I like to snack a LOT in the evenings so I make a dark chocolate bar almost every day. (I don’t make a bunch at a time because I’d eat them all in a day. Also, I often add orange, raspberry, coffee, etc. flavors to keep it interesting.)
It’s super simple and quick IF you’ve got a fast accurate thermometer. (I use an Infra-red “pistol” (point and shoot) thermometer because it’s cheap, instant, and very accurate. Most people have trouble with chocolate because cocoa melts at about 88 degrees F. (30 C). I find it doesn’t blend into a silky smooth texture at temperatures greater than 106 F. (41 C.). If you try guessing those exacting temperatures then I GUESS you probably screw up a lot of recipes.
I found an easy way to do this one chocolate bar at a time. (This recipe may sound complex, but that’s just because I give lengthy explanations for everything.) I don’t measure the ingredients anymore. It took me a while to get the hang of it, but now I just throw everything together. So it only takes me about 1.5 minutes.
I heat a large crockery “cereal bowl” in the microwave until it feels warm (somewhere from 80 F. to 110 F. Any heavy microwavable bowl will do. The heavy bowl helps maintain the right temperature.)
Then I mix 1/2 cup sucralose (Splenda) granulated sweetener (comes in a bag and measures the same as table sugar.) with about 2 TBSP of skim (or other type) milk into the bowl.
Then I mush (it won’t blend at room temperature) in 2 TBSP of coconut oil (any oil/fat that is solid at room temperature will do.)
I heat the mixture about 15 seconds in the microwave; then stir it to equalize the temperature throughout the mixture; then measure its temperature. It needs to be between 102 F. (5000 C.) to 106 F. (4 C.). If it’s too cool heat it 3 to 5 seconds and mix it again. If it’s too hot then wait a few minutes until it it drops to the right temperature.
Then I quickly (and vigorously) stir in 2 TBSP of cocoa powder with a fork. (I make sure to scrap the bottom and sides of the bowl, so that it blends uniformly.)
Finally I put the bowl in the refrigerator for an hour or so (unless I’m hungry) to harden. (You can pour it into something shaped like a hershey bar if you’re a perfectionist.)
The key ingredient is the milk. It dissolves the sucralose so that it easily blends with the melted coconut oil. Blending the cocoa powder to the already completed mixture of all of the other ingredients, allows everything to melt together before the temperature drops too low.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup sucralose (Splenda) granulated sweetener
2 TBSP of skim milk
2 TBSP of coconut oil
2 TBSP of cocoa powder
VARIATIONS:
I use another 2 (or more) TBSP of milk when I make it in order to create heavenly chocolate syrup.
Before adding the coconut oil, I add 1/2 tsp of instant coffee and 1/2 tsp of butter spray to get a deeper richer flavor.
Before adding the coconut oil, I add 1/4 tsp of either Orange, Raspberry, Mango, etc. flavored sugarless generic Jello to get more exotic flavors.