Chocolate Sugar-free No Chemicals Tastes Fantastic!
The
amount of stevia to use in a chocolate recipe is very much personal preference, please use the amount in the recipes below
as a starting point. If you like your sweets relatively unsweetened, cut the amount given below in half.
Chocolate
making is somewhat tricky - for example, chocolate burns easily so don't over-heat it. Chocolate must be ''tempered'' (see
below) or it doesn't have a nice crunch and has an ugly grey pattern on it. Regular chocolate also hates water, so don't get
any water or condensation into the chocolate mixture.
I
found my unsweetened cocoa butter at a health food store, but not all stores carry food grade cocoa butter. You will likely
have to search around to find it. It may be possible to use regular milk powder instead of non-instant, I haven't tried it.
If you use regular milk powder, you will need much more than the amount listed below. A Bosch
kitchen store may be a source for non-instant milk powder and
cocoa butter.
In
the recipes below, 1 square of chocolate is 1 ounce or 28 grams of chocolate. I use the ''Baker's'' brand of unsweetened (100%
pure) chocolate. There is a review of unsweetened chocolate in the magazine ''Cook's Illustrated'', issue November 2002. Other
brands of chocolate rated better than Baker's, for example, Callebaut rated as the best buy, so it may be worth considering
the use of a different type of chocolate.
For
stevia, I've used both ''Now'' brand and ''KAL'' brand with equally good results. Details from the packaging of the two products
are: Now brand ''Stevia Powdered Extract'', contains Stevia powdered leaf extract (Stevia rebaudiana) Standardized for a minimum
of 85% steviosides.
KAL brand ''Pure Stevia Extract Powder'', contains Stevia extract
(Stevia rebaudiana)(leaf) Supplying 80% steviosides.
Gentlewar adds: Trader Joe's has 100% Stevia but don't buy
the larger cheap one. At the time of this article it was 95% milk sugar. Let the buyer beware. The $10 bottle has 600
servings & is great!
Milk
Chocolate, Dark Chocolate:
1/2 square unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 1/2 squares worth of cocoa butter, melted
1/8 tsp stevia (adjust quantity to taste)
4 tbsp non-instant milk powder
Mix
the above ingredients, then temper the chocolate (see below).
Pour on wax paper, allow to harden, then indulge!
Tempering:
Chocolate requires ''tempering'' to taste its best. Without tempering, its texture is soft and unappealing and an ugly grey
pattern forms on it. With tempering, the chocolate has a snap to it and is attractive and shiny.
By
simply stirring the chocolate as it cools, the chocolate will be somewhat tempered, but better results are achieved by using
a little more effort. If you have a thermometer, try taking the chocolate down to 80 degrees F (27 C) stirring frequently,
then carefully back up to 88 F (31 C). Then stir until the chocolate starts to thicken. At this point, it can be used for
dipping or poured onto wax paper until it hardens. Enjoy!
Copyright Nadine Leenders
