Rich, smooth, and decadent homemade Nama Chocolate! Made with quality dark chocolate and fresh cream, this ROYCE’s copycat chocolate is truly a special treat. It’s one of the most popular gifts from Japan, but you can easily make it at home.
If you are a frequent visitor to Japan, you probably have heard of or tasted this Japanese chocolate called Nama Chocolate (生チョコレート). You can’t really avoid it at the airport gift shops. They come in fancy packaging that makes them a popular gift item to bring home from Japan.
Nama Chocolate is rich, smooth, and moist, with a silky texture that literally melts in your mouth. Good news is you don’t have to fly to Japan to enjoy the luxurious sweet. With this recipe, you can make your chocolate dream comes true today!
Watch How to Make Nama Chocolate
Rich, smooth, and decadent homemade Nama Chocolate! Made with quality dark chocolate and fresh cream, this ROYCE’s copycat chocolate is truly a special treat. It’s one of the most popular gifts from Japan, but you can easily make it at home.
What is Nama Chocolate?
Nama Chocolate is a form of ganache, similar to the filling inside French truffles. It’s made of fresh cream and chocolate, cut into little cubes, and dusted with fine cocoa powder.
The chocolate can be called “Nama Chocolate” when it contains at least 40% chocolate and 10% cream by weight, and no more than 10% water.
Nama Chocolate is much easier to prepare than truffles because the chocolate is poured into a square pan, chilled until firm, then cut into mini squares. No messy hands since there’s no rolling required.
What Does Nama in “Nama Chocolate” Mean?
Nama (生, pronounce [na-ma]) means raw or fresh in Japanese. The name “Nama” Chocolate refers to the plentiful use of rich, fresh cream in the chocolate.
Because of the fresh cream, Nama Chocolate must be kept in the refrigerator at all times and it is best enjoyed fresh, within 4 days after being made. You can also keep in the freezer for up to a month.
If you’re planning to give Nama Chocolate as a gift, make sure to let the gift receiver know to consume soon.
History of Nama Chocolate
In 1988, the owner and chef Masakazu Kobayashi at the sweet shop Sils Maria created a new type of chocolate, and he named this chocolate Nama Chocolate and Nama Choco (生チョコ) for short.
In 1993, Meiji, a snack company, released a chocolate product called Meltykiss (メルティーキッス) which was produced and supervised by chef Kobayashi. You can purchase a box of Meltykiss at Asian supermarkets, convenience stores and train kiosks in Japan. This chocolate is known for its limited time offering during the winter months as the chocolate melts quickly during the rest of seasons.
Since then, major confectionery manufacturers started to sell Nama Chocolate, and it became a huge trend all over the country.
In 1996, Hokkaido-based ROYCE’ (ロイズ) released ROYCE’ Nama Chocolate. Many of you probably spotted this chocolate at the airports or gift shops at sightseeing spots in Japan. Due to their popularity, this Nama Chocolate is known to visitors who have been to Japan.
Although “Nama Chocolate” was invented in Japan in the late ’80s, this specific type of chocolate called “Pave de Geneva” was born in Geneva, Switzerland in 1930’s. Pave de Geneva is made of chocolate and fresh cream, and cut into small cubes smeared with cocoa, just like Nama Chocolate.
I’m not sure whether the Japanese chef had traveled to Geneva and knew of Pave de Geneva, or he figured out the Nama Chocolate formula on his own. Regardless, this is not an original Japanese product as it existed in Switzerland.
If you’re a Genevan who tried both Pave de Geneva and Nama Chocolate, please share your thoughts in the comment below. Are they similar or exactly the same?
Tips for Making Nama Chocolate
1. Use Good Chocolate
High-quality chocolate is mandatory since that’s the most important ingredient for making delicious Nama Chocolate. Make sure the chocolate is made of 100% cocoa butter and does not include vegetable fat in the ingredient list.
2. Use Heavy Cream
American heavy cream or heavy whipping cream (they are the same thing) has 36%-38 fat content. The ratio of heavy (whipping) cream (gram/ml) and chocolate (gram) should be 1:2. For this recipe, please do not replace chocolate with white chocolate (which I used in Green Tea Chocolate).
3. Dry and Clean Utensils
Make sure the bowls and utensils you are using are perfectly dry. Even a small amount of water/steam can “seize” the chocolate melting process. It can happen all of the sudden from a smooth bowl of liquid chocolate to a lumpy, grainy mass of chocolate.
