How to add flavor to chocolate?

[akonsu]

Hello,

 

there are chocolate bars sold in some stores like Whole Foods in the US, that are flavoured. These are all-chocolate bars, no filling in them. For example, there are bars by Vosges that have flavorings like pepper, bacon, and other peculiar ones (actually, I did not like the chocolate itself, not the flavors, although they say is it "haute"...). How do they add flavors to chocolate and still make sure it is not grainy?

 

I see two ways to include flavors: either grind the dry substance (like pepper, or bacon, or dried blossoms, whatever) very finely and mix this powder into the melted chocolate before molding it, or infuse melted pure cocoa butter following the usual infusion procedure and add this butter to the chocolate, but this would change the formulation of the chocolate, I am afraid...

 

Please share what you know about this.

 

thanks in advance

konstantin

[pastrygirl]

2 hours ago, akonsu said:

I see two ways to include flavors: either grind the dry substance (like pepper, or bacon, or dried blossoms, whatever) very finely and mix this powder into the melted chocolate before molding it, or infuse melted pure cocoa butter following the usual infusion procedure and add this butter to the chocolate, but this would change the formulation of the chocolate, I am afraid...

 

Yes, a few hours in a melanger works for all the dry things I've tried so far (nuts, freeze dried fruit, kale chips, oats, caramelized sugar). Also, oil based flavors such as food grade essential oils are concentrated enough that you only need a teaspoon or two per kg of chocolate, I use orange and peppermint at christmas https://www.lorannoils.com/1-dram-size

 

Changing the formulation of the chocolate isn't that big a deal because there is so much variation in chocolate anyway.  If you wanted to infuse cocoa butter and add it, just use a chocolate that's lower CB to begin with, not a 35% CB couverture.  I've been working with a company who wants to produce an herbal supplement bar, they bring me their dry mix and I grind it into chocolate.  My instinct was to add a lot more CB because I was worried about the dry matter making it too thick, but since I'm using a very fluid, high fat Felchlin chocolate already, I really don't need to add much.  In contrast, another chocolatier I've worked for was using a couple formulas of Guittard that were just super thick, I added CB liberally to make the chocolate more flowing for molding and closer to the couverture I'm used to.

Edited June 6, 2019 by pastrygirl (log)

[Kerry Beal]

I believe the Vogues chocolate just contains the bacon etc in chunks - at least it did when I last purchased them.