November 18, 2009
A Guide to Making Your Own Chocolate Candy
Recent studies conducted say that folks who devour sweet foods or foods with elevated fat-content (like chocolates) usually have an excess of serotonin released into their system. Serotonin is a hormone that principally acts on the movement of the intestines. The extra serotonin is utilized by the brain to influence appetites, tempers, and intense emotions like anger.
Scientists warrant that excessive chocolate “intake” does not mean addiction. The cheeriness and energetic activity experienced after a chocolate binge may simply be a somatic response to the sensory stimulus from the aroma and taste of the chocolate, as well as the nutrients and chemicals in it.
You may no longer need to go to the store to have your chocolate supply. You can make your own chocolate candy at home. All you need are ingredients and utensils that can be found right at home: chocolates (white or dark), a double boiler, mixing bowl, rubber spatula, and candy molds or baking sheets.
Let the chocolate melt in a double boiler, consistently stirring it so it doesn’t burn. When the mixture has completely melted, transfer the chocolate from the double boiler to the baking sheet and allow to dry. If you want to create your personalized fruit-filled chocolate candy, you just need to put the fruit inside the mold and enrobe with the chocolate while it’s still liquefied. Make sure there are no air bubbles in your chocolate candy by tapping the tray gently on your countertop. You can also hasten the setting by holding the shaped chocolates in the chiller until it’s ready for serving.
If chocolate tempering isn’t done the right way, the chocolate will have blotches as well as become crumbly. To temper right, the chocolate you’re working with must be kept at a certain temperature from the time you start melting to the time you begin molding. Tempering gives chocolate its customary shine and crispness.
There’s an easier, hassle-free way to temper chocolates: the use of chocolate tempering machines. With the aid of this machine, you can produce a chocolate like a pro. For sure, you can even move beyond producing chocolate candies for personal purposes and start “pushing” the stuff to similarly-addicted chocoholics.
