How to make chocolate

Ingredients
1kg (2 1/4 lb) cocoa beans
2kg (4 1/2 lb) sugar Or equivalent stevia.100g (3 1/2 oz) shelled almonds
1 cinnamon stick

Optional - Up to 1 Liter milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. (See below).

Roast cocoa beans and nuts over an open fire on a hot plate. keep moving the beans so they do not burn. Roasting is essential as this enhances the flavor and also acts as a sterilizing from diseases.

If you are using an oven, roast the beans for about half an hour at 300 degrees. After taking out of oven let the beans cool and strip off the husks and throw away or add to your garden compost.

Crush and grind the beans using a metate (Hand operated mill) or mortar and pestle or oblong stone similar to a stone rolling pin. With some effort you will end up with a brown paste.

Next grind up the cinnamon stick into fine powder, followed by grinding up the roast almonds. Work these along with sugar into the cocoa bean paste.

Once the mixture becomes even and consistent, 'putty like' it can be molded into bars, balls or any other shape desired.

Now simply let harden at room temperature.

Congratulations, you have just learned how to make chocolate the Mexican traditional way! ... By Hand! Well done!



How to make MILK Chocolate

If you would like your chocolate a little more modern you can heat up the putty paste and stir in some milk and a little vanilla. (Refer measurements above). Do not allow the mixture to boil, just mix together until a smooth consistency is achieved and then pour the chocolate into molds and allow to cool at either room temperature or in the fridge.

Note : According to your preference you can vary the amount of sugar and milk (if any). Your favorite flavoring like mint can also be added. Remember the traditional Mexican chocolate recipe handed down from generation to generation did not include any milk or vanilla. And before the Spanish arrived, Mexican chocolate was prepared without sugar, a commodity not known to the Indians.

If you would like to use the healthy stevia extract instead of sugar, read more about cooking with stevia here.

Return home from how to make chocolate