  Making chocolate is a fun and delicious process! Making chocolate from the bean isn't easy. Chocolate companies invest millions of dollars into tools and machinery to turn bitter cacao beans into delicious chocolate bars. But with many hours, possibly days, of hard work and dedication to detail, along with some equipment of your own, you can turn your kitchen into a miniature chocolate factory. By following these instructions and techniques, you'll be able to make your very own brand of chocolate. Steps  Roasted cocoa beans  Unroasted cocoa beans  Roasting cocoa beans in a drum over a grill - If roasting in your oven, you will need to do a bit of experimenting because roasting times depend on the type of bean you're using. Lay the beans in a single layer across a cookie sheet. Start off with an 18 minute roast in a preheated oven at 150 degrees C (300 degrees F). They'll be ready when they start to crack and when they actually taste like chocolate (let them cool before tasting!).
- For roasting larger quantities of cocoa beans, you may want to invest in a drum, which is rotated over a gas grill.
- See the Tips and Warnings below about roasting.
- Crack and winnow the beans. After roasting, the beans must be cracked into nibs and winnowed, whereby the husks (chaff) are removed.
 Cracking the cocoa beans into nibs - You can crack the beans with a hammer and remove the husks (which should be loose after proper roasting) by hand if you are working with a small batch.
- For larger batches, you can use a very coarse, Corona type mill or purchase a specialized mill (shown here) to crack the beans into nibs. (In case you were wondering, a meat grinder doesn't work.)
- To winnow the nibs, stir them gently with hands or a spoon as you blow on them with a hair dryer or small shop vac until the husks are blown away.
- Grind the nibs into a cocoa liqueur. You will need equipment strong enough to liquefy the
 Winnowing the cocoa nibs - Conch and refine the chocolate. By definition, conching affects the characteristic taste,
 Refining the chocolate - Melt the chocolate and the cocoa butter in the oven to about 120 F.
- Combine with non-fat dry milk powder, sugar, lecithin and a vanilla pod (split and soaked in the cocoa butter 1 hour; this is an optional flavoring).
- Pour the chocolate mixture in the grinder, periodically pointing a hair dryer at it for 2-3 minutes to keep the chocolate melted during the first hour (until the friction created by grinding keeps the chocolate liquid without additional heat being needed).
- Continue refining for at least 10 hours and no more than 36 hours, until the chocolate tastes smooth and balanced, but be sure not to over-refine (or it will get gummy).
- To take a break from refining (e.g. at night while you're sleeping, see Warnings), turn off the grinder, put the covered bowl into an oven that's preheated to 150 F but turned off, and leave it there overnight. It shouldn't solidify but if it does, take the cover off and turn the oven on about 150-175 until the chocolate melts (be careful not to let the bowl itself melt, though).
- Temper the chocolate. This is likely the most difficult part of the process, but it ensures that the chocolate will be shiny and have a "snap" to it, rather than being matte and soft enough to melt in your hands. However, the great thing about tempering is you can do it as many times as you like and the chocolate won't be ruined. Or, you can purchase a tempering machine on the Internet for $300-400 (US). The most important thing is that you do not let any moisture in the chocolate, or it will be ruined.
 Melting chocolate for tempering
 Tempering chocolate  Tempering chocolate  Tempering chocolate - Continue doing this (about 10-15 minutes) until the chocolate is about 85 degrees F. By the time the chocolate cools down to that point, the chocolate should be a thick, gooey mass.
- Add some of the 100 degree F chocolate from the bowl to get the chocolate workable again. Gently work the chocolate around.
 Tempered chocolate - Check the chocolate's temperature. You want it around 90 degrees F, but never over 92 degrees. Anything higher than this and you may need to temper the chocolate again.
- Mold the chocolate while it is still at about 90 degrees. Pour the chocolate into the molds,
 Moulding chocolate  Moulding chocolate with a syringe - Remove the chocolate from the molds when the chocolate is hardened. The molded
 Removing chocolate shapes from the mould  Chocolate shapes - Enjoy!
Tips - There are many things you can do with your chocolate when you're done. You could sell it, give it as gifts, or even enjoy it with friends. Any way you choose, will be rewarding.
- Making chocolate is a learning process. Don't expect your very first batch to be absolutely perfect. If you make chocolate several times, you'll find what works for you and what doesn't. You might even consider adding ingredients of your own, or using your own methods of roasting or tempering that work well for you. Do research about different techniques and see what you can find, and experiment with your own.
- Don't skip the roasting. The beans need to be roasted in order to sterilize them and reduce the risk of infection, as well as trigger the chemical reactions that make chocolate taste like chocolate.
- It is possible to use a grinder or food processor to refine the chocolate, but this is strongly discouraged as it doesn't work nearly as well as an actual refiner.
- It is likely that a mess will be made when you grind the cocoa.
 Coacher / refiner - Homemade chocolate makes a great gift- experiment with it to make a variety of chocolate-based gifts. Give it for a holiday or birthday and expect it to be enjoyed.
- There is a way to make chocolate by hand, but it produces chocolate cruder than that found here.
Warnings - Do not roast cocoa beans in a coffee roaster. The outer husk is flammable.
- Always supervise your children when they make chocolate.
- Some of the machines you will be working with are dangerous, so always take safety precautions and use your common sense.
Things You'll Need - Oven or store-bought cocoa bean roaster
- Cocoa mill/grinder
- Blow dryer
- Food processor or an electric cocoa grinder
- Concher/refiner (a food processor could be used as a substitute, but this is not recommended. The concher/refiner is preferred over the food processor due to ease and functionality)
- Bowl
- Spoon
- Candy thermometer
- Cocoa beans
Related wikiHows Sources and Citations - Chocolate Alchemy - A great resource on chocolate making and the source of the images in this article. Used with permission.
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