I’ve been struggling with a dark chocolate mint and wonder if you have any tips. I’ve tried: adding directly to the melanger, but suspect the heat is too much; infusing cocoa butter 1:1 by weight, but it’s still so mild; sprinkled on top, awful mouthfeel. I’m stuck! Maybe a stronger infusion?
What is your mint? fresh, dried, mint extract/oil? And, what % is the dark chocolate, and which origin? So many questions :)
Let's start with the origin. If an origin is high in fruit notes, it's high in acids. A fruity origin works well with something nutty, because they balance. But if it's with something floral/herbal, menthol-ish, the fruit dominates. % (paired with origin) can have an impact, but not necessarily how we might expect: the lower the % the higher the sugar, and then "sweetness" can dampen any flavors we're trying to highlight. I think this is why those classic, beloved thin mints are typically dark chocolate--the "darkness" is perfect for the "coolness" that mint brings in. Let's say you only have a fruity origin; an option is to add milk and make a dark milk (65%) with either dairy or plant-based to help neutralize the fruit acids and create a more gentle canvas for the mint.
Let's talk about the form of mint. If you used fresh or dried to infuse the cocoa butter it takes a lot, and I'd give it several days (also, the cocoa butter needs to be kept melted--a sous vide comes in handy). An option is to infuse the sugar for the batch with fresh mint (I heated the sugar until warm, then layered the mint (a lot) with it in a covered glass dish and let it "steep" for two weeks. It's easy to see why most makers default to a bottle of flavoring. No judgment on that! when we aim to create something unique to us we have to veer in other, less-explored directions.
You may need to add the mint in multiple places: infuse the cb, and/or sugar, grind in a high quality dried mint (or if you can, dry your own) at the end of the batch (you are right about the heat diffusing it), stir in dried mint when you get ready to temper, or find a "vehicle" to bring the mint into the chocolate: a mint shortbread (made into crumbs and stirred in), for example.
if anyone else reads this and has ideas/solutions, please add them!
This is such helpful insight. I’ve been chipping away at it for a couple months and won’t bore you with all of the details of my attempts. I’ve been experimenting 😂 It helps to hear I’m thinking about it correctly and need to keep going. I’ve released my summer recipe idea and am now thinking about winter flavors, so I have some time. And a lot of mint. Next up, sugar infusion. Maybe infused cb, and sugar, with a minty sugar sparkle dust on top.
I’ve been struggling with a dark chocolate mint and wonder if you have any tips. I’ve tried: adding directly to the melanger, but suspect the heat is too much; infusing cocoa butter 1:1 by weight, but it’s still so mild; sprinkled on top, awful mouthfeel. I’m stuck! Maybe a stronger infusion?
What is your mint? fresh, dried, mint extract/oil? And, what % is the dark chocolate, and which origin? So many questions :)
Let's start with the origin. If an origin is high in fruit notes, it's high in acids. A fruity origin works well with something nutty, because they balance. But if it's with something floral/herbal, menthol-ish, the fruit dominates. % (paired with origin) can have an impact, but not necessarily how we might expect: the lower the % the higher the sugar, and then "sweetness" can dampen any flavors we're trying to highlight. I think this is why those classic, beloved thin mints are typically dark chocolate--the "darkness" is perfect for the "coolness" that mint brings in. Let's say you only have a fruity origin; an option is to add milk and make a dark milk (65%) with either dairy or plant-based to help neutralize the fruit acids and create a more gentle canvas for the mint.
Let's talk about the form of mint. If you used fresh or dried to infuse the cocoa butter it takes a lot, and I'd give it several days (also, the cocoa butter needs to be kept melted--a sous vide comes in handy). An option is to infuse the sugar for the batch with fresh mint (I heated the sugar until warm, then layered the mint (a lot) with it in a covered glass dish and let it "steep" for two weeks. It's easy to see why most makers default to a bottle of flavoring. No judgment on that! when we aim to create something unique to us we have to veer in other, less-explored directions.
You may need to add the mint in multiple places: infuse the cb, and/or sugar, grind in a high quality dried mint (or if you can, dry your own) at the end of the batch (you are right about the heat diffusing it), stir in dried mint when you get ready to temper, or find a "vehicle" to bring the mint into the chocolate: a mint shortbread (made into crumbs and stirred in), for example.
if anyone else reads this and has ideas/solutions, please add them!
This is such helpful insight. I’ve been chipping away at it for a couple months and won’t bore you with all of the details of my attempts. I’ve been experimenting 😂 It helps to hear I’m thinking about it correctly and need to keep going. I’ve released my summer recipe idea and am now thinking about winter flavors, so I have some time. And a lot of mint. Next up, sugar infusion. Maybe infused cb, and sugar, with a minty sugar sparkle dust on top.