The Poker Nightcap

For most people, chocolate is a craving that is irresistible. According to studies, chocolates which have large amount of fat molecules will release serotonins, hormones that control craving for food. That is mainly the reason why when a person is done eating chocolate, she has more energy and appears happy. And most people eat chocolate because it’s a good mood stabilizer.

Studies also show that chocolate craving does not imply addiction. Rather, the improved mood and hormonal change is due to a bodily response when eating chocolates; sensory stimulation related to the chemical composition, the nutrients, and the variety of flavors, are created.

Here’s more. If you’re tired of going to the store for your chocolates, there’s now a way to make things easier for you. Consider homemade chocolates. You can buy the ingredients at a nearest department store and the materials needed for your chocolate making.

Prepare the following materials: chocolates (white or dark), fruit (optional), a double boiler, a mixing bowl, candy molds or baking sheets, and a rubber spatula/wooden spoon.

Instructions:

In a double boiler, let the chocolate melt; continuously stir it with a spatula. When you have made certain that all the chocolates are melted, remove from the double boiler and pour the content onto a baking sheet. For a fruit-filled chocolate candy, place the fruit on the baking sheet and submerge it in the melted chocolate. To eliminate air bubbles, see to it that you gently strain your chocolate onto the mold; tap the tray afterwards. Allow your chocolate candy to air dry.

Take note that if the chocolate is not properly tempered, it will look dull and blotched. The texture will not be smooth and the cocoa butter will appear as whitish streaks on the surface. Chocolate tempering allows even distribution of chocolate crystals. Tempering is a process that needs proper skills for it to be precisely done: considering the right temperature for chocolates while melting chocolates.

For an easier way of tempering chocolates, you may want to purchase a chocolate tempering machine to eliminate the manual labor as well as the hit and miss of properly tempering chocolates. You’ll soon be making chocolates like an expert and you can personalize it as a gift, or you can turn it into a small scale business, making profit from this chocolate “addiction” of yours.