Creating Air Delight Chocolate Bars: A Step-by-Step Guide

As we begin our journey to create Air Delight chocolate bars, it's essential to understand the fundamental principles behind their texture and consistency. The key lies in incorporating air bubbles into the chocolate mixture, which gives these bars their signature light and airy feel.

Experiment 1: Using Dry Ice

To start, we need to melt our chocolate by adding extra cocoa butter to the mixture. This helps to make it more liquid and easier to work with. Once the chocolate is melted and reaches a temperature of around 97 degrees Fahrenheit, we add an additional teaspoon of freeze-dried cocoa butter to temper the mixture. Tempering the chocolate ensures that it sets properly at room temperature, which is crucial for achieving the desired texture.

We then proceed to use dry ice as our primary method for incorporating air bubbles into the chocolate. Dry ice turns directly from a solid to a gas when exposed to warm temperatures, and this property makes it an excellent tool for creating a unique texture in our chocolate. We place the dry ice in a bag and smash it using a rolling pin until we obtain small, tiny pieces. These pieces are then added to the melted chocolate, and we stir the mixture quickly to distribute the dry ice evenly.

As we continue to work with the dry ice, we observe that it starts to sublimate (change directly from a solid to a gas) and creates bubbles in our chocolate. However, the amount of bubbles produced is relatively small compared to what we see when using milk or other liquids that can react with the dry ice. We decide to leave the mixture be for about 15 minutes, allowing the dry ice to fully sublimate and create more substantial bubbles.

Experiment 2: Using a Vacuum Container

For our second experiment, we attempt to incorporate air bubbles into the chocolate by using a vacuum container instead of dry ice. We melt our chocolate as before, adding extra cocoa butter for tempering, and then pour it into a vacuum container. The vacuum container is used to remove any air pockets from the melted chocolate, which helps to create a smooth and even texture.

We charge the cream whipper with compressed air, which creates a slight vacuum in the container. We then pour the melted chocolate into the whipped cream, allowing the mixture to expand and incorporate more air bubbles. The result is a lighter and fluffier chocolate mixture that closely resembles the Air Delight bars we're trying to replicate.

Experiment 3: Using Beaters and a Vacuum Container

In our third experiment, we decide to use beaters instead of the vacuum container to incorporate air into the chocolate. We melt our chocolate as before, adding extra cocoa butter for tempering, and then begin beating it with an electric mixer until it becomes light and fluffy.

As we continue to beat the chocolate, we add more air bubbles to the mixture by incorporating the vacuum container. The combination of beating the chocolate and using the vacuum container helps to create a lighter and airier texture that's closer to what we're aiming for.

Experiment 4: Creating Mint Aero Bars

For our final experiment, we focus on creating mint-flavored Air Delight bars. We melt our white chocolate by adding extra cocoa butter for tempering, and then add freeze-dried cocoa butter to create a runnier mixture. We also add green powdered food coloring and peppermint essence to give the chocolate its signature mint flavor.

We microwave the colored cocoa butter until it becomes liquid, ensuring that the powdered color is fully incorporated. Then, we melt our white chocolate by heating it in short intervals, stirring between each heating cycle. Once both mixtures are melted, we combine them and add a smaller amount of cocoa butter for tempering.

We pour the mint-flavored mixture into a warmed-up cream whipper, screw on the top, and charge it up with compressed air. We then dispense the mixture into a vacuum container, allowing it to expand and incorporate more air bubbles. As we wait for the chocolate to set, we observe that it starts to rise up like a perfectly aerated mixture.

Once the chocolate has set, we remove it from the container and slice it into bar shapes. To achieve an exact replica of Air Delight bars, we use molds to create our mint bubblyaero chocolate bars. We fill the molds with tempered chocolate, push the bubbly mint mixture into the mold, and let excess chocolate come up over the top.

