Making Homemade Chocolate Chips…In Detail
By
I posted about making homemade chocolate chips a long time ago. Since that time, I’ve received several emails asking for more help and detail about how this works. It seems that many of you who tried the recipe are having trouble getting everything to melt and dissolve and mix like it should.
In light of your chocolate chip frustration…I decided to do a more thorough tutorial about how I make chocolate chips. The words Chocolate and frustration should never be in the same sentence together. Ever.
You can use coconut oil or butter to make your chips. I used butter this time because I’m almost out of coconut oil. Butter doesn’t quite work as well as coconut oil. They tend to be softer with butter…but still oh so good. Especially when you put them in these Chocolate Chip Brownies.
Here again is the recipe:
Homemade Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup rapadura or sucanat (you can use white sugar if you want)
1 cup coconut oil or butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (homemade vanilla extract if you have it!)
Begin by placing the cocoa, sucanat and butter (or coconut oil) into a quart sized jar.
Fill a small saucepan with two or three inches of water. Place the jar into the saucepan/water. Turn the heat on medium/high to begin melting the butter.
Stir often. After five minutes, my mixture looked like this:
After ten minutes, my mixture looked like this:
It took a total of thirteen minutes for the butter to completely melt. I then pulled it out of the water, added the vanilla and stirred well.
The mixture in my jar looked and smelled SO GOOD that I wanted to drink it. But I didn’t. That would have made quite a mustache.
Pour the mixture into a 9×13 inch pan covered with parchment paper. Spread it as evenly as you can.
As you can hopefully tell from the following picture, I still have a little sucanat that refused to completely dissove. Can you see the bits of chunkyness? That’s been one of the questions I’ve received from several of you. But…the little bits of chunkyness don’t hurt anything. My chocolate chips tasted just fine!
You like how the ceiling fan is reflecting in the chocolate?
I’m just trying to show off my terrible photography skills.
Place your pan into the refrigerator for 1-2 hours so that the chocolate can harden. Remove it from the parchment paper and break it into chunks. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container (unless you and your family eat them all first).
Just a note: These chocolate chips taste wonderful in Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies, but keep in mind that they are very pure and therefore tend to melt and get runny while baking. Chocolate Chip Cookies with homemade chocolate chips taste wonderful, but might look a little bit funny. No matter, ugly cookies taste good too. :) I recommend eating these chocolate chips plain, mixed with peanuts or in trail mix, in Chocolate Chip Brownies or in Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins.
And now, I do believe I need to use my freshly made chocolate chips to bake brownies. After I eat some green beans and broccoli of course…
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How much does this make? 1 cup?
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Laura Reply:
February 19th, 2012 at 6:26 am
I’d say this makes more like two cups of chips.
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My friend over at Motherhood on a Dime just recently posted this blog: http://www.motherhoodonadime.com/living/make-your-own-chocolate-bars-or-chocolate-chips-3-ingredients/
Thought you’d enjoy trying another recipe that was noted as being very yummy even by itself!
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Laura Reply:
February 28th, 2012 at 10:30 am
Good to know, thanks!
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I wonder if this would work for those chex muddy buddies/puppy chow snacks instead of chocolate chips. I am looking for gf/cf treats for my autistic son and this chocolate looks great! Will for sure be trying it! Thanks!
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rachel Reply:
March 21st, 2013 at 12:28 pm
I think i`ll try this receipe for my autistic son too, but i`ll use goats butter as lactose free & autistic friendly. Just learn`thow to make lactose free ice-cream today as our supermarket no longer stocks lactose free veritity.
150g icing sugar
500ml lactose free cream, or goats, or sheeps
Flavour to taste
Freeze for 3 hours – very simple
Rachelx
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Angela Reply:
April 23rd, 2013 at 9:00 am
I have an autistic son as well, and I do not let him have casein. is your son doing well without lactose, and still eating casein. All of my research says that the casein is the protien that does not digest for autistic people.
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Has anyone experimented doing this with Xylitol? Curious to know … Looks good.
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I was wondering how to make this “dark” chocolate? just decrease the sugar and increase the chocolate? thanks for all the recipes and advice! I’m going to try your applesauce bread tomorrow.
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Laura Reply:
March 13th, 2012 at 6:25 am
Sure, that would do it!
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Mandy Reply:
January 18th, 2013 at 2:55 pm
They make dark chocolate cocoa powder!
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I was wondering what coconut oil you use for this recipe?
I am so excited to find someone who has recipes for me to try out, using healthier ingredients. Our farm takes our products to a Farmers Market and I always bake. This year I want to use more coconut oils, coconut flours, honey and or maple syrup in my baked goods this year. Since our farm already raises animals on pasture, without drugs, ect. it is nice to also offer some healthier baked goods as well. I know they will cost more to sell, but it will be worth it! ;)
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Laura Reply:
March 21st, 2012 at 6:22 am
I usually use virgin coconut oil, which gives these a nice but subtle coconut flavor. You could also use expeller pressed though.