Here’s a Green Tea Matcha version!
These chocolate goodies are perfect for special occasions or as a hostess gift during the holiday season. I hope you enjoy making this Nama Chocolate recipe!
If you are interested in other chocolate recipes, check out Valentine’s Day Chocolate Recipes.
Sign up for the free Just One Cookbook newsletter delivered to your inbox! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram for all the latest updates.
Nama Chocolate
Video
Ingredients
- 14 oz good quality dark chocolate (70% cacao) (use semisweet for less bitter taste)
- ¾ cup heavy (whipping) cream (38% fat; ¾ cup + 1 Tbsp to be precise)
- 1 Tbsp liqueur of your choice (optional; I use Brandy; adjust the amount according to your liking)
- Dutch-processed cocoa powder (to coat the chocolate; you can buy on Amazon)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- With a sharp knife, chop the chocolate into smaller pieces so that they will melt faster and more evenly.
- Line an 8" x 8" (20 x 20 cm) baking dish with parchment paper. Choosing the right size tray is important for the height of chocolate (If you use a bigger tray, the chocolate will be flatter).
- Add the heavy cream into a small saucepan and bring it to ALMOST boil over medium heat. Whisk to evenly distribute heat and keep an eye on the cream.
- When you see small bubbles around the saucepan, remove from the heat.
- Add the chocolate into the heavy cream and stir to combine with a silicone spatula.
- Mix the chocolate and cream and make sure there is no lump. The chocolate should be completely smooth.
- If you like, add liqueur of your choice.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and smooth the surface with the silicone spatula.
- Tap the baking dish onto the counter a few times (to make sure the chocolate is evenly distributed). Refrigerate until firm, about 4-5 hours.
After Chilling 4-5 Hours...
- Remove the chocolate from the baking dish.
- Cut the excess chocolate around the edges to have nice sharp corners.
- Warm up the sharp knife with a hot towel, and cut the chocolate into 1” strips. Make sure to clean/warm the knife before each cut to achieve a nice sharp cut.
- Depending on your baking dish, the 4 sides of the chocolate may not look good (mine has curved edges and corners). If that's the case, save these chocolate pieces for yourself to enjoy.
- Then cut the strips into cubes. Remember to clean/warm up the knife before each cut.
- Sprinkle the cocoa powder on the top. Optionally, if you prefer all sides to have cocoa powder, you can dip in cocoa powder to coat all sides.
To Serve
- Serve Nama Chocolate on a plate, or put it in a box as a gift. If the chocolate just came out of the refrigerator, I recommend waiting for 5-10 minutes before serving so it's soft enough to melt in the mouth instead of chilled and hard chocolate.
To Store
- Keep in the airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Or you can freeze the chocolate for up to a month.
Notes
- Separation (oil came out of the chocolate) happens when you get the chocolate too hot. Dark chocolate should never be heated above 120ºF (49ºC) and milk chocolate and white chocolate should never be heated above 110ºF (43ºC). When chocolate gets too hot, the cocoa butter separates from the solids, and there is no way to salvage it (although you can bake with it and it tastes fine). The best way to prevent separation is to stir the mixture frequently. Since we're not using a double boiler in this recipe, make sure you do not bring the mixture to a full boil. Remove from heat as soon as you saw bubbles around the edges of the saucepan.
- Seizing happens when moisture is introduced to melted chocolate, even a tiny amount of liquid or steam. It happens all a sudden from a smooth bowl of liquid chocolate to a lumpy, grainy mass of chocolate. Make sure the bowls and utensils that you are using are perfectly dry. Even a small amount of water/steam can "seize" the chocolate melting process.
- To learn more details and how to fix the overheated or seized chocolate, please read here.
- The ratio of heavy whipping cream and chocolate should be 1:2. Please do not replace chocolate with white chocolate for this recipe. The ratio is not the same.
Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on February 6, 2012. The content has been updated.
Oh, I miss the chocolates from Royce. They never last in this house. What a wonderfully easy recipe. As I’m not much of a baker, I’m so glad your recipe has such simple ingredients. Definitely would like to give this a try as your pics are just too appetizing.
