Make your own chocolate! I say again, make your own chocolate! Make your own chocolate and impress the girl! No I'm kidding, well actually I'm not.  What girl would not be impressed with a guy who gives her a box of chocolates (girl thinks: ho hum, booooooring) and says, "This is fruit and nut milk chocolate, I made it myself last night" (girl thinks: WOAH!).  To be honest, making your own chocs is easy and fun! Justin, who was my housemate in my third year in London, introduced his aunt's Rocky Road chocolate to me.  Thanks Justin! Essentially, it's a melt-your-own chocolate with yummy bits of peanuts, dessicated coconut, raisins, cherries and marshmellows.  I've progressed from there and made some adaptations.  I was at Carrefour (Suntect) the other day and seeing cheap chocolates being sold, I couldn't resist the calories.  Here's my version of rocky road: "Double Take":

Feeds Plenty

800g milk chocolate

600g white chocolate

Half cup peanuts

Half cup raisins

Half cup rice crisps or crunchy rice cereal

3 tablespoons dessicated coconut

About 12 marshmellow pieces

Method:-

-Get a deep baking tray and line with alum foil.  Clear some space in the fridge for the tray.

-Cut the marshmellows into small pieces and spread evenly onto the foil.

-Prepare a water bath aka bain marie by putting a large glass or metal mixing bowl on top of a pot.  Bring 2-3 cups of water to a boil in the pot with the bowl on top.  Get ready a spatula, a flexible one is preferable.

-Break your milk chocolate into pieces and melt them till a thick gooey consistency is formed.  The milk chocolate will resemble something like play dough when it is ready.  Mix in the raisins, peanuts, coconut.

-Once throughly mixed, switch off the fire and spread your chocolate onto the foil with the marshmellows.  Achieve an even layer.  Then put the whole thing into the fridge.

-Wash out your bowl and repeat the melting process with your white chocolate.  Mix in the rice crispies this time.

-Take out your milk chocolate from the fridge and spread the white chocolate on top of your milk chocolate.  Then return the whole thing into the fridge for two hours.  Once ready, remove from the tray, lay the whole thing with the foil onto a chopping board.  Use your cleaver and cut up into little pieces of heaven.

I assure you, your hard work will be rewarded:

Of course, if the above is a version of chocolate heaven, then the following is a version of chocolate "hell".  This home-made chocolate was inspired by the Mexican hot chocolate drink which is heavy on vanilla and cinnamon, and a touch of chilli powder.

Serves plenty once again (depending on number of dark choc lovers)

300g of dark chocolate (I used Carrefour's 74%, the less the % the sweeter the chocolate)

0.5 teaspoon of vanilla flavour (I used the Phoon Huat brand vanilla flavour which has a caramel base, but I think using vanilla essence is fine too)

0.5 teaspoon ground mixed dessert spice (can be substituted with cinnamon powder)

0.75 teaspoon cayenne pepper (this is VERY spicy according to taste tests I conducted, you might want to use only 0.25 teaspoon if you're not used to spicy stuff)

Rock/kosher/sea/coarse salt

Method:-

-Prepare a small tray or tupperware with foil and clear a space in the fridge for it.

-As above, prepare your bain marie and melt your choc pieces.  The dark choc will have a much smoother and fluid consistency.

-Mix in your vanilla, spice and cayenne pepper

-Then pour the mixture into your foil-lined container.

-Following that, take pieces of your salt and sprinkle (a few grains at a time) over the top of your chocolate like so:

-Refrigerate for an hour and cut up into little pieces. 

These devilish chocolates are my favourite due to the spicy kick from 0.75 teaspoons of cayenne pepper.  Then you get that salty hint from the salt crystals.  Wonderful and simple!  For the Double Take chocolate above, you can try variations of the type of chocolate used and the ingredients.  If you find it too sweet, use plain chocolate instead of milk or you can use semi-sweet.  You can throw in glaced cherries and mixed peel.  Anything goes really!

And the best part of making your own chocolate: