Makes about 1 cup You can use refined or unrefined (or virgin) coconut oil for this recipe, but refined has a more neutral, and less coconut-y, flavor. For dipping, use the higher quantity of coconut oil for a more fluid finished product.
Homemade Chocolates for Your Sweetheart
Sure, you could buy a box of chocolates for a Valentine’s Day gift. But here at the CIA, we know that the best way to infuse your gifts with love is to make it yourself! Chocolates and candies aren’t all easy to make at home, but we’ve rounded up our […]
Hot Chocolate
Makes 4 to 6 cups In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Let it rest for about 2 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt. Stir until all of the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. If […]
Hot Fudge Sauce
Makes about 2 cups
How to Read the Label on Chocolate
Calling all chocolate lovers, we want to talk about our favorite ingredient! If you love baking cookies, you may already have a favorite brand or variety of chocolate chips. But when it comes to pastry and candy recipes that showcase chocolate, the options can seem endless—and endlessly confusing. But that’s […]
How to Store Chocolate
Chocolate is a very stable product and has a long shelf life when properly stored. Under proper conditions, dark chocolate has a shelf life of twelve months, and milk or white chocolate will keep for six months. Some simple precautions will ensure that your chocolate is in pristine condition when […]
Instant Hot Chocolate Mix
Makes 20, 8 ounces cups of cocoa
Kitchen Nightmares: How to Repair a Broken Ganache
Ganache, a creamy mixture of chocolate and cream, is an emulsion; that is, it contains both fat and water in a homogeneous mixture. Because fat and water do not mix easily, any emulsion can separate, which simply means that the fat portion and the water portion do not remain homogeneous. When […]
Make Hot Chocolate at Home for a Cozy Treat
Whether you call it hot chocolate or hot cocoa, one thing we can all agree on is that it is the best thing about winter! On a cold day, nothing is cozier than a steaming mug of hot chocolate – especially if it’s topped with marshmallows! And especially if it’s […]
Make it Yourself: Homemade Chocolate Shell
Are you a fan of chocolate shell? You might also know it as magic shell or chocolate dip. We find it hard to imagine that anyone can hate chocolate meant to cover ice cream, but hey, some people like those circus peanut candies that taste like bananas. If you’re in […]
Making Chocolate Curls to Dress Up Dessert
Chocolate shavings and curls are the simplest way to finish a show-stopping cake or other special occasion dessert. To create chocolate shavings and curls, you need a good-sized block of chocolate at room temperature. You can use dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate for your curls. Look for larger […]
Making Homemade Fudge
Fudge is without question the quintessential homemade candy; it has been made in home kitchens for over 100 years. Mention fudge, and most of us immediately think of chocolate, but chocolate is not the defining ingredient in fudge; it can be made using a wide variety of flavoring ingredients. The […]