How to Make Homemade Chocolate Candy Bars

Candy bars are a favorite treat of many, but store bought candy bars often lose their luster. The flavor is often altered due to preservatives and artificial ingredients. After a while, they all begin to taste the same. Homemade candy bars, on the other hand, can be just what you want them to be. More importantly, homemade candy bars don't need preservatives or artificial flavors. All you need are a few ingredients and to learn the technique.

Things You'll Need

• Double boiler
• 12 oz. chocolate chips
• ½ cup nuts, chopped
• ½ cup dried fruit
• Candy bar molds
• Parchment paper

Instructions

1. Melt and temper chocolate. Melt 9 oz. of chocolate in a double boiler. Remove the melted chocolate from the heat and stir in the other 3 oz. of chips until they melt. This will temper the chocolate so that it has the proper texture and snap.

2. Fill the molds halfway. If you want a plain candy bar, you can fill the candy bar molds all the way and skip to Step 5. For filled candy bars, continue to Step 4.

3. Add nuts and dried fruit. Nuts and dried fruit add flavor and texture to homemade candy bars. Play around with different ingredients to create different flavors. For example, you could add dried cherries with toasted almonds. Dried cranberries and pecans are another winning combination.

4. Finish filling the molds and chill. Fill the molds all the way and scrap off excess chocolate. Place the molds in the refrigerator until the chocolate hardens.

5. Remove the bars from molds and wrap. Flip the molds upside down over a large cookie sheet. If the bars don't come loose from the molds, you can use a hair dryer on the lowest setting to slightly melt the chocolate so that it lets loose. Once removed, wrap the candy bars in parchment paper and store in an air tight container.