How to Make Milk Chocolate

The word chocolate stirs a lot of thought in one's mind; in my case, it brought on instantaneously the picture of dark chocolate―bittersweet goodness.

I'm not really a big fan of milk chocolate, unless it's extremely rich and made from a company that can only produce the best in chocolate. My greatest love sits snugly at the number one slot, and by now you must have guessed that, yes, it is dark chocolate.

Here, of course, we cover milk chocolate and how you can make milk chocolate at home. It's not that hard to make, and if you've sat in front of the TV marveling at how they do it and how you couldn't possible match that effort―then you're mistaken. All you need to put together are the tools, chocolate, and the ingredients, and within no time you'll have a set of perfectly made chocs.

The word chocolate finds its origin from Spain, where the word's been incorporated into the English vocabulary. There's been much debate about how this happened, but other explanations include that the word comes from Nahuati, which is the language of the Aztecs. The word 'chocolātl' was taken from the word 'xocolātl', where 'xococ', the former part of the word, translates into bitter/sour, and the latter, 'ātl', means drink/water.

Made from cocoa beans, there's a lot that goes into the initial stage when chocolate is obtained. Fermentation then follows, with a whole process involved to bring it down to what it is.

When ingredients like milk powder, condensed milk, sugar, and so on are added to it, those who have a knack for balancing out flavors can test out their chocolate making skills, and come up with one of a kind creations. If you haven't tasted Guylian Belgian seashell chocolates, you have no idea what you're missing out on.

Explore different flavors of chocolate, be it liquor-based or plain, and mix and blend different textures and ingredients to give your palate the perfect amalgamation of add-ons. Chocolate lovers and makers alike, will have these chocolate delights ready to serve in a heartbeat.

Chocolate wasn't available for everyone until the 20th century, which is hard to believe, but actually true. It was kept a secret for like a hundred years before word leaked out about its concoction. Soon people in London and Milan were not eating it, but drinking it, with later experimentation of chocolate taking root worldwide.

England was the first of the lot to have its teeth sunk into chocolate, gradually spreading the idea globally, making chocolate the world's best ingredient and treat.

Since you're lucky to be present here in the 21st century, you can celebrate the fact that making milk chocolate at home is possible, where you don't have to pick it off the grocery store shelf or have it smuggled out of a country to eat. So let's get down to business and whip up some of the best milk chocolate recipes that I think you'll particularly fancy.

Method of Preparation
Take a shallow saucepan (non-stick) and pour in your 2 cups of sugar and let it break down and liquefy, whilst mixing about the pralines and vanilla extract as well until the mix takes a slightly brownish hue. The flame should be on low at all times. Keep stirring this mixture to avoid it from getting too thick and then lift it up and give it a couple of swirls without stirring, to even out the color of the caramel. Once it comes down to a melted and liquid-based fluid, put in a little of the cocoa and milk powder, but leave some to add for later.

Once it starts to thicken from the constant stirring, keep on the boil the water, but don't go beyond lukewarm temperature. Slowly add this water to your mix and keep stirring.

Gradually add in the rest of your cocoa and milk powder, stirring continuously until the mix takes on a paste like appearance; lastly add in your butter and mix well until completely melted.

Then using little cups to cube up your chocolates, or a flat tray which you can later use to cut up your chocolate into bars, pour in your mixture and plop these into the freezer to set over a couple of hours. Ideally it takes about six hours. You can serve this with a side of vanilla ice cream and a sprig of mint to top it off.

What You'll Need

• 200 g of Tutti Frutti (small bits)
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 2 cups of milk powder
• 1 cup of lukewarm water
• 2 cups of granulated sugar

Method of Preparation
Like the previous recipe, melt your sugar until it caramelizes but not until it turns brown, just wait for it to liquefy and take on a smooth appearance. Then add in your cocoa and milk powder, stirring constantly until it reaches a nice thick paste-like look, and then add in your lukewarm water, stirring and gradually adding the rest of your powders. Then pour this into a long deep tray, and drop in your Tutti Fruitti bits, evenly spreading them around. Slide this into the freezer and once your six hours are up, you'll have yourself a very chocolate-y affair on your hands.

Feel free to use whatever ingredient comes to mind that can bring out its taste and feel, keeping in mind that it only takes patience and a knack for proportions and flavor to have yourself a good set of milk chocolates.

Momma always said life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.―Forrest Gump