Cocoa Blocks

By MarieR

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (1 1/4 cups)
• 3 cups semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (chopped chocolate bars or chips)Measure the chocolate. (This is one recipe where chocolate chips will work beautifully. The lecithin in the chips will help the blocks firm up.)
• In a separate bowl, measure out 3/4 cup unsweetened baking chocolate.

Preparation

Step 1

Place in a medium-sized saucepan:
Cream and condensed milk.
Stir until they start to come together smoothly.
Heat the cream/milk mixture over medium heat until it starts to steam and has a good amount of bubbles around the edges.
Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. First the semisweet or bittersweet chips…
…and then the unsweetened. Mix the chocolate until it’s submerged in the hot cream, then leave to stand for about 10 minutes.
Return the pan to low heat and stir to ensure that the chocolate is all melted.
Switch to a whisk and whisk vigorously. Now it the time to add any flavorings, such as vanilla, coffee, or another extra-strong flavoring; Irish Creme and peppermint are big favorites here.
The mixture will become thick and glossy. If you’ve made fudge before, this will look familiar to you.
Pour the chocolate-y goodness into a parchment-lined 8″ square pan. Allow to set up overnight at room temperature before cutting.
Pour the chocolate-y goodness into a parchment-lined 8″ square pan. Allow to set up overnight at room temperature before cutting.