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Angela Reply:
April 23rd, 2013 at 9:01 am
I have a coconut allergy. At the moment, I can only use olive oil. Do you think it will work?
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Laura Reply:
April 23rd, 2013 at 8:45 pm
I think it’s worth a try, since the olive oil will solidify in the fridge.
I also forgot to ask, do you prefer butter or coconut oil?
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Laura Reply:
March 21st, 2012 at 6:21 am
Coconut oil works better for consistency on these, but I prefer to use butter for a milk chocolate taste – so I guess the answer is, Both! Just depends on what flavor I’m going for. :)
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I tried making this with maple sugar and butter. Everything went fine until it cooled. The butter and chocolate separated, so that I ended up with a layer of hard butter on the top, and a layer of soft chocolate on the bottom…
Next time I will try using coconut oil.
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It’s in the fridge as I type. You are sooooooo right! I couldn’t stop sampling the mixture. I like SWEET chocolate so I added powdered sugar after removing from heat. Then I lined the pan with ALMONDS before pouring the hot chocolate. cannot wait!
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Just found this recipe and I can’t wait to try it (and to check out the rest of your site)! I do have a question though: Could you use a mix of coconut oil and butter (like a half and half mix)? Hubby likes subtle coconut flavor, and I know a whole cup of it will be too much for him. Have you ever tried it this way? Thanks!
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Laura Reply:
April 22nd, 2012 at 1:55 pm
Sure, that’s a good idea. Or, you could try using expeller pressed coconut oil, which doesn’t taste like coconuts at all! http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/coconut-oil-why-it-is-good-for-you-and-where-to-buy-it
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but how can i get those little choco chips with a round flat base and a peak??
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amber Reply:
September 13th, 2012 at 5:44 am
Haven’t tried it, but I imagine you could put the chocolate in an icing bag, let it harden/thicken a bit in the fridge, then dot it, and pull up for the peak, on to waxed paper, then refrigerate til hard. I’m imagining all sorts of pretty chocolate designs with fun icing
tips if this will work.
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amber Reply:
September 13th, 2012 at 8:32 am
Ok, just finished making our chocolate chips. I tried piping ‘chips’ from an icing bag, but I couldn’t get a good consistency with the chocolate. The chocolate didn’t thicken at the same time. I ended up with pockets of liquid that squirted out, and then pockets of chocolate that was almost too stiff to get out of the bag, and some that was perfect. It didn’t work as well as I’d hoped, but maybe after a few times of playing around with it, you might be able to get it the consistency you want. I did end up with a few really nice looking ‘hershey’ kisses.
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Sherri ScribnerPob Reply:
March 24th, 2013 at 10:40 pm
I had some success with getting my chips to peak a bit….but I had to change the recipe a bit. My mixture was super grainy as many have described. I kept stirring, even dumped the whole thing in a saucepan to bring the heat up a bit more. I finally added about 3/4 cup whole milk, and viola! The milk works as an emulsifier that gives the chocolate a more creamy texture. I cooled the chocolate enough to put in a quart sized ziplock, then set it on the counter to cool a few hours. When it was semi thick but still sqishy, I snipped a tiny corner out of the bag and piped cute little chips onto wax paper. My 3 year old was impressed and loved the taste of them. As I speak, they are still somewhat soft. If they don’t harden completely I’ll freeze them on the wax paper, then remove them and store them in the freezer. This is a lot of work to get chocolate chips like the ones you buy, but pretty fun to discover that it can be done, sort of.
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Is there any substitute for the parchment paper?
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Laura Reply:
May 3rd, 2012 at 11:34 am
Waxed paper should work.
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Daniel Ross Reply:
May 3rd, 2012 at 1:08 pm
I had to use margarine. I just put it in the refrigerator,
fingers crossed! xD
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Laura,
I hope you see this – it might be worth a post update if you test and agree. Emulsification is the key to getting it all to stay together, and boy, did I fail at it. Then I realized this is more or less the same recipe as GNOWFGLINS yummy coconut bark (http://www.cravingfresh.com/2012/01/smart-sweets-winner-plus-peppermint.html), and it uses the food processor to emulsify. You don’t even have to heat everything if you use honey, so you don’t worry about the sucanat dissolving or not. Soooo…I recommend trying a food processor, and you might even like it with slightly less cocoa and sweetener; I thought it rather too “dark” almost bitter, but maybe that’s because all my sucanat wouldn’t dissolve and then my honey separated out on the second go-round… ;)
Anyway – hope this helps! :) Katie
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I tried this with half butter and half coconut oil. Didn’t turn out quite as I’d planned. They are much softer than conventional c.chips. I had to store them in the fridge. I tried them in my tried and true cookie recipe and it failed miserably. It all melted and ran in the bottom of my sheet. Luckily, I only put one sheet at a time instead of the 4 or 5 that I usually do. It still tasted good, but did not resemble a cookie in any way. I pressed the rest of the cookie dough into my cast iron skillet and just baked it into a big cookie bar. Haven’t tasted it yet, it’s still cooling, but I suspect it will taste very good. Maybe we’ll have to get used to cookie bars? Perhaps a different cookie recipe may have yielded better “cookie” results?