Thank you so much Kit. 🙂 I hope you enjoy making and eating it! 😉
Hi there! I was just wondering if you could tell me what the fat percentage of the heavy cream is? I can’t find it over here (i guess they just don’t call it heavy cream) but i figure if something has a similar fat content it should be ok?
Thanks!
I just threw away the package this afternoon (arh!), but according to Wiki, the fat content is 36% or more. Hope it helps. 🙂
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream
oh what a shame! but thanks! ^_^ I’ll make them this weekend!
Hi Sia! Thank you for trying this recipe. I’m really happy your little boy even liked this! 😀 Yay!
Thank you for the great recipe, it taste exactly how I remember Royce to be. Can’t thank you enough!!
Aww thanks so much, S! I’m really happy to hear you enjoyed it. I need to make your cognac version soon! 🙂
hello, i LOVE Royce nama chocolate but it is kinda pricey in the Philippines so I would really like to try this recipe. I have no knowledge about alcohol so can you recommend good liqueur? and how much should i add? thank you so much.
anyway your site is awesome 🙂
Hi girlie! I also don’t put alcohol but I know people put Grand Marnier or Cointreau. You can start with 2 Tbsp, and add more if you like. Thank you for your compliment!
I made it last week. The taste is very good. Just having a hard time cutting it. The chocolate sticks so well to the knife. Are there remedies for that?
Thanks
Hi Anne! Thanks for trying this recipe! So happy to hear you liked the taste! Did you warm up the sharp knife with a hot towel and clean/warm the knife before each cut? Very important to cut nicely! 🙂
I just made it today and it turned out great, I love it, I heard about nama chocolate for awhile but since I live in America, I couldn’t taste the “real” nama chocolate, now I have my own nama at home. Thank to u 🙂
Btw, I really love green tea flavor so I hope that u can give us the recipe for that by any chance 🙂
Thank u so much !!!
Hi Mimi! Thanks for trying this recipe and I’m glad to hear you enjoyed this nama chocolate! I haven’t created a recipe for the green tea version, but the method is pretty much the same: you will need white chocolate, fresh cream, and matcha powder. But be careful to use white chocolate because it’s harder to handle compared to regular chocolate. 🙂
Hi Nami
I was planning on making this chocolate for valentine’s day but one problem. The chocolate melts very easily and i was wondering whether it would get melted by the time i reached school. I can’t find 70% cocoa, can i use some other chocolate?
Hi Shahreen! You need to use ice packs to keep it cool especially if where you live is warm. And yes, you can use other chocolate. 🙂
Hi Nami, just saw this post, utterly tempting! I am going to try making it this weekend. Am thinking of adding alcohol, maybe rum or kahlua. If so, how much should i add? Thanks for this lovely recipe 🙂
Hi Esther! I’m terribly sorry for not getting back to you sooner. I assume you already made it this past weekend.
Someone asked the similar question above and I mentioned 2-4 Tbsp. Hope your Nama Chocolate turned out well. 🙂
>w<.. Uhm.. me and my friend saw this recipe and decided this was the recipe we are going to use to make Valentine Chocolates. I was just wondering how long can the chocolates last not in a refrigerator/cooler since Valentine's Day will be on a school day?
Hi Kelsey! Depending on where you live – do you live in a cold place? This chocolate is preferably kept in fridge or in cold place until about 5 minutes before eaten. They should be eaten when they are slightly soft and cool. Some readers who commented above live in Southeast Asia and said it started to melt while cutting. Hope this helps… 🙂
Hello Nami. I am doing an article for valentines in a independent illustration zine and found this recipe which is wonderful. Would I have your permission to include this in my article if I make sure you are credited on the page?
Warm Regards,
Deborah Clerkin
Hi Deborah! Thanks for your email – sending you email. 🙂
its looks so delicious, can i just shape it into heart instead retangle? I want to make it for valentine’s day
Hi El! Sure, you can do it. How big the heart shape is going to be? Ideally, you should cut into pieces before you give away. Nama Chocolate is rich and it melts after you take it out from fridge. If you can, I recommend you to cut nicely before packaging, so you can pick up a piece to enjoy. Hope this helps. 🙂
Hey Nami! this recipe looks wonderful! & i’m planning to use your recipe to make it for Valentine’s Day. However, i was wondering if I could use silicon molds (http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00DvjaLPYWnFqO/Silicone-Chocolate-Mould-Candy-Mold.jpg) instead of an 8″ square baking tin? I happen to live in Singapore, and I’m afraid it would melt by the time I reach school. Is there any other solution other than using a cool pack to keep them not melted? Also, is it possible to use either cocoa butter or powdered sugar to make the chocolate sweeter? So sorry for the many queries!
