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Post by chocoloco on Apr 10, 2006 10:27:19 GMT -5
hi everyone. i am a student from the Philippines. I am taking a business management course in the DLSU. since we are business management major, we need to make our own innovative product and produce ( or subcontract) then sale it.We decided to make chocolate product for our practicum subject. i am so happy to find this site, because I have no idea about how to make chocolate at home. Since it should be innovative, we are thinking about making coconut milk flavor chocolate. Instead of using milk powder, we are going to use COCONUT POWER. Does any one have any suggestions? or what any innovative flavor of chocolate can you suggest? and any tips for making chocolate? thanks, hope to see the reply from other guys.
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Post by Alan on Apr 10, 2006 10:45:17 GMT -5
hi everyone. i am a student from the Philippines. I am taking a business management course in the DLSU. since we are business management major, we need to make our own innovative product and produce ( or subcontract) then sale it.We decided to make chocolate product for our practicum subject. i am so happy to find this site, because I have no idea about how to make chocolate at home. Since it should be innovative, we are thinking about making coconut milk flavor chocolate. Instead of using milk powder, we are going to use COCONUT POWER. Does any one have any suggestions? or what any innovative flavor of chocolate can you suggest? and any tips for making chocolate? thanks, hope to see the reply from other guys. In France, Switzerland, Belgium, and perhaps/probably other countries, it is common (i.e., mass produced) to find white chocolate that has coconut flavoring and bits in it. Usually there is also milk powder in it too though. If by innovative you mean something with a flavor that doesn't yet exist, or is rare, in chocolate, then coconut is not it. Another thing to keep in mind is that coconut milk is, to a large percentage, coconut cream, or coconut oil. Coconut oil, while solid at room temperature, is not as hard as cocoa butter. Therefore, if what you are using has a high percentage of coconut oil in it, you will likely run into an oddly-textured product that is hard to temper. However, there is no way to know until you try. Don't let me stop you. Alan
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Post by chocoloco on Apr 11, 2006 9:10:57 GMT -5
thanks for your message. i know that in some places coconut flavor chocolate is common. Which means that it can be accepted by the market, but in the Philippines, it is rare.i dont know y they dont have coconut flavor chocolate and candy while they are the one of the biggest producer of coconut. i will try to make the chocolate, hopfuly, people will love it..
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Post by sugaralchemy on May 5, 2006 16:34:03 GMT -5
I have seen coconut milk and coconut cream powder, which is probably the closest analog to whole milk powder you'll get - but it's still a good bit different. I'm fairly sure you could incorporate grated coconut into chocolate and basically refine it down to nothing, adding primarily white color and coconut flavor. Just be absolutely sure that what you're adding is as dry as possible - you do not want to add moisture and cause the chocolate to seize up.
In those sorts of cases, the coconut oil will basically be free in the chocolate. This means you will want to keep total coconut oil levels (as a percentage of the final product) fairly low, otherwise your chocolate will not temper properly and will likely exhibit all sorts of unusual properties. Coconut oil has a very sharp melting point around 77° F where it very abruptly goes from a solid to a liquid.
To get started, I might suggest you look at white chocolate formulations and aim to replace the milkfat / butter oil with coconut oil. You probably don't want to go much higher than this, though it never hurts to experiment around with a little more and a little less and see the results - sort of define a workable range. The other solids won't be too consequential provided you have enough total fat (both coconut oil and cocoa butter) and emulsifier present to keep the viscosity workable. If you want to try and incorporate a lot of coconut into the chocolate, you might try working with the various reduced fat products, even reduced fat grated coconut. Just be absolutely sure that the ingredients are dry enough as not to seize up the chocolate.
If you really want a nice coconut flavor and the levels you're finding function from a physical perspective aren't giving you a good level of flavor, I might encourage you to explore incorporating coconut flavor. There are many types available commercially and even a mediocre quality coconut flavor can really boost the overall coconut flavor profile and still taste great and very authentic.
Considering the fairly low cost of coconut and the pleasant flavor associated, you may be able to create a very delicious, slightly lower cost product. If you eliminate all milk products, it could be very appealing to diary sensitive individuals, or vegans. I don't think there is currently a dairy-free, vegan-friendly white chocolate on the market, and very few if any options as far as milk chocolate goes.
You could also try adding a very finely grated coconut to add texture and flavor, particularly in a bar containing crisps or nuts. I've had both milk and white chocolate with a finely grated coconut and found it to be a pleasant variation, adding interest visually, texturally, and in terms of flavor. Provided that you simply add this at the last minute without excessive heating or processing, it should retain nearly all of the coconut oil within the grated coconut itself, so it will have little to no impact on the coconut oil mixed with the cocoa butter which affects tempering. Once again, make sure what you add is very dry.
If you really want to emphasize coconut, you might try a white and a milk chocolate that incorporates both dry coconut milk/cream/pices into the chocolate as part of the refining process and adds finely grated bits at the end. You can probably skip the dairy entirely. I think you might be able to get the coconut content up there pretty far. I would define something like that as an innovative product - lower cost, allergen friendly, vegan friendly, etc. It would also feature a uniquely strong coconut flavor.
Does this answer your questions?
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Post by chocoloco on Jun 19, 2006 7:28:37 GMT -5
thanks so much for the reply! i am so happy to get the information. thanks for your support again! i hope it will work...
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Post by sugaralchemy on Jun 19, 2006 13:28:56 GMT -5
I do want to add the note that I have worked with coconut oil in chocolate and it certainly does alter the physical properties of the chocolate, rather like milkfat but not quite the same, it softens the chocolate. I would suggest that you do not exceed 5% of the total chocolate mass in free coconut oil, and only use that in chocolates that would normally benefit from the presence of milkfat like white and milk chocolate.
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Post by mightysparrow on Jul 4, 2006 12:27:02 GMT -5
A note on coconut oil in chocolate: I use it because I am trying to make the healthiest chocolate possible. I must say that many people think it is also the best tasting chocolate they have ever had. Two main drawbacks with coconut oil, first of course is that the chocolate has a melting point of 76F. However at 55F, the alleged best temperature at which to eat chocolate, it is absolutely delicious, and shiny. Second is that the cocoa fat of the liquor and the coconut fats are not chemically compatible, so even chilled, there is some "drift" of fat and "bloom" which is the death knell of commercial chocolates.
While I absolutely love the health qualities of coconut oil, I would NOT say that cocoa butter (fat) is unhealthy, being as it is a mix of (saturated) stearic, (sat) palmitic and (mono-unsat) oleic. My somewhat educated opinion is that high sugar, high carbs, and very high omega-6 polyunsat intake are the big diet problems here, and that mnay sat-fats are very health positive.
I am using otganic RBD coconut oil usually at 20-30%, which leaves a delicious mouth feel and a less dry tasting chocolate.
I have tried "winterizing" the coconut oil, pretty scientifically, with a laser thermometer and a 20 ton press but was only able to raise the melting pt to about 84F in my best attempt. There is a commercial coconut oil in which the 5-6 linoleic/oleic fraction is hydrogenated, raising the melting pt to about 100, perfect for my uses. But my clientele wouldn't stand for anything hydrogenated.
Any suggestions snyone has for resolving my problems here would be most welcome.
sparrow
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