocolate Bites
I have had these Batman molds forever and wanted to use them for making chocolate. A Facebook friend suggested I combine dark bitter chocolate with blood orange and I thought that was genius! I picked up the blood orange extract when I was at The Gourmet Warehouse.
I used the exact same technique and added a few drops of the blood orange extract to the melted chocolate, nervously. Thankfully this time there was no chocolate curdling. I poured the chocolate into the molds and let it set.
They came out great! How do you know if you successfully tempered chocolate? It takes a while to melt in your hands. It is also very “snappy” with good crunch.
It should also be shiny so I was a little worried that mine did not shine enough. I asked in the forum of the Craftsy class for some help. The teachers did not respond (grrr) but some of the students did. One said that chocolates from silicone molds will never be shiny so…
I think I did it! I think I successfully created tempered flavoured chocolates! The dark chocolate with the blood orange was fantastic, so I was thrilled with this foodie experiment.
The important part about temperating chocolate is to get the feel for the chocolate during the tempering process. The trick is to listen to the chocolate and help cool it down slowly. Once you have got that down, you are good to go.
Next step for me is to create chocolate with a creamy filling! Oh how I love learning, especially when it is this delicious.
Looks delicious! And the Batman choccies look cool!
Thanks Debra! I love all things Batman so it was fun to make geeky chocolates.
That is very close to how I do it as well. I never melt all the way. And I make homemade chocolate bars alll the time as I cannot eat ready-made ones. I don’t care though, homemade kicks butt.
Love the bat. So fun.
Yes, not melting all the way seems to be the trick! And that’s one thing I want to learn how to make too, homemade chocolate bars, nice!
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