Turning liquid chocolate into a bar
Large machines cool and heat the liquid to precise temperatures in order to form the proper cocoa butter crystals - a stable fat crystal means smooth, shiny bars.
Great chocolate should have a shiny finish and a good “snap” – that clean clicking sound when you break a piece off.
The final step in making a finished chocolate bar is pouring it into a mould, those moulds come in all shapes and sizes: flat, round, triangular. If the final product has fillings or other ingredients such as almonds, hazelnuts, or raisins, those are added at this point. Delicious!
After the molds of liquid chocolate come out of the cooler, the solid chocolate is un-molded, wrapped, packaged, boxed, and shipped off to wholesalers and retailers.
Ready to give us moments of joy!