The Ultimate Chocolate FAQ: Your Most Asked Chocolate Questions Answered by Sweets n Beyond

Chocolate is one of the world’s most loved ingredients, yet it also causes the most confusion, especially when it comes to tempering, colouring, and mastering that perfect glossy finish.

At Sweets n Beyond, we work with premium couverture, single-origin chocolate, and luxury fillings every day. So we’ve gathered the most searched chocolate questions from Google, AI engines, and home chocolatiers, and answered them with clarity and precision.

Whether you’re creating bonbons, crafting Dubai chocolate bars, or experimenting with coloured cocoa butter, this guide will help you achieve stunning, professional results.

1. How Do You Temper Chocolate Properly?

Tempering chocolate isn’t just warming and cooling, it’s the art of controlling cocoa butter crystals.

Understanding Cocoa Butter Crystals

Cocoa butter forms six types of crystals (I–VI), but only Crystal V (Form 5) gives chocolate its luxurious qualities:

  • High shine

  • Crisp, clean snap

  • Smooth mouthfeel

  • Perfect mould release

  • Stability at room temperature

When chocolate is not tempered correctly, unstable crystals form instead (I–IV and VI), creating grey streaks, dull surfaces, or soft, bendy chocolate.

Your goal:
👉 Remove all existing crystals → build only Crystal V.

This is exactly what tempering achieves.

The Correct Seeding Method

  1. Melt 100% of your chocolate to eliminate all crystal structures:

    • Dark: 45-50°C

    • Milk: 40-45°C

    • White: 38-43°C

  2. Seed the melted chocolate with finely chopped tempered solid chocolate until it cools to:

    • Dark: 28-29°C

    • Milk: 26-27°C

    • White: 26-27°C

Seeding introduces stable Crystal V back into the melted chocolate, guiding the rest into the correct formation.

  1. Gently rewarm to working temperature, dissolving unstable crystals while keeping Crystal V intact:

    • Dark: 31-32°C

    • Milk: 29-30°C

    • White: 28-29°C

Now your chocolate is perfectly tempered, glossy, crisp, and ready for moulds, dipping, or enrobing.

2. How Do You Temper Cocoa Butter?

Tempered cocoa butter is essential for sharp, clean decorative finishes.

How to Temper Cocoa Butter

  • Melt to 40-45°C

  • Cool to 26-27°C

  • Rewarm to 28-29.5°C

Tempering prevents streaks, dull patches, and smudging in moulds.

3. How Do You Add Colour to Cocoa Butter?

To achieve vibrant, smooth designs:

Use ONLY fat-soluble (oil-based) colours.

Water based colours will make chocolate seize instantly.

How to Colour Cocoa Butter

  • Melt cocoa butter

  • Add 0.5–1% fat-soluble colour

  • Blend with immersion blender

  • Temper the mixture

  • Apply using airbrush, brush, sponge, or splatter

This creates glossy, professional finishes.

 

4. Why Does Chocolate Turn Grey or Dull?

This is fat bloom, caused by:

  • Incorrect tempering

  • Temperature fluctuations

  • Cooling too slowly or too quickly

  • Moulds that are cold, warm, or damp

  • Using untempered coloured cocoa butter

Often, bloom happens when tempering is off by just 1-2°C.

5. Why Won’t My Chocolate Release From the Mould?

Your mould must be:

  • Completely dry

  • Polished and clean

  • Filled with perfectly tempered chocolate

Chill for 6-8 minutes. No longer, or condensation forms.

6. Can You Add Flavours to Chocolate?

Yes, but only oil-based flavours:

  • Orange

  • Mint

  • Coffee

  • Pistachio

  • Almond

  • Caramelised milk fat

Avoid anything water-based.

7. What Chocolate Is Best for Bonbons?

Choose couverture with 31–39% cocoa butter.
It creates thin, crisp shells and melts beautifully, ideal for bonbons, Dubai chocolate bars, and alfajor shells.

8. What Is Single-Origin Chocolate?

Single-origin chocolate comes from one region or country, giving it a unique flavour profile:

  • Ecuador: fruity, floral

  • Madagascar: citrus, berry

  • Ghana: deep cocoa, caramel

Premium artisan chocolate brands (including us) value these distinctive notes.

9. Are Chocolate Bars Gluten-Free?

Plain chocolate is naturally gluten-free.
Decorated or filled chocolates may contain gluten. Always check ingredients.

10. Why Is Chocolate Becoming More Expensive?

Reasons include:

  • Cocoa crop shortages

  • Climate change

  • Ethical farming and fair wages

  • Increasing demand for artisan chocolate

  • Global supply chain pressure

Premium chocolate reflects premium craftsmanship and agricultural care.

Love Chocolate? Discover Sweets n Beyond

From luxury stuffed dates to Dubai chocolate bars, Angel Hair chocolate, and premium brownies, every creation is crafted using precise temperatures, quality cocoa butter crystals, and the finest ingredients.

Follow our blog for tips, chocolate techniques, and behind the scenes insights into artisan confectionery.