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I just tried this recipe for the first time. Can’t quit eating it and it hasn’t hardened completely. This is really good. By the time it is ready, there won’t be any.
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Laura I just made these and they smell great but then when i ate them they were bitter. Could my cocoa be old I also put the vanilla in right away instead of reading the whole tutorial first. What brand of Cocoa do you use. Thanks for posting all of your amazing recipes. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Joy
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Laura Reply:
June 14th, 2012 at 2:51 pm
Sounds like you may want to add more sugar/sucanat next time to see if that makes a difference.
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That is crazy close to a fudge recipe, or is it just me? LOL I have some coconut oil…must make these!
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I made the mistake of using margarine… oops! they’ve been in the fridge for a while, and i’m seeing if they’ll harden. if not, yummy chocolate sauce, anyone?:]
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kelly Reply:
June 29th, 2012 at 1:36 pm
Fruit dip ;)
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I was really disappointed with this recipe. Basically, this is the base for no-bake cookies, and it melts extremely quickly when handled. Do NOT use these for chocolate chip cookies. After sprinkling in a small handful, they melted so much that they destroyed the cookies and made them liquidy.
Sorry, this just didn’t work for me.
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Do you think things would mix better if I put the sucanat in the blender for a bit? Like using powdered sugar instead?
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Laura Reply:
September 4th, 2012 at 4:51 pm
Good idea!
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i did what the recipe said but it never hardened? its just a big glop of mess are you sure you can use butter in this? ah well guess ill use the mixture insie some brownies or something because it still tastes delicious :)
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Laura Reply:
September 8th, 2012 at 6:10 am
I have used butter successfully, but it certainly doesn’t harden up like when I use coconut oil. Hopefully your mixture will taste great in brownies!
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I have just been told by my Dr. that I have a food sensitivity to coconut. UGH ,So I must stay away from all coconut for 6 months , then after I can gradually try it back to see if I can tolerate it without getting inflammation again. So I know you said I can use butter, but what about sunflower oil? :)
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Laura Reply:
September 14th, 2012 at 2:22 pm
I think it’s worth a try, but I can’t say for sure since I’ve never tried it before in this recipe.
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if you have a need for salt free, use salt free butter. Always looking for salt free ideas for my dad
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Can you just put into the pan or do you have to use a jar?
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Laura Reply:
September 27th, 2012 at 6:29 pm
I think it would be okay to put it directly into the pan, but you have to watch it very carefully so that it won’t scorch. :)
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Hello!this looks delicious…but can we use an aluminium foil instead of parachment or waxed paper?????
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Laura Reply:
October 22nd, 2012 at 9:26 am
Sure!
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I tried this and for some reason it didn’t harden up at all.I feels more like soft taffy….and ideas what I did wrong? I used white sugar and butter…
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Laura Reply:
October 27th, 2012 at 9:13 am
Typically when I use butter, it doesn’t stiffen up like it does when I use coconut oil. I don’t think you did anything wrong – butter just gives is a softer consistency.
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Question about using the coconut oil for this recipe: do you melt the coconut oil and use a cup of it. Or do you use a cup of it as is (solidified). I’m using coconut oil more and more so I always wonder if a recipe calls for it if you have to liquify it first! Thanks!!
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Amanda Reply:
November 9th, 2012 at 2:16 pm
I melted the coconut oil and measured out 1 cup. Am wondering if anyone had a problem with the sucanat hardly dissolving at all? Laura I know you said a little bit of yours didn’t dissolve but it looked like mine hardly dissolved at all. I stirred the mixture the entire time. Still smells so yummy and hoping they turn out!! Thanks so much for this simple alternative to store bought chocolate chips!
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LindseyforLaura@HHM Reply:
December 10th, 2012 at 8:23 pm
You don’t have to melt it first. It works fine just to pack it into a measuring cup.
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Where do you buy coconut oil and can you use lactose free margarine?
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Laura Reply:
November 12th, 2012 at 12:46 pm
Here’s a post detailing where I buy coconut oil: http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/coconut-oil-why-it-is-good-for-you-and-where-to-buy-it. I don’t trust margarine to be healthy so it’s hard for me to know whether to recommend it for this recipe. I’d go with coconut oil!
