Homemade Chili Chocolate: Recipe with Chili Powder
In short: Making chili chocolate at home takes about 30 minutes: melt 200 g of chocolate over a water bath, mix 2 to 4 tsp of chili powder with a little fat, stir it in, pour, let it set. Best with dark chocolate of 70% cocoa or more.
Chocolate with chili is a very old combination. According to tradition, the Maya and Aztecs already drank cocoa with chili, often thickened with corn flour. In Europe, bars have existed for over a hundred years, but hardly any really hot ones, for example with habanero or rocoto. The solution: make it yourself.
Ingredients
- 200 g chocolate (dark, at least 70% cocoa, ideally organic and without added flavourings)
- 5 to 10 g palm oil (or another neutral solid fat)
- 2 to 4 tsp chili powder (for example habanero, ancho or a mix)
- Optional: chili flakes for sprinkling, a little sugar if the chocolate is too bitter for you
Time: about 15 minutes preparation, 15 minutes cooking, roughly 30 minutes in total, plus cooling.
Method
- Fill a pot about one third with water. Place a metal bowl on top so that only the rising steam heats it. Direct heat burns chocolate, so always melt it over a water bath.
- While the chocolate melts slowly, mix the fat with the chili powder. The fat absorbs heat and aroma and helps distribute the chili powder evenly in the chocolate.
- Stir the chili mixture into the melted chocolate.
- Pour onto baking paper or into moulds. If you like, sprinkle chili flakes on top.
- Let it cool and set. The more fat you use, the more melting the chocolate becomes; with less fat it is firmer to bite.
Tips
- Try different chilis: habanero for fruitiness, ancho for mild depth, or mix powders.
- Freshly ground chilis from your own garden taste best. How to dry chilis is in our guide Drying chilis in the oven.
- Approach the heat step by step: start with 2 tsp, then add more.
About the author
Fabian Rueda has long experience in the spicy world. Follow him on Instagram.