Hi Christel! Although I’ve never used silicon molds before, I think it’ll work out just fine. 🙂
Well, cool pack or ice or anything to keep it cold is necessary. As long as you can keep it cool ALL THE TIME like refrigerator temperature, it should be fine.
If you could use milk chocolate instead of semisweet if you don’t like the bitter taste of chocolate. I personally prefer more cocoa in it, but milk chocolate will be more mild and you don’t really need to add sugar in it. But of course feel free to adapt to your liking. 🙂 Hope this helps!
thanks so much for your help, Nami!
since that i’m using silicone molds, do i need to grease it before pouring in the mixture?
Hi Christel! I did a little bit research for silicone mold method. It looks like the best way is to apply thick coating of tempered chocolate on the mold first (you need additional chocolate for this). Put the mold in the refrigerator to let it cool. You make nama chocolate until step #4. Then let it cool down before you pour the chocolate into the molds. You only put 80% full. Drop the mold on the kitchen counter to make the surface flat and smooth. Keep in the fridge till the chocolate is firm.
I haven’t tried this method on my own, so this is what I could advise from my online research. I hope it will work out! Good luck!
thanks so much Nami! tempered chocolate is where i have to let the chocolate cool until a certain temperature and add cocoa butter right?
really sorry, i researched on tempered chocolate before, and there were so many ways, i’m unsure of which method to use!
No problem at all! Here’s the link of Chocolate Tempering in case someone else is interested: http://candy.about.com/od/candybasics/ht/temperchoc.htm
Hope this helps. Please feel free to ask me. 🙂 I’ll answer the best I can.
hey nami!
i would like to do a follow up (:
sadly, due to hot climate, the nama chocolate was still too soft even after refrigerating them for almost a day. i put them in a freezer instead for at least 8 hours, and it’s fine!
as the nama chocolate was too soft, i wasn’t able to take it out from the silicon mold nicely, was they would break.
Wow Singapore is really warm this season. I wish to be in such warm weather as it’s been so cold here.
Thank you for your tip on freezing them. Sounds like that’s a necessary step if the chocolate melts so quickly! Must be hard to give chocolate gifts….and I assume stores won’t carry them at room temperature there.
Thank you very much for trying this recipe and giving me feedback though. I now learned about the difficulty of making this chocolate in hot climate and can advise others properly. 🙂
Hello Nami,
I really want to try this recipe of yours as a gift for my boyfriend on Valentine’s. I want to ask if I have to use the type of chocolate that is specially made for cooking, or just any chocolate brand will do (the normal chocolate bars in supermarkets like Lindt or Cadbury). Thank you ^^
Hi Anh! No, you don’t have to but I recommend you to use good quality chocolate. Your choices look good – pick the best one you can find at the supermarket! 😉 Hope you enjoy this recipe. 🙂
I had an attempt at this…I followed the recipe as far as I could…but I didn’t get too far…I used very high quality cooking chocolate 70% cocoa…and the right cream..however in the end when I used all 400g of the chocolate, the end product became super oily and lumpy, what happened? :/
Hi Ceres93! I’m sorry it didn’t work out. I think I know the reason because I’ve done it before. I think some of your utensil or pot might have been wet, even small amount of water could cause this. I attach a link here just in case you are interested.
http://candy.about.com/od/workingwithchocolate/a/chocmistakes.htm
Hi Nami, with my pots and utensils I made sure they weren’t wet because I knew it would seize if there was any water in it…is 400g of chocolate too much maybe..?
Thank you for your response Ceres93! I always like my cream to chocolate ratio to be 1:2 for rich flavor and it works for me.
My blogger friend just made Nama Chocolate using my recipe but she increased the cream and added butter and honey.
http://www.notquitenigella.com/2013/02/14/nama-chocolate/
Hope you can adapt and make Nama Chocolate because it’s soooo good… 🙂
Thank you for your friend’s recipe! I’ll have a go at using hers…hopefully I won’t fail this time! |:
Good luck! 🙂
thanks so much for this recipe. i want to try these. royce just came to nyc and i’m addicted. i’d love to make my own.
