Discover the Best Chocolate Making Classes Near Me
Chocolate, a product made from the beans of the cacao tree, is as old as the ancient Olmecs of Southern Mexico. In ancient Olmecian society, it is thought to have been a bitter ceremonial beverage. Ancient Mayan chocolate was consumed at nearly every meal by both wealthy and common people, and it was often mixed with water, honey, or chilis as a thick and frothy beverage. But once the Europeans discovered it, they began to transform chocolate into the rich and tasty treat we recognize today.
Today, much of the world’s cacao is produced in West Africa, not its native Central and South America. But throughout the colonial period from the 1500s onward, chocolate was being imported to Europe from Central and South America and enjoyed by the upper class who could afford it. Soon they started changing the recipe and adding spices like cinnamon and cane sugar to their chocolate drinks. Once the Dutch figured out how to make cocoa powder, chocolatiers began to spring up and display all of the wonderful ways in which chocolate could be transformed.
And with the mass production of chocolate, just about everyone can enjoy it in whichever form they prefer. Working with chocolate became a true art form for many chocolatiers, and today you can find chocolate competitions, a wide variety of chocolates from dark chocolate to milk chocolate to raspberry chocolate, and even institutions dedicated to chocolate, like the Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute.
Why You Should Learn Chocolate Making
Whether you’re a chocolate lover or not, learning chocolate making is a sweet way to have some off-the-beaten-path fun. Chocolate making may begin as a hobby, but if you get quite good at it, you could turn your skill into a small side hustle that pays for your next vacation, or possibly even replace your full-time job. Making chocolate is fun and relaxing and comes with a tasty reward at the end.
Learning how to make chocolate in all of its different forms can easily become a hobby or even an obsession. It’s a very versatile product that can be seen in the humble chocolate chip cookie or an ornate chocolate sculpture. How good you get at chocolate creations is up to you, but the journey is going to be sweet, or bittersweet depending on your preferences. Chocolate is for sharing, so the more you practice, the more you will have to share.
With chocolate being such a popular food item, getting into the wonderful sweet world of chocolate is going to open you up to an entirely new community. You’ll find chocolate growers, those who are pushing hard for fair-trade chocolate legislation and regulations, chocolate makers, chocolate enthusiasts, and even chocolate scientists. If there’s one thing that could bring so many people of so many backgrounds together, it’s chocolate.
5 Ways to Learn Chocolate Making
- Traditional in-person chocolate making classes include culinary schools and fine arts schools. In a traditional school setting, you’ll be taught by professionals who have studied the culinary arts and chocolate. These types of classrooms provide students with the kind of hands-on learning that gets lasting results quickly.
- Online chocolate making classes are a good choice for those who can’t take an in-person class. Virtual learning allows students to learn on their schedule. When you’re unable to find a class in your area or your schedule is too tight to allow for commuting to class, online learning can help make educational goals more attainable and accessible.
- On-demand or self-paced classes, like those offered on YouTube, make learning how to make chocolate on your own time a real possibility. There’s no need to rush your learning if you don’t want to, and you’re able to move past the lessons that you have a firm grasp of. On-demand courses allow you to tailor your learning in a way that honors the things that you’re most interested in learning.
- On-the-job training and apprenticeships are the most hands-on way to learn. You’ll be thrust into the world of making chocolate and asked to cook. Working for an already-established chocolatier will allow you to learn a lot about what the practice of chocolate making truly entails. You’ll have real-world experiences that will help you to grow through mentorship and beyond theory.
- Read chocolate making cookbooks and practice the skill at home. Cookbooks often come with more than just ingredients and directions. There are stories, tips, and warnings that can help you problem-solve, get creative, and better understand the nuance that goes into making the popular confectionery treat. Practicing what you learn to perfect your craft is going to make a big difference in your growth.
In-Person Chocolate Making Classes
Anyone interested in learning how to make chocolate can benefit from chocolate making classes. Even if you’re looking for something fun and different to do, a chocolate making class is a great choice for a first date, an outing with friends, or even as a family activity. An in-person class may be just the thing to spark a passion or a hobby while adding to your personal skill set.
Raaka Chocolate aims to make delicious chocolate while building strong and healthy relationships with their global community and the planet in their Brooklyn location. Co-founder Ryan Cheney spent a year learning bean-to-bar chocolate making before teaming up with co-founder and gastronomist, Nate Hodge. Together they have been making micro-batch chocolates and sharing their passion for sustainable, ethical, and low-temperature chocolate making with those who want to learn.
