Chocolate is not easily made at home, but with persistence and the right equipment, it can be done. making chocolate at home will give you an appreciation for all that goes into producing that wonderfully addicting confection! Read on to learn how to make chocolate.

Homemade chocolate will not be as smooth as that you buy in the store, but you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you made it yourself. You can customize your chocolate with flavorings and add-ins such as nuts or dried fruit to create a confection that is truly original!

You can purchase specialized chocolate roasters, but you can also roast the beans in your oven. You'll need to experiment with different temperatures and times, to see which combination gives you the best flavor. Spread the beans on a cookie sheet and place in an oven that's been preheated to 450 degrees. Lower the temperature to 350 after they've roasted for 5 minutes. The beans will e done when they start to crack. This may take from 15-35 minutes.

At the end of the roasting, they should taste like chocolate.

After roasting the beans need to be cracked and winnowed. Start by blowing the roasted beans with a blow dryer. You may be able to remove most of the husks that way. You can then crack the remaining beans with a hammer or mortar and pestle, and remove the husks by hand, or use a specialized grinder that both cracks the beans and removes the husks.

After the husks are removed, continue grinding the beans until they form a paste. Heat the paste in a double boiler until hot but not boiling, and then mash it again. Continue heating and mashing until you have a smooth paste.

After the chocolate is smooth, you can form it using candy molds. If you don't have molds, you can spread it on waxed paper to cool, and break it into chunks when cool.

Return the beans to the double boiler and add sugar and cream. Whisk until smooth. For one pound of beans you'll need:

• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2/3 cup half and half