Thank you Dina! Oh so lucky! Hope SF will get ROYCE’ soon too! Enjoy! 🙂
Hi Nami. Westfield San Jose has Royce too.
Hi JK,
Yes! Thank you for the update.😉
Gratitude chocolates for my family! Just made them, and now I’m waiting for them to become stiff. I tried the “batter”, A-MAZ-ING! It is soooo good! I just really want to try the chocolate after it is completely done! I wanted to put a cherry or an almond in them before they became stiff, but I forgot to get some at the store…but I know they are going to be good either way! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, I have been looking for this! A-MAZ-ING!
Hi Shelby! Thank you SO much for your feedback, and I’m really happy to hear you and your family enjoyed this chocolate! Thank you for your time to drop by and write feedback. 🙂
Do you think I could use this recipe for a 7″ by 7″ square pan??
Thanks. btw, your blog looks great 🙂
Hi Raymund! Sure you can use 7″ x 7″ but the height of chocolate will be a little taller than mine. Thank you so much for your kind compliment. 🙂
I bought a few boxes of royce chocolates from japan. Can i freeze them?
Hi Grace! From what I found on Internet (I have never made enough that I need to store in freezer), you can freeze in the freezer up to 2-3 months. However, alcohol in the chocolate (if any) will be evaporated by then and the quality will not be as good as when it’s fresh. It’s also highly recommended to pack in air-tight container so your chocolate won’t absorb other food smell in the freezer. Hope this helps!
i made this by adding milkmaid ,coco powder chocolate,
Thank you for trying this recipe! I hope you liked it. 🙂
made this yesterday, it was really delicious!!! Thanks for the recipe! But it was SUPER HARD to cut it :'( it’s all sticky and starts to melt few minutes after I took it from the freezer… maybe due to hot weather? SO, my bro said that it tastes good but looks =_=|||
Hi Rein! Thank you for trying this recipe. I heard from some readers in SE Asia that nama chocolate starts to melt when they put it outside. I can probably suggest to cut inside the A/C or cut at night when it’s cooler? Another suggestion is to make small batches so you cut less? Sorry I can’t be much of help…. 🙂
excellent recipe..easy and yumm..my nama chocolates are getting ready in the fridge:)
I have a question.. Is this the same as Meiji’s MeltyKiss chocolates?
Hi Stephanie! I love those MeltyKiss! But this is a copycat of Royce’ nama chocolate. 🙂
http://www.e-royce.com/english/product/index.html
Hi, Nami,
My whole family are chocolate crazy, I would to make myself. May I know using van houten coco powder ? Or have to use coco in bar?
Thanks for your recipe!
Regards,
Lf
Hi Lf! You will need to melt a chocolate bar AND later you sprinkle cocoa powder to finish. You can use any brand of chocolate and cocoa powder, but I recommend a very good kind. van Houten cocoa sounds perfect. Hope I answered your questions…
hi Nami! I’ve just made a batch of this recipe and can’t wait to dig in!!! how long does yours usually take to firm up in the fridge?
Hi Yen! Of course it depends on temperature, but it didn’t take too long, maybe a couple of hours at most. Hope you will enjoy it! 🙂
thanks so much! it was perfect after two hours, and i might try using a pizza cutter next time to avoid shards, think that might work? my son loved royce chocolates when we visited singapore so this is a very nice treat for him (if i don’t gobble it all down myself first)!
Hi Yen! Hope your son enjoy(ed) the chococlate. 🙂 This nama chocolate is very dangerous to keep it around for me too. About the pizza cutter – hmm good knife always works for me, but never thought of using a pizza cutter. I can use more strength when I use a knife, so as long as it’s sharp, I like using a knife. Don’t forget to warm up the knife when you cut too (but please wipe the water if you use hot water). Enjoy! 🙂
Hi Nami, I love how your recipes are fuss free and easy to follow. One quick question, how do you coat all sides on each piece of the cut nama chocolate without making a mess? I don’t want my mother screaming at me for the mess I’m making in her kitchen. Thanks!