For those who like to start at the beginning, Bean-to-Bar Chocolate Making could be the perfect start. Learners ages 14 and older can get an immersive experience with chocolate. Participants will learn about the origins of cacao, as well as get to winnow, grind, and mill beans by hand. This class takes hands-on to another level. At the end of class, everyone will leave with a bag of mini dark chocolates and the knowledge of how to make bean-to-bar chocolate at home. A class bonus is a tasting of the chocolate that’s made at Raaka.
Raaka also features a Hand-Churned Chocolate Ice Cream Making class. What better way to spend an afternoon, than making unroasted double chocolate vegan chocolate ice cream? Not only will participants learn the science behind ice cream making, but they’ll also learn how to make a signature ice cream base. Everyone will have the option to add fun mix-ins like waffle cone pieces and chocolate chips before adding their sweet treat to old-fashioned, hand-cranked ice cream makers. In the class downtime, participants will get to have a Raaka chocolate tasting and will have two pints of ice cream to take home.
NY Cake Academy, located in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, was once called the Chocolate Gallery and was founded by renowned cake decorator, Joan Mansour. Over the years it evolved into New York Cake and Baking Distributor, a one-stop shop for baking supplies for the home baker and the professional. As they grew, they added wholesaling and education to their repertoire. People go to NY Cake Academy to learn how to bake, decorate cakes, and manipulate chocolate.
Participants ages 12 and older can learn to make Chocolate Truffles at NY Cake Academy. This class is for people of all levels, and it covers chocolate couverture, chocolate tempering, chocolate shaping, and ganache. All supplies and materials will be provided to students. At the end of the class, participants will have created two different chocolate treats.
In their Candy Coating and Chocolate Molding course, participants will get into the skill of coating chocolate and chocolate molds. There are a few things to know about working with compound chocolate that can drastically change the way it behaves and its outcomes. This class is sharing the secrets to help learners create chocolate lollipops. Students will learn the difference between coating and couverture chocolate, and what techniques and uses are best applied to both.
Classpop! Is a culinary organization that connects expert chefs and interested learners at local venues. There are locations all around the country, including in Boston and Atlanta. But courses can pop up all over various cities. Both chefs and venues are carefully vetted to ensure that courses will be beneficial to guests.
Learning how to Make Homemade Chocolate Truffles can be a lot of fun. Taking this class requires no experience with cooking, so it’s a great choice for beginners. It’s a great course to take with friends or on a date. Participants will learn some amazing recipes and new kitchen skills. This course is held at Claspop’s Atlanta location in Marietta and class size is capped at 10 participants.
In West Los Angeles, Chef Eric’s Culinary Classroom teaches guests how to cook a variety of culinary delights. Chef Eric closely mentors his students and has a professionally designed kitchen with high-end equipment. Classes are designed for people who want to enter the culinary field and novice cooks who want experiential learning.
In Decadent Desserts, learners ages 15 and older will get to dig into decadence while creating rich and tasty desserts. Fancy dinner parties and family gatherings will never be the same once some of these confections grace the table. This course’s menu includes a chocolate torte Caprese, a milk chocolate cherry souffle, a traditional tiramisu, and a banana rum cake with chocolate sauce. Class sizes are small, so Chef Eric can be more attentive to guests.
Chef Eric’s Pies and Tarts class is for young adults and adults ages 15 and older who want to broaden their dessert skills. In this class, students will start with learning the art of a pie crust and tart dough. The menu includes a traditional pumpkin pie, cherry pie, and banana cream tart with macadamia nut/chocolate-layered crust.
At The Chopping Block in Chicago’s Lincoln Square, people can take recreational cooking classes or buy gourmet items to stock their kitchens. The Chopping Block hosts a wide variety of classes that can be taken in person and online. They offer demonstrations, private parties, and wine classes as well. Classes given here are fun and casual, and they’re a great choice for kids, dates, and team-building events.
When learning about delicious vegan desserts is on the to-do list, Vegan Takeover: Vegan Desserts is the class to explore. Adult chefs of all skill levels can join celebrity vegan chef, Dustin Harder, for a hands-on experience with vegan confections. All of the recipes in this class are plant-based, using dairy and egg substitutions to create decadent and easy-to-make desserts that taste amazing. The menu for this class includes a skillet chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream, strawberry banana nice cream, pad Thai lime cupcakes, and a take-home strawberry icebox cake.
