How to Make White Chocolate

The lovely stripes of ivory-colored, white chocolate adorning dark chocolate is simply glorious. Both white, dark and milk chocolate are made in the same manner and the difference lies in the ingredients. White chocolate lacks cocoa solids or cocoa mass, unlike milk and dark chocolate. In fact, because of this difference, scores of people do not regard white chocolate as chocolate. According to them, presence of cocoa solids is necessary for anything to be called chocolate, thus, for them white chocolate is just another confectionery. Even the US Food and Drug Administration does not recognize white chocolate as a form of chocolate. Used in the preparation of several appetizing, mouth-watering desserts, white chocolate is quite a savory delight! Let us have a look at how to make white chocolate.

How to Make White Chocolate at Home

Manufacturers today add all sorts of undesirable ingredients to white chocolate to increase its shelf life. Moreover, store-bought white chocolate is too sweet for our liking. Some manufacturers even add dry milk powder and trans-fatty hydrogenated oils, thereby giving the white chocolate a terrible waxy texture. The best thing to do would be to make white chocolate at home.

White chocolate preparations are easy, however, there are certain factors to be kept in mind. Always purchase good quality ingredients. The cocoa butter should be checked for unwanted additives. If you are preparing white chocolate from white chocolate bar, then ensure the type you purchase has cocoa butter as the main ingredient and not vegetable oil substitute. White chocolate containing vegetable oils will pose a lot of problem during the melting stage. Moreover, never use granulated sugar in the recipe, because it won't melt. One can make white chocolate over the stove or in the microwave. Let us have a look at both.

Making White Chocolate from Scratch in the Microwave

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup cocoa butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon soy milk powder
• ⅓ cup confectioners sugar
• salt; a pinch

Preparation Procedure:

Step 1: In a microwave safe bowl, place the cocoa butter and cook it for a minute. If the cocoa butter has not melted, keep it for a few more seconds. Never microwave for minutes at a stretch. Microwave for ten to twenty seconds and then stir. Going slow is the key to obtaining well melted chocolate. You may add some regular butter into the bowl, for uniform melting.

Step 2: Once the cocoa butter has melted add the confectioners sugar, soy milk powder, salt and vanilla extract into the melted mixture. Stir well till all these ingredients dissolve in the hot cocoa butter mixture. You need to get a smooth, viscous liquid of yellowish butter.

Step 3: Pour this mixture into the chocolate molds. Tap gently to discard any air bubbles. Next, place them in the fridge for the next four hours to set. Place the chocolate on the middle shelf of the fridge, so that it sets well. Remove after four hours and store in air tight container.

Making White Chocolate Using Chips in the Microwave

Obtaining molten white chocolate from chocolate chips cuts down the major concerns of chocolate making. Since one is using chocolate chips, the only part to concentrate on is the melting. However, chocolate chips take longer to melt because they have stabilizers in them which prevents them from melting easily. Let us have a look at how to melt white chocolate chips in the microwave.

Preparation Procedure

Step 1: The first step is to purchase good quality white chocolate chips, with a good amount of cocoa butter in it. Moreover, once you have your raw material ready, set the microwave. You can either use high power or reduce the power by 50%, according to your comfort level.

Step 2: Place the chocolate chip-filled glass bowl into the microwave and microwave for 20 to 30 seconds, depending on the power used.

Step 3: The chocolate chips will look the same after the first thirty seconds. However, when you stir the chips with a spatula, they will begin to lose form. Once again microwave the mixture for 10 to 20 seconds and again stir the mixture.

Step 4: Continue heating and mixing after every 20 seconds. When you find that all the chips have melted into a uniform mixture, mix the white chocolate well and pour into the respective molds or on the desserts prepared. If you find the molten mixture too thick, add some unsalted butter and microwave again. The chocolate will be silky smooth.

Making White Chocolate in a Double Boiler

Most chefs do not recommend melting white chocolate in the microwave, so here's the traditional method of melting white chocolate in a double boiler.

Preparation Procedure

Step 1: This method of preparing white chocolate involves the use of a double boiler. If you do not have a double boiler, it doesn't matter. Just get hold of a deep saucepan and another bowl that fits on top of the saucepan. Fill water in the bottom saucepan and allow it to simmer. Place grated white chocolate (or white chocolate chips) into the bowl and place it on the saucepan with water. The bottom of the chocolate-filled bowl should not touch the water level, so adjust accordingly.

Step 2: It is important to ensure no water droplets come in contact with the chocolate shards in the bowl. Moisture will ruin your chocolate and cause it to become lumpy and grainy. Moreover, never cover the bowl of chocolate with a lid. This will cause the steam to condense inside the bowl and ruin the chocolate. After a few minutes remove it from the heat and mix firmly in one direction with a spatula.

Step 3: In case you still find tiny lumps of white chocolate, replace the bowl on the saucepan and let it melt for some more time. However, keep a tab on the amount of heat reaching the chocolate. Overheating can ruin the chocolate, thus, always ensure the water is only brought to a simmer and not boiling hot. White chocolate burns more easily than dark chocolate, so be on your guard.

Step 4: Once the white chocolate shards have melted uniformly, temper the chocolate using a spoon until silky smooth, free-flowing chocolate mixture is obtained. Pour this molten chocolate into the molds and refrigerate for the next four hours. Your white chocolate is ready.

The only problem with making white chocolate at home is that cocoa butter is expensive, so you need to shell out quite a bit to get real, high quality, food grade cocoa butter. However, if you want to bring a smile on somebody's face for a special occasion, this will be perfect! Above are some recipes with white chocolate that you can try your hand at. Hope this article was informative and helpful!