How to make chocolate at home - Part 3 Grinding

The next step in our chocolate making process is grinding. We have to reduce the particle size of cacao nibs and sugar. You can use a mixer, immersion blender and even a mortar will work. 

Find the how to’s and recipes below, or watch the video below.

What you need to grind at home:

  • cacao nibs 

  • cacao butter (not 100% necessary, but recommended to make it easier for your blender)

  • mixer, immersion blender or mortar 

  • parchment paper

  • spatula

  • sugar

  • any other ingredients you’d like to add (nuts, dried fruits, salt, spices, oil based essential oils…)

I want to provide you with two recipes. Everything can be adjusted to your taste, but you should stick to the following two rules:

  • cacao fat content should be above 20-25%, otherwise you will have issues to temper your finished chocolate. A cacao bean contains 50% of fat. 

  • no water based ingredients, otherwise your chocolate will seize (no fresh fruits, no honey, no water based essential oils) 

Recipe 1 - The Basic

Recipe+1

Because this is not rocket science, I don’t have to be very precise and rounding my calculations up. 

You’ll get a 70% dark stoneground chocolate. When you add the cacao nibs and cacao butter content you get the cacao content of your chocolate. 

65% cacao nibs + 5% cacao butter = 70% cacao content 


How you grind the basic recipe:

  1. Melt cacao butter in your microwave or in a pot in your stove

  2. If you’re using a blender, start on lowest speed and increase slowly until you’ve reached the highest speed level

  3. Grind for 1 minute at highest speed level

  4. Reduce the speed of your blender to zero and add the sugar

  5. Again, increase slowly to highest speed and mix for 1 minute on highest level

  6. Add more sugar if you want it sweeter and blend as long as desired to achieve a smoother end result

  7. Scrap on a piece of parchment paper and allow to cool down

If you’re using a pistil and mortar start crushing the cacao nibs and add the cacao butter and sugar slowly. Grind until you’ve achieved your desired smoothness or until you don’t have any more power in your arms :)

Recipe 2 - Trail Mix

Recipe+2

Because this is not rocket science, I don’t have to be very precise and rounding my calculations up. 

You’ll get a 55% dark stoneground chocolate. When you add the cacao nibs and cacao butter content you get the cacao content of your chocolate. 

50% cacao nibs + 5% cacao butter = 55% cacao content 


You grind the trail mix chocolate exactly like the basic recipe:

  1. Melt cacao butter in your microwave or in a pot in your stove

  2. If you’re using a blender, start on lowest speed and increase slowly until you’ve reached the highest speed level

  3. Grind for 1 minute at highest speed level

  4. Reduce the speed of your blender to zero and add the sugar, almonds and berries

  5. Again, increase slowly to highest speed and mix for 1 minute on highest level

  6. Add more sugar if you want it sweeter and blend as long as desired to achieve a smoother end result

  7. Scrap on a piece of parchment paper and allow to cool down

If you’re using a pistil and mortar start crushing the cacao nibs and add the cacao butter, sugar, almonds and berries slowly. Grind until you’ve achieved your desired smoothness or until you don’t have any more power in your arms :)


Angela Pfleiderer