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These sound like they would make a good alternative for someone who has a lactose intolerance. Can I use lactose free margarine? Where do you buy coconut oil?
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Laura Reply:
November 12th, 2012 at 12:45 pm
Here are some ideas for where I get coconut oil: http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/coconut-oil-why-it-is-good-for-you-and-where-to-buy-it
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THANK YOU!!!!:D NOW I DONT HAVE TO BUY THEM MUAHAHHAHAHAHA oh btw along with the fan in the chocolate… You can also see it in the bowl :)))))
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can i use carob instead of coco my daughter is allergic to all coco products
thanks
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Laura Reply:
November 19th, 2012 at 4:14 pm
Yes, I believe that will work!
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Have you tried to make peanut butter chips? Will you do that for me? :)
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Thanks for the recipe! I but instant coffee in and dipped my homemade graham crackers in the result! Cooling it now.
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Have you ever tried using these (in place of store bought chocolate chips) in a recipe for fudge? Would this be the equivalent of semi-sweet chocolate chips? Or some other variety?)
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Laura Reply:
January 20th, 2013 at 3:57 pm
Hmm, no I haven’t tried these in fudge, so I’m not sure how it would work. The flavor of these is similar to a bittersweet chocolate. :)
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Wondering if I could use this recipe to make a coffee chip? I’m thinking very finely ground coffee beans might be substituted for the cocoa powder. What do you think?
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Laura Reply:
January 29th, 2013 at 5:24 pm
Hmm, sounds like something fun to try!
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I’m going to try this one, sound tasty. Just to add something, try to add a bit (tea spoon to start with) of corn starch or potato starch, starch makes my chocolate frosting more “sticky” should be enough to hold the chips from melting bit longer.
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Okay, so I’m seeing that using butter doesn’t make the chocolate chips harden enough to use for things like cookies, but my mother in law is allergic to coconut… so what other oil can I use that will make it harden, but won’t give her an allergic reaction (she’s allergic to all tree nuts.)
Is vegetable oil okay to use? Will it cause problems in consistency? I’m looking for the milk chocolate taste, with hardened chunks, to make homemade chocolate chip cookies and muffins.
Will this recipe work for me?
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Laura Reply:
February 12th, 2013 at 10:56 am
I don’t recommend vegetable oil, unless it’s olive oil. That will likely work okay. :)
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Yeah, I ended up going forward just using the butter, to see what the consistency would turn out like, and they don’t harden in the slightest. It turns soft and pliable and I knew right then and there that it wouldn’t look anything like yours… but all was not lost. I ended up making doughnut muffins from another recipe I found, and used the chocolate in the pan (it came out of the pan like icing) to make chocolate doughnuts. The coloring was really nice… couldn’t taste the chocolate too much, but the family enjoyed it a lot. I don’t think I’ll use the recipe again until I figure out what type of oil to try… Thanks anyways :D
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I have made this recipe twice now and am experiencing mixed emotions. One one hand I am thrilled to have found a dairy free, gluten free chocolate chip that I LOVE. But on the other hand, this now means I need to use more self control and not overindulge!!!
I am never buying dairy free, gluten free chocolate chips again!!!
Thank you for a wonderful recipe!!
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Funny thing happened when I made these..
all the sugar hardened on the bottom, leaving a layer of sweet chocolate and a layer of bitter chocolate. how can I avoid this?
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Laura Reply:
March 13th, 2013 at 4:11 pm
This has happened to several people. You might try melting the ingredients, then whipping it well with your hand mixer to see if the ingredients will stay together better. :)
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I was wondering if cocoa powder could be changed to cacao powder? I have and use both in recipes but i don’t know what the differences are other than cacao looks healthier. Thanks for this awesome recipe cant wait to make some.
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Laura Reply:
March 13th, 2013 at 4:10 pm
I haven’t tried it that way before, but I don’t know why it wouldn’t work. :)
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Would this work canola or extra virgin olive oil?
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Laura Reply:
April 4th, 2013 at 8:21 am
I’d go with olive oil. :)
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Have you tried this in candy molds i.e. silicone bunny molds for Easter?
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Laura Reply:
March 27th, 2013 at 10:54 am
I haven’t tried it, but sounds like fun!
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I was just thinking if anyone has tried freezing the choc chips before trying to bake them in cookies? I will give it a go tomorrow and post the results!
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AmyP. Reply:
April 17th, 2013 at 3:51 pm
I was just going to suggest that! I think it would really help the melting issue. ;)
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I shared your recipe on my blog. I hope you don’t mind. It inspired some yummy treats. ;)
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can i use it on black fores cake?
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Laura Reply:
April 24th, 2013 at 9:15 pm
I would imagine so.
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