There aren’t many things in the world that most people can agree on, but one is for sure — everyone thinks chocolate is delicious. Cocoa has been enjoyed for thousands of years, and was considered the “Food of the Gods” in ancient Aztec culture. Since then, it has become by far the most popular candy in the US and the world.
For some, it’s the sweetness. For others, it’s the luxurious velvety mouthfeel. Health professionals even say some varieties – particularly dark chocolate – add antioxidants, flavonols, and epicatechin that bring benefits to the body. It’s no wonder people can’t get enough!
For confection manufacturers, adding a chocolate candy to your product line is an opportunity to expand your brand and increase revenue, and Truffly Made is here to help make that even easier. In this blog, we’ll explore the three most popular types of chocolate, optimal flavor profile pairings for each, and how to temper each one for the best candy results.
What is Tempering?
Chocolate’s unique mouth feel is due to the multiple glycerides of fatty acids contained in the cocoa butter, which solidify at different temperatures. The crystals of the fatty acids separate when melted, and tempering is the process of returning the crystals to one stable form.
Untempered chocolate melts easily, is soft and dull, and not ideal for candymaking. Tempering chocolate shifts the texture of the chocolate to exhibit a glossy sheen, a firm snap, and a crisp texture. Tempered chocolate is much easier for confectioners to work with, and results in an ideal texture for candies like truffles or chocolate covered strawberries. It also makes the chocolate much easier to release from candy molds.
Depending on the type of chocolate you’re working with — white, milk, or dark — the ratio of cocoa butter fats to cocoa solids varies. Melting the crystals to temper each type of chocolate requires a different melting point, and the process is notoriously challenging for many confectioners and chocolatiers.
Various types of chocolate contain different levels of butter fat, meaning each type reaches the perfect temper at different temperatures. Higher butter fat components result in lower melting points, meaning dark chocolate — with a lower fat ratio — will need to reach the warmest temperature to achieve the perfect consistency. The ideal temperatures for each type of chocolate are:
Dark Chocolate – 91°F (33°C)
Milk Chocolate – 84° (29°C)
White Chocolate – 82° (28°C)
Truffly Made offers chocolatiers the easiest way to temper chocolate. Our new line of Choco’Flow tempering machines feature custom temperature settings that allow each type of chocolate to temper at the perfect temperature, resulting in the perfect texture for professional candy making.
Our Conveyor Belt System pairs with each Choco’Flow machine – from a 6KG to a 60KG capacity – to make coating any confections a breeze.
White Chocolate
While some people may not even consider white chocolate to be true chocolate, it is still born from cocoa beans. After cocoa beans are fermented and roasted, they are pressed to remove their oil, which is the infamous cocoa butter. Milk, sugar, and vanilla are added, but white chocolate is missing the chocolate liquor that gives other chocolates their brown color and rich flavor.
White chocolate features a more neutral flavor than other chocolates, so the variety of possible flavor pairings is practically infinite. Some chefs enjoy utilizing white chocolate to complement botanical or spicy flavors, some leverage the fat and sugar content to create caramelized or dulce de leche flavors, and others balance the creamy sweetness with bright citrusy flavors.
Milk Chocolate
America’s favorite chocolate is, by far, milk chocolate. Its origins date back to Henri Nestlé, (sound familiar?) the chemist who created powdered milk in 1867, not long before his neighbor Daniel Peter combined the newly invented dry milk with cocoa liquor to invent the first true milk chocolate in 1879. This decadent sweet treat is made by incorporating powdered milk and sugar into the cocoa liquor before adding cocoa butter back into the mixture, creating a velvety, melty rich substance that is now the key ingredient in innumerable candies across the globe.
Milk chocolate’s smooth, indulgent flavor pairs well with salty foods that help cut the richness, resulting in a refreshing, balanced treat. Milk chocolate can be enjoyed with a variety of roasted, salted nuts, or even sprinkled with Asiago cheese for a more unique pairing. It can also compliment brighter, fresh flavors — those who enjoy fruity, floral notes might want to craft chocolate covered goji berries or drizzle orange slices in chocolate.
Dark Chocolate
The origins of dark chocolate can be traced back to 2000 B.C. when it was consumed by Mayans in Central America as a fermented beverage cut with spices or wine. Dark chocolate contains between 50% to 90% cocoa solids, while milk chocolate contains a much lower percentage. In order to make this bittersweet chocolate, beans are extracted from cocoa pods, then fermented, dried, and roasted. After removing the nibs from the roasted bean, the nibs are ground into chocolate liquor, which is then refined to create cocoa solids to create the dark chocolate we know and love today.
Dark chocolate is less sweet than milk or white chocolate, making it more versatile than other confections. This blank slate allows for pairings with bolder notes – like espresso beans, or jalapeno – and results in contrasting flavors that shouldn’t work, but do. Wasabi or black pepper can add a complexity to dark chocolate, while tangy foods like wine or blue cheese add to its richness. From warmer flavors to daring bites, the possibilities (and pairings) are endless.
Make Great Chocolates with Truffly Made
Whether you are adding a new chocolate variety to your production line or just breaking into the sweet world of chocolate production, Truffly Made is here to help. From our new line of chocolate tempering machines to the best silicone candy molds in the industry, we have the supplies you need to make everything from infused chocolates to bon bons to – of course – truffles!
We can help perfect your chocolate recipe, too. Our team of confectionary experts can help develop your recipes and optimize them for your equipment, so you can produce the best chocolates possible.
Reach out to info@trufflymade.com and let us know how we can get your chocolate ideas out of your kitchen and into the hands of chocolate lovers everywhere.