Mixing

During mixing all the ingredients in a batch of chocolate—chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, vanilla, lecithin, and sometimes milk solids—are combined to create a homogeneous blend. Although lecithin is an integral part of most chocolate, it is likely that only a portion will be added during mixing. The rest will likely be incorporated at the end of conching, because lecithin’s hydrophilic quality—its tendency to hold moisture—diminishes the efficacy of conching.