Hi Nic! Thank you! I’m so glad to hear you enjoy my recipes! Haha, I totally understand. After you cut nama chocolate into cubes, you can pick up each chocolate and dust cocoa all over it (using fine mesh sieve, I use one I use that’s for tea here – it’s small so mess area is only the area above chocolate.). If you want to do it nicely, you just need to focus a bit more and take time… for this picture, I made sure I don’t leave my finger print. 😉 Hope that helps, and hope you enjoy it!
I love this chocolate, and I tried your recipe last weekend and got nice compliments from my friends. However I wonder have you ever tried to make matcha green tea nama chocolate? I love matcha, and if you can share your recipe to make that, it’s great! Thanks!
Hi Amy! I’m glad you and your friends enjoyed Nama Chocolate! 🙂 Yes, you can add green tea powder to it. You need to use white chocolate and matcha powder. I haven’t tested the recipe, so it’s hard to say the exact measurement for each ingredients. I’ll add this to my list of requested recipes. Thank you!
The first time I had a sample of these in Japan, I was hooked! I am happy to try and make my own now…just in time for Christmas!
Hope you enjoy it Susan! 🙂
I am making these today with Kahlua! I’m so excited!
I hope it turned out well. 😀
Hi Nami! Valentine’s is coming up and I wanted to make Japanese chocolates for me and my friends and came across this recipe 😀 I bought some dark chocolate with 52% cacao, is it sufficient for the nama chocolates or do I need a bar with higher cocao content? I’ve read in other blogs that if the chocolate is not good quality it melts easily, and I’m afraid this happens when I carry them to my friends T_T
Hi WKN! I think that should be okay. I’m not sure if quality and melting fast is related (I’m not familiar with that, but I’m not expert in chocolate field. :)), but if you live in a warm place, you need to make sure to chill the chocolate ALL THE TIME. The chocolate is very soft, melt in your mouth, which means it’s easy to melt. Make sure to pack enough ice and deliver in that case. 🙂
Thanks for the reply, Nami! I suppose the English weather will be suitable for the chocolates. though. Well, hopefully. ^_^
Then you have nothing to worry. 🙂 Enjoy!
Hi Nami-san.
I’m a follower of your blog as i loved to try out Japanese cuisines. This nama chocolate looks tempting, and i wanted to try it out. I’m just an amateur and didn’t know much about ingredients. I’m from Malaysia. It would probably be hard for me to find fresh cream/heavy whipping cream specially in the area i’m currently living. May i know if i could substitute it with something else? Plus, i’m not sure how to differentiate between Heavy Cream and the normal whipping cream. Here, they didn’t really specify the fat percentage. So, all of them looks the same to me.
May i ask your opinion then? Which one would fit better to your recipe?
http://www.fonterrafoodservices.net/en/sg/products/23/uhtcream/Pack
or
http://www.summitstore.net/goods/html/?3277.html
I hope i could try it out! Thanks yea.
Hi Sha! Thank you so much for following my blog! 🙂 Check this link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cream
According to this, the American “heavy whipping cream” or “heavy cream” is for cream that contains 36% or more milk fat.
After looking at your links, I think http://www.fonterrafoodservices.net/en/sg/products/23/uhtcream/Pack is better choice. Don’t use Thickened Cream (read in “Australia” area – it says gelatine and other thickeners are added).
Hope this helps. 🙂
Hello! When you heat the cream, what heat is it on? Medium or high? Also what does it mean by almost boiling? Is it when small bubbles form on the edges of the saucepan?
thank you so much and hope u can reply asap for valentines day tomorrow!!!
Hi Jenny! I updated the recipe with a little more info. Heat over medium heat. When you will see bubbles form around the edges of the saucepan, that’s when you turn off the heat.
Thank you for bringing it to my attention. 🙂
PLEASE tell me how to do it with white chocolate!!!
Hi Nico! Try making this without green tea powder. 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/green-tea-chocolate/
All the chocolate used baking chocolate, couverture or those eating chocolates we find in chocolates snacks section?
Hi Jennifer! Make sure to use good chocolate, not cheep chocolate that fat and other things are added. It will separate and may not solidify. 🙂
In this recipe doesn’t need butter? So how about the soft of the product?
Can i use Lindt Excellence 85 or 99%?
And if i want use 200g of chocolate, how ml of fresh cream should i use?
Nope, no need. We put butter into white chocolate to make it smooth. Without it, the texture is not as good. 🙂 If you use 200 g of chocolate, then use 100 ml of heavy cream. 🙂 I think 85% sounds better.
