While chocolate is an everyday snack for many, we like to keep our skills sharp, our taste buds at the top of their game, and our minds engaged with ew techniques and flavour innovations. That’s why we spent an afternoon with Paul A Young learning tempering, and making his signature salted caramel honey chipotle chocolates alongside Guittard chocolate - learning, refining, and drawing inspiration from masters of the craft.
Hand tempering chocolate is a classic, artisanal technique that gives chocolate a glossy finish, perfect snap, and smooth texture - all without a machine.
1. Chop the chocolate into even pieces.
2. Gently melt the chocolate over a bain-marie until fully smooth (for dark chocolate, ~45–50°C).
3. Pour the melted chocolate onto a cool marble slab.
4. Use a spatula to continuously spread and scrape the chocolate across the slab, cooling it to around 27–28°C.
5. Gather the cooled chocolate back into a bowl and briefly warm it over the bain-marie to a working temperature of ~31–32°C.
Tempering by hand requires precision, patience, and attention to detail - a reminder that chocolate is as much about craft as it is flavour.
Paul’s salted caramel honey chipotle is iconic - a bold blend of sweet, salty, and gentle heat that excites the palate.
Seeing it in action reminded us of some of our own wilder past creations. It proves that chocolate can be more than an everyday treat - it can be a full sensory experience.
Different chocolates behave uniquely depending on cocoa content and composition:
- Dark chocolate pairs beautifully with bold, spicy, or salted inclusions.
- Milk chocolate enhances nutty, caramel, and sweeter flavours.
- White chocolate allows delicate, zesty, or fruity citrus notes to shine.
Understanding how couverture interacts with flavours helps us craft brownies that are perfectly balanced, indulgent, and memorable.
At Bad Brownie, we’re seasoned chocolate brownie makers, but learning from the best keeps us at the top of our game. Every swirl, ganache, drizzle, and tasting moment reminded us why attention to detail matters. Capturing these moments in photos and videos reinforced how chocolate, when treated as a craft, becomes an elevated experience.
While Paul A Young and Guittard Chocolate are chocolate royalty, here at Bad Brownie, we like to think of ourselves as mischievous brownie innovators. This workshop reminded us why we love
chocolate: it’s indulgent, playful, and a little bit naughty - just the way our brownies are meant to be.
We can’t wait to bring some of that chocolate magic into our next Bad Brownie creations… maybe a little honey chipotle inspiration?
Stay tuned...
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