Nothing says Valentine’s Day like chocolate, and gifting healthier Homemade Chocolate Bars is the perfect way to let your loved ones know how special they are to you. This recipe is fun to make because you can customize them with the type of chocolate you like and any additions you desire. Nuts, seeds, dried and freeze-dries fruits, puffed quinoa, toasted coconut, salts and spices are all great options.
I like to make chocolate bars using real chocolate. Real chocolate is made of cocoa mass and cocoa butter while compound chocolate, which is sold as confectionery coating, almond bark, or melting wafers, is made of cocoa powder and vegetable oil. Real chocolate is superior in quality, but also requires the extra step of tempering. Tempering ensures the chocolate will harden properly and keeps it from developing bloom, which is a white/grayish coating, blotches or streaks. It is perfectly safe to eat bloomed chocolate, but it gives the bar an unappetizing appearance.
You can purchase pure chocolate in bars, blocks and callets, which are drops in the shape of small buttons or wafers. For this recipe, I use Callebaut dark semi-sweet callets for the dark chocolate bars, and Callebaut white chocolate callets or Ghirardelli white chocolate bars for the pink chocolate bars.
A few tips:
- Chocolate chips will not work for this recipe because they have added stabilizers, making them hard to temper.
- Make sure your molds and kitchen tools are completely dry and do not let any water get into the chocolate. Even a little water can make chocolate grainy.
Homemade Chocolate Bars
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 bars 1x
Ingredients
8 ounces dark chocolate, finely chopped or callets
8 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped or callets
Red natural food coloring
Desired add-ins
Instructions
Directions for dark chocolate bars:
- Fill a pot with an inch of water and bring to a light simmer.
- Place two-thirds of the dark chocolate in a glass or metal bowl and place over the simmering water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl is an inch or more above the water.
- Continually stir the chocolate with a spatula until it is completely melted except for a few solid pieces.
- Place the bowl on a dish towel to absorb the moisture that has accumulated on the bottom of the bowl.
- Add the remaining third of the dark chocolate and continually stir until completely melted and smooth.
- Place 2 clean and dry silicone bar molds on a cookie sheet.
- Using a spoon or small ladle, pour the chocolate into the molds.
- Use an offset spatula to smooth the top, removing excess chocolate.
- Add any toppings you like to the chocolate before it sets.
- Place the cookie sheet with the chocolate bars in the refrigerator for 15 – 20 minutes or until set.
- Gently peel the molds away from the chocolate bars.
- Slide a chocolate bar into a clear cellophane bag, folding and taping the excess in the back.
- Tie some twine or a ribbon around the bar and add a personalized note or tag if desired.
Directions for pink chocolate bars:
- Fill a pot with an inch of water and bring to a light simmer.
- Place two-thirds of the white chocolate in a glass or metal bowl and place over the simmering water ensuring the bottom of the bowl is an inch or more above the water.
- Continually stir the chocolate with a spatula until it is completely melted except for a few solid pieces.
- Place the bowl on a dish towel to absorb the moisture that has accumulated on the bottom of the bowl.
- Add the remaining third of the white chocolate and continually stir until completely melted and smooth.
- Add a few drops of red natural food coloring and stir until well combined. Add additional drops to achieve the desired color.
- Follow steps 6 – 13 for dark chocolate bars.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 10
