How we Make our Hand Made Chocolate

Ryan’s Food Emporium is an artisan producer of hand-made chocolate in Mayo.

Our delicious chocolate range remains one of our deli’s best-kept secrets. Our discerning customer base is always curious about how we make our chocolate. So for the curious, we’re publishing a short step-by-step outlining how we make our hand-made chocolate.

How is hand-made chocolate made?

Hand-made chocolate is made using a combination of cocoa solids, cocoa butter, sugar, and other flavourings and ingredients, depending on the desired flavour and texture. Here are the general steps to make hand-made chocolate:

Roasting the cocoa beans: The first step in making chocolate is roasting them to bring out their natural flavour. This process can vary depending on the bean and the desired flavour, but typically the beans are roasted in an oven or on a stovetop until they are fragrant and the shells can be easily removed.
Grinding the cocoa beans: Once they have been roasted, they are ground into a fine paste called chocolate liquor. The chocolate liquor is made up of both cocoa solids and cocoa butter.
Separating the cocoa solids and cocoa butter: The chocolate liquor is then pressed to separate the cocoa solids from the cocoa butter. The cocoa solids are ground into a fine powder, flavouring chocolate.
Combining the ingredients: The cocoa solids, cocoa butter, and sugar are combined in a mixer and blended until they form a smooth and creamy consistency. Additional ingredients such as vanilla, nuts, or dried fruit can also be added.
Temper the chocolate: Once the mixture is blended, the chocolate is tempered, slowly raising and lowering the temperature of the chocolate to encourage the formation of stable crystals. This step ensures that the chocolate will have a smooth texture and glossy finish.
Moulding and setting the chocolate: The tempered chocolate is poured into moulds and allowed to be set at room temperature or in a cooler. Once the chocolate is set, it is packaged and removed from the moulds.

If you have any more questions about our hand-made chocolate or would like to place an order, please contact our deli directly.