Virtual Chocolate Making Classes
Online classes are just as good as in-person classes and can impart a lot of great information to further your understanding and knowledge of chocolate making. The greatest advantage to taking online chocolate making classes is that you can learn on your schedule in the setting that works best for you. There’s no need to worry about commuting to class, beating the traffic, or trying to rearrange a tight schedule.
In most online classes, participants need to furnish their own supplies and materials to participate in the workshop, but there are virtual classes that send a kit to their attendees to make the learning simpler and more uniform. Although a hands-on approach in an online chocolate making class refers mainly to your hands and not the instructor’s, there are still a lot of ways for the instructor to help students that need assistance.
In this no-bake vegetarian Chocolate Truffles class, students will create three different chocolate truffles that do not require baking. This is an all-inclusive class, so participants will have a kit with all of the main materials needed to make the truffles. The class will be a live demonstration that can be followed. Although these truffles aren’t vegan or gluten-free, participants can feel free to substitute the Oreos and the honey to fit dietary restrictions.
A French Macaron Step-by-Step Class is a great way to stretch the culinary prowess of cooks ages 16 and older. Participants will learn how to step up their cookie-making skills with these delicate macaroons. The instructor will share tips on how to get the perfect macaron every time, and by the end of the class, students will have their own batch of macarons. This class also features a different and unique macaron in every workshop.
Cookie Decorating requires a steady hand, and this course helps participants hone their decorating skills. This class covers techniques like flooding, marbling, and wet-on-wet designs. Although this class is online, students will be sent a kit containing the necessary materials to participate in the class.
Private Group Chocolate Making Classes
Is your organization looking for a fun-filled team-building event? CourseHorse delivers private group chocolate making classes to you. A chocolate making class is a great idea for a team-building event because it’s a fun and relaxing activity that allows bonding between colleagues in a neutral setting. There’s no competition involved, and your team will have the chance to learn more about one another and their approach to life skills.
Check out this one-hour Virtual Truffle Making Workshop designed specifically as a team-building exercise. This workshop can hold up to 250 participants, and no prior kitchen skills are necessary. To make sure that your entire team can participate in this virtual event, the materials needed to make chocolate truffles will be mailed to each participant before the date of the event. Team members will be responsible for providing their kitchen utensils like a spatula, mixing bowls, and saucepan. During the event, everyone will make a chocolate ganache, truffle filling, and dark chocolate truffles.
Another chocolatey course is this 90-minute Virtual Cooking Workshop. This workshop accommodates up to 100 participants and the materials for the class will be shipped to each participant before the date of the event to ensure full participation. Using the creaming method, everyone will bake two different types of cookies, gooey chocolate chip cookies, and lemon crinkles.
Booking private group courses through CourseHorse is quick and easy. There are no booking fees or registration required, booking confirmation arrives within 24 hours, and multiple platforms are supported. You can even change your group size after booking if you need to. They make it easy to host a great event while giving you the flexibility you need to succeed.
Don’t worry if you do not see the team-building class you were hoping to find listed publicly. Providing private online classes for your organization is something that CourseHorse can provide. Simply, reach out to CourseHorse using the website contact form to inquire about what is available to you. You’ve got options.
What Will I Need to Learn Chocolate Making?
There are a lot of tools to use in the kitchen, and you’ll find many of them helpful or necessary when making chocolate. You’ll need bowls, pots, pans, ladles, and a whisk, to name a few. But if you’re taking an in-person class, you’ll likely be provided with most of the tools you’ll need to learn chocolate making. Chocolate is highly customizable, so there are some special tools that you may want to work with to create the style of chocolate you have in mind.
Is it Difficult to Learn Chocolate Making?
There are a lot of different ways to prepare chocolate, and some preparations are certainly easier than others. So learning how to make chocolate in a multitude of iterations has the potential to be difficult with mastering the art of tempering, stabilizing, and forming. This, however, doesn’t mean chocolate making is an insurmountable task. It just means that chocolate making is a highly technical skill that requires your focused practice to get really good at. And if you’re serious about gaining mastery, you’ll reach your delicious chocolatey goal.
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