Making Chocolate From Beans to Bars

Continuing on with the goal of making more from and using what we have!  I made a large batch of chocolate from our cacao this past week.  Of course, if you start the timing from picking the fruit, and cutting open, then letting it ferment a week in a big pot, next drying on trays for about a week, then roasting, husking and grinding, the time can be spread out quite a bit. For more in depth instructions, see the Chocolate Alchemist's video series.

I usually let the beans sit in containers after the initial drying stage.  They keep quite well and we can let them accumulate until there's enough to make a chocolate production worthwhile, instead of (as per usual) just using the ground, roasted nibs for my cocoa drink in the morning.  As you might notice, our cacao tree, below, has no fruit at the moment.  Though we have a few other trees, they're not yet producing.  More on the process here, from an earlier post.

For making actual chocolate a melanger or chocolate refiner is necessary. That takes the broken up, roasted nibs and grinds them with some added sugar, for about 24 hours to get a nice, smooth chocolate. The previously used intermediate stage of liquefying first in a Champion Juicer has been eliminated, as an unnecessary step. Less clean-up and loss of chocolate. Another step skipped is tempering.  Less clean-up and loss of ... you get the picture.  I believe in simplifying.

This is 70% chocolate, which is just a personal preference.  Infinitely adjustable.  After pouring the refined product into molds, to which were added nuts, some with both fruit (dried banana) and nuts, it's set in the fridge to harden, then unmolded and wrapped.  This is now perfect in my book!  Some may like milk chocolate, some may like it sweeter and some without any fruit or nuts.  To each her own.

Absolutely love the aroma throughout the house during this process.  And, I ate my quota of chocolate for the day just doing clean-up.  Not complaining.  My nephew makes an unsweetened baking chocolate, which is not so delicious to clean up.

So, praise be to the good Lord, we'll have chocolate bars for awhile!  About 3 lbs. worth anyway. And, totally delicious!! Will share the post over at Beth Fish Reads for her Weekend Cooking event.  Lots of great food and some books too, so be sure to check it out!