Thank for your reply
So with matcha nama chocolate 200g white chocolate + 1/2 of 125 ml whiping cream?
I never eat chocolate 99% cacao because in my country doesn’t have that product, but i see some review of chocolate 99% cacao, it look very impressive so i wonder if i make nama chocolate by chocolate 99% cacao how it tatse 😀
1 more thing is should you recommend some chocolate 85 or 99% brand?
Wait, I’m a bit confused. Are you making matcha (green tea) nama chocolate or regular nama chocolate?
If you’re making matcha, please use white chocolate.
If you are going to use half amount of chocolate, the rest of ingredients have to be half as well.
It’s all about preference – some people think dark chocolate is too bitter. I like dark chocolate more than milk chocolate, but semi sweet is also good. So it’s really up to your preference. 🙂
thank for your guide 🙂
i will try more.
omg, first time i add some cognac in this and it doesn’t look smooth like before 🙁
many times ago i make it’s perfect, now the first time i use liqueur look so bad
waiting more 6 hours to see the results
I think I’ve responded to you via Facebook. 🙂
Sorry for make a mistake, i just have done 1 time make matcha nama chocolate follow exactly your recipe, but now i want to use just 200g white chocolate so i should use 1/2 whiping cream? Like the formula you said at this topic: ” If you use 200 g of chocolate, then use 100 ml of heavy cream.”
Dear Nami
TQ for a wonderful recipe. Tried but could not get the chocolate to stay firm even left in the freezer overnite.
It was way too soft and ended up with lumps of chocolate. the taste was there. wondering was it becos I used whipping cream instead of heavy whipping cream?
Hi Puilengc! What fat % was your heavy cream? I wonder if your chocolate got seized or separated. Could you read my Note section to see if you think this could be your case?
Dear Nami San
TQ for the prompt reply.
I made sure that I the cooking utensils were dry during the melting process and the result was a smooth texture chocolate.
I cut with a knife dunked in hot water and wiping dry with kitchen towel. But the chocolate kept sticking to the knife and unable to lift from the parchment paper.
The chocolate was soft and unlike the firm texture as shown in your green tea nama chocolate video.
The cream was 35.1% fat
Hi Puilengc! Thank you for your response (and I apologize for my late response). The chocolate DOES stick to the knife even you heat up the knife and when you touch the chocolate, it easily melts. Which is why Nama Chocolate has to be ALWAYS kept in the fridge (and take out right before serving). I think your room temperature was also warm. Also make sure to work fast. 🙂 Your cream content sounds right.
Dear Nami San
TQ for your reply. i live in a hot climate country.
will it help if i dust cocoa powder b4 cutting?
my frenz simply adore this chocoloate and i had been distributing y our recipe/recommending them to your blog.
Puilengc, unfortunately matcha powder doesn’t prevent from melting, and the powder is so fine that it’ll be messy when you hold onto the chocolate. Do you have latex gloves? It can act as insulation from the heat, so I think it doesn’t melt as much as bare hand. If it’s melted tiny bit (mine does too, if I leave it out for some time), you can hide with matcha powder. But when it melts like butter, it’s not going to work. Hmmm maybe put it in the freezer (not to freeze, but to make it very cold) right before you cut? Hope you can figure out the best way to cut.
Thank you so much for introducing my blog to your friends. You’re too kind. Thank you!! xo
Hi Nami,
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’ve made this Nama chocolate for my son’s teachers day present. It taste nice but I’m not able to get as perfect cut like yours and further to that my chocolate seems like melting very fast. Do you suggest I put it in the freezer instead?
Hi Frances! Thank you for trying this recipe! If you make this let’s say in hot summer day, it’s very difficult to cut nicely as chocolate starts to get soft and melt as soon as you take out from the fridge. Nama chocolate needs to be always refrigerated and you only take it out when you eat. Therefore, if there is a way to keep your room temperature cool when you cut, it would be great. Wear (food-safe) latex gloves also helps as they insulate heat from your hands. Basically keep the chocolate cold when you cut and quickly put it back in the fridge. Maybe temporary put it in freezer might help right before you cut? I’ve never done that (SF is always cold or cool so I don’t have to worry this part), but it might help. Hope this helps you a bit. 🙂
Hi Nami,
Thanks for your reply. I shall try using latex gloves next time 🙂
I love nama chocolate so much and I desperately wanted to make my own. I even bought chocolate of different coca content to try to make it work. I used light whipping cream to subsitute fresh cream, which ended up giving me chocolate just taste the same as Royce’s except for the fact that it is too soft to be cut into pieces! Do I have to use fresh cream? It is unavaible in the market where I live and I was hoping you could give me a way to subsitute the fresh cream! Thank you so much! Love your work!