Finally, we pop out our freshly made mint bubblyaero chocolate bars and enjoy their light, airy texture and delicious mint flavor. With these experiments complete, we can confidently say that creating Air Delight chocolate bars is a fun and rewarding process that requires patience, persistence, and a willingness to experiment with different methods and ingredients.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enWelcome to How To Cook That I am Ann Reardonand today we are Air Delight chocolate orAero bars if you're in Australia (or Europe)in three different ways and I'll show youhow to make the mint ones at the end too.The first experiment I did to try and figureout how to make these was using dry ice.The first thing we need to do is get someextra cocoa butter and add it to your chocolateand melt that in the microwave.The extra cocoa butter just helps to makeit more liquid.Once it is melted and it's around 97 degreesF add in your extra teaspoon of freeze driedcocoa butter and stir that through, and that'sjust to temper the chocolate so that it setsproperly at room temperature.Dry ice turns directly from a solid to a gas.So if we put it in some warm milk for exampleit makes bubbles, lots and lots of bubbles.Now I am not sure if it will work like thiswith chocolate though because it is thickerfor one and it may set too fast because thedry ice is so cold.But we can always try.So put the dry ice into a bag and smash itusing a rolling pin until you get lots ofsmall tiny pieces.Now tip that into your chocolate and stirit up quickly.Now it's starting to set immediately so I'mgoing to stop stirring it there, and I cansee there are a few little bubbles formingbut nothing like we saw with the milk.I'm going to leave that until the chunks ofdry ice have gone.That took about 15 minutes.Let's just break it open and look inside.So it didn't create many bubbles but anywherewhere there was dry ice we've got a hole wherethat has now turned to gas.So it does give an interesting texture thatwould be good on some desserts or differentthings - but it's not quite what we were aftertoday.So experiment number 2.Let's try putting it into a vacuum container.I'll show you this with marshmallows first.As you pump the air out of the container,the air left inside expands to fill the spaceand that includes the air that is trappedinside the marshmallows so you can see they'regetting bigger there.Then when we release the pressure becausethe marshmallows are flexible they sink backdown to their normal size.But I'm hoping with the chocolate that it'sactually going to hold it's shape.Now to get air into the chocolate let's whipour tempered chocolate with beaters to incorporateas much air into it as we can.And then pour that into the vacuum container,seal it up and pump the air out of it justlike we did before.Now you can see that it's increased just alittle, but hardly at all not like our marshmallowsso that means we don't have enough air incorporatedinto our chocolate for this to work very well.But let's see.Once it's set, release the pressure and let'shave a look inside if we just snap it.It is a different texture so it has workeda little bit, there are definitely some bubblesin there, but we are much closer to Air Delightor Aero than when we used the dry ice.But i think we need to incorporate more air.So experiment number 3 ...First of all, melt your chocolate with extracocoa butter like we've done other times andthen once it gets to 97 F add more freezedried cocoa butter to temper it.Then pour that into a cream whipper, now I'verun the outside the cream whipper under warmwater just before so that the chocolate won'tset as soon as it is poured in.You will also need to check the maximum fillamount on your bottle, that's usually writtenon the bottom.Screw on the top.Take a nitrous oxide charger and put it intothe holder then screw that onto the top andyou'll hear the gas just releasing into thecanister.Then repeat that with a second one and thengive it a really good shake.So we are putting this under pressure andthen getting that gas just to mix into ourchocolate.Then you want to dispense that straight awayit into the container.Now we don't want to delay with this otherwiseour chocolate is just going to set in thecontainer.If it stops coming out properly just stopand shake it again.And then just keep putting the rest of itin there and you can see how foamy that is,we've got so many air bubbles in so I hopethis one works better.Add the lid on top and clip it on and thenvacuum the air out from the container.Wow that has heaps better result, did yousee that expanded then.Now I'm going to let that set.Then release the pressure on your containerand tip it out.I put acetate at the bottom of mine so itdidn't stick to the container so that's probablya good idea.And it looks to me like it has sunken in themiddle a bit, perhaps my container didn'thold it's vacuum very well.It's just a cheap vaccume container so itmay not be able to do that.Let's cut it open and have a look at the textureinside.We've got lots of tiny air bubbles just likein Air Delight or Aero bars.So this one is using the cream whipper andthe vacuum, this one is using beaters andthe vaccuum and this one is using the dryice.Now I've got one more thing I wanted to do.Experiment number 4 ... my favourite is themint Aero bar which I don't know if you havethat in Air Delight in the US but here inAustralia we have mint ones and it's my favourite.So for that we're going to need some whitechocolate, freeze dried cocoa butter to makeour chocolate runnier.Some more cocoa butter for tempering, andsome green powdered food colouring and somepeppermint essence.Add the colouring to the cocoa butter andjust a drop of peppermint essence if you wantit mint flavoured.Microwave that until it is liquid and stirit really well to make sure that powderedcolour is mixed in and you don't have anydots of colour still.Microwave your chocolate for it to melt, rememberingto stir often so it doesn't burn.So I did 30 seconds stir, 30 seconds stir,20 seconds stir then 10 seconds stir untilit is all melted and smooth.Then pour in your coloured cocoa butter mixtureand stir it around mixing it into your chocolate.And once your chocolate gets down to the 97degrees F add in the smaller amount of cocoabutter to temper it so that it's going toset properly.Now pour that mint chocolate into your warmedup cream whipper, screw on the top, chargeit up and then shake it really well.And now dispense that into the vacuum container.Once you've got it in, just add the lid, clipit shut and vacuum the air out of it.I love watching it rise up like that, thenyou just know it's going to work.Once it is set, tip it out of the containerand that looks much better, it hasn't sunkin the middle.And look at that, that looks amazing.It looks exactly like the mint Aero bars withlots of tiny bubbles.I'm going to slice these up and get them intobar shapes.And to make them look exactly perfect I amusing a mold, you could just coat them inchocolate if you don't mind what shape theyare.Put some of your tempered chocolate into eachmold, spread it up the sides and then pushthe bubbly mint chocolate into the mold.Letting the excess chocolate come up and overthe top.And then you can just neaten that up usinga spatula.Once they are set just pop them out of themold and you have your very own mint bubblyaero chocolate bars.And my kids absolutely loved them.\"That is one of the best things Ihave hadin a long time, that is awesome!\"\"The bubbles in that just make it everything.\"A special shout-out and thank you to everyonewho came to the Meet & Greet this week atthe bookstore, it was so lovely to meet youand see photos of things you baked and talkto you and hear your stories and give youa hug.I just love, love, love meet and greets, Ilove actually meeting you guys.I wish I could meet you all, for those ofyou who weren't there or live in another countrywe're just going to have to keep talking inthe comments.So soon I will be doing a music themed cakevideo with all your favourite bands and artistson it.So I need you to vote in the comments belowfor your favourite band or artist.Now try not to just thumbs up someone else'scomment because it's really hard for me totally them up when they've got different amountsof likes on them - just add your vote as aseparate comment saying the name of the artistor the name of the band so I don't miss it.Then I'll tally all of those up and put themall on a special cake in a few weeks so makesure that you have your votes in there.Subscribe to HowToCookThat for more cakes,chocolates and desserts, click here to becomea VIP and get early access to my videos ona Friday.Here for last week's gadgets video and herefor my YouTube channel.Make it a great week and I'll see you on Friday.\n"