Homemade chocolate is really one of the simplest experiments that can be done without prior preparation. The set of ingredients for this is very simple: cocoa butter, powdered sugar, milk powder and vanilla or its extract. All this takes five minutes and tastes great. Another nice detail is that you can increase or decrease the addition of sugar to your liking. How to make white chocolate at home?
What is required for this?
As noted above, the set of ingredients for this treat is small. You only need the following:
- raw organic cocoa butter - 240 grams or 1 cup;
- a glass of powdered sugar;
- a quarter cup of powdered milk (look for very fine powder or grind it yourself);
- 2 vanilla pods or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (alcohol-based).
How it's done?
How to make white chocolate at home? Place the cocoa butter in a double boiler or bowl, placed in a pan with water on the burner, turned on at medium temperature. Add powdered sugar and milk powder, and heat, stirring, until the butter begins to melt. Then add vanilla. Mix well to make sure sugar and milk powder are completely dissolved. At this, the preparation of homemade white chocolate can be considered complete.
Pour the resulting mass into special molds. If you use solid containers rather than silicone, it is better to lubricate them first with oil. Let the chocolate harden for several hours. You can place it in the refrigerator and wait 10-20 minutes or leave it at room temperature for a longer time. Put the finished dessert on parchment paper and wrap it in it.
Are there any secrets in this recipe? According to numerous reviews ("how to make white chocolate at home and what you need for this"), some tricks are in choosing the right milk powder and the proportion of ingredients.
About milk powder
It is important not to violate the proportions indicated in the recipe. How to make white chocolate to make it tender? Many confectioners suggest adding a very small amount of milk powder. In practice, reviews say that the dessert is not too tender (rather, it resembles wax in consistency). Therefore, it is better to make such an additive in the recipe in sufficient quantities.
At its core, white chocolate is milk, but without the addition of cocoa powder. Therefore, the presence of milk in its composition is simply necessary, and not in tiny dosages. It is best to use a nonfat dry product.
About the structure of chocolate
In addition, some reviews suggest that homemade white chocolate is “grainy.” To avoid this, many try to use various tricks. This is called tempering chocolate. Ideally, the dessert should be smooth and completely uniform. However, it still does not work out exactly the same as a commercially available product.
To achieve maximum uniformity, it is best to choose the finest texture milk powder. A warm mass will still be granular, but when solidified, it becomes more uniform.
How to find cocoa butter?
Many reviews say that in trying to find cocoa butter for sale, it cannot be found in many health food stores or among baked goods. However, it is sold among skin care products or for home soap production. Despite the fact that it was not produced for food purposes, it is suitable for addition to food products. Read the instructions on the label. If cocoa butter is organic and contains no additives, feel free to use it to make chocolate.
What is the difference between the composition, useful properties and harm of white chocolate?
Many are not indifferent to white chocolate. Unlike milk and bitter, it does not contain cocoa powder, and, therefore, does not contain caffeine. This can be safely attributed to the useful properties of the product. However, it contains a lot of sugar and fast carbohydrates. Even with home cooking, it turns out to be too high in calories.
Some may indicate that white chocolate is not “real” because it does not include cocoa powder, but culinary experts disagree. This product is made with cocoa butter, so it can not be called a surrogate.
Unfortunately, on sale you will not find a good tile of this product without sugar. The features and benefits of homemade white chocolate are that you can vary the amount of added sugar, or even do without it.
If you look at the lists of ingredients in store products, you can see that they are all made with sugar, cocoa butter, milk, vanilla (or, unfortunately, a synthetic vanilla flavor called vanilla), and often lecithin as a stabilizer. This list is far from ideal if you want to make a healthy dessert.
How to choose the ingredients?
How to make white chocolate at home to get a healthy product? At the factory, milk powder is added to it. But instead, you can use thick cream powder based on it. It is quite difficult to find on sale, but you can do it yourself. To do this, add a little water to the powdered milk and mix thoroughly. You should get a very thick emulsion that resembles toothpaste in consistency.
To reduce the amount of carbohydrates, sugar should be replaced with erythritol, and vanillin with real vanilla pods. Be sure to use powdered erythritol so that sugar-free white chocolate is not grainy.
How to make white chocolate from these components so that it hardens well? If you are trying to make a low carbohydrate dessert, you may experience poor curing. Most convenience store products contain soya lecithin. You can use the more healthy sunflower lecithin. Its tiny amount will pleasantly surprise you. For a depth of taste, you can add a pinch of sea salt, but this is not necessary.
After you remember the list of ingredients, you need to calculate their correct proportions. First of all, the correct ratio between cocoa butter and milk is important. Both components contribute to the unique taste that everyone has known and loved since childhood.
The ratio of one tablespoon of powder or emulsion to 33 grams of cocoa butter allows you to get the perfect combination of smoothness and uniformity. In addition, a wholesome recipe for sugar-free white chocolate includes a tablespoon of coconut oil. According to reviews, this allows you to make it smoother in texture.
What will be needed for cooking (full list)?
To make healthy white chocolate, you will need the following:
- 100 grams of cocoa butter;
- 3 tbsp. l coconut oil;
- quarter tsp sunflower lecithin;
- a quarter cup of powdered erythritol;
- a quarter cup of a thick emulsion of powdered milk;
- half h natural vanilla extract;
- 1/16 tsp sea salt (optional).
Detailed recipe
How to make white chocolate at home? Cut cocoa butter into small pieces, no more than 1.3 cm. This is important to prevent overheating outside when melting.
Place cocoa butter, coconut oil and sunflower lecithin in a small saucepan. Melt on a stove over very low heat. Do not let this mixture boil. Ideally, you should use a double boiler or a water bath. Remove from heat after melting. Add the sweetener and mix until completely dissolved. Put the milk emulsion, vanilla extract and sea salt and mix until smooth.
Pour the mixture into molds or into a small frying pan. Refrigerate to solidify. Store in the refrigerator for best results. Wrap finished dessert with parchment paper and do not let it heat.
In any of the above recipes, you can use raisins, nuts or citrus zest to improve the taste and aroma. Some also like to add a little hot pepper.