Hi Huan! I believe heavy cream is necessary to achieve the good nama chocolate texture. The richness comes from the cream. And with ingredients that are very minimal, the outcome relies on good ingredients.
Now about the softness. Do you live in a place with hot weather? That can be it too. Even where I live, which is relatively cool all the time, Nama chocoalte gets melted after I put it out for some time. It gets too soft to cut. Nama chocolate requires to be in the fridge all the time (besides a few minutes before eating), and if you live in a hot place… it’s really hard to cut into cubes.
Thank you so much for following my blog and for your kind comment. I really hope you can make it work!
Hi,May I know can I keep the chocolates for how many days
Hi Shirley! You can keep them in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. 🙂
Hi can I ask one more question? Do I need to put the chocolate in the freezer to harder the chocolate? thank you
Hi Shirley! In a refrigerator. 🙂
Hi, Nami! 🙂 These are really awesome chocolates!! I made some just tonight and they had such an amazing flavor and consistency!
I didn’t use cream because I’m vegan, but I found that canned, full-fat coconut milk worked quite well (you’d need to used the canned variety because it’s different than the variety that is normally used as a beverage). The coconut milk in the can separates at room temperature and part of it is solid and the other part is liquid. I didn’t heat it to mix them back together because I wasn’t sure if the ratio I needed for the chocolate would be the same. I just alternated between adding the solid coconut milk and the liquid (both from the same can) until the chocolate in the double boiler seemed like it had a good consistency. — I use a double boiler because then I don’t have to worry about burning the chocolate (which I might otherwise do — eek!). At one point, the chocolate/coconut milk mixture became a little gritty and lumpy, but adding some of the liquid coconut milk from the can fixed that and it became smooth again without a problem. Then I added some Heering brand cherry liquor until I could smell the cherry aroma just a bit on the chocolate, and it was strong but not overwhelming to taste. It became a nice smooth, velvet solid consistency in the fridge without any problem. The liquor I added really added an amazing flavor, and a tiny 2cm x 2cm square is extremely satisfying and rich, all on its own!
Thank you for this amazing recipe idea!! I was just trying this recipe early in preparation for Valentine’s day, but I really think the people I want to share it with will be very happy! 😀
I also hope that my information about the coconut milk can help anyone who may be curious as to how to make this without milk (as some people are lactose-intolerant and/or vegan). I made it entirely without milk and I couldn’t taste the coconut in the chocolate after it was finished, either. Another amazing recipe! Thank you again for sharing! 😀
Oleander, you’re very kind and awesome! Thank you very much for sharing! I’ll refer to your comment if anyone asks me for vegan/lactose-free version! It’s great to know that you made these without cream! Thank you for sharing this valuable information with me and my readers! 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed this chocolate recipe!
Nami san,
Can I use normal whipping cream or thicken cream to replace heavy whipping cream?
Can use Hershey chocolate to make this chocolate?
Hi Alice! Use higher fat content cream. Heavy whipping cream is 38% and I think whipping cream is 35%. I think it should work, but I haven’t tried it with whipping cream yet. Hershey should work… 🙂
Ive never liked using heavy cream in recipes…is there any other cream i can use to combine with chocolates such as semi sweet or bitter?
Hi Kara! Nama chocolate is a very simple recipe, but the ingredients and portion has to be just right. I haven’t tried omitting heavy cream before and I’m not sure if heavy cream can be replaced with something else to get good final result with the right texture/flavor. I wish I could suggest something else but I made this as a copycat recipe of ROYCE’ chocolate, so the flavor and texture is very similar to ROYCE’. 🙂
Hi Nami,
I do this on yes”day, I put at refrigerate for over night, but how come it still soft? May I know what went wrong?
Hi Alice! It looks like the chocolate you used has vegetable fat, instead of 100% cocoa butter. When the chocolate is made of good quality, it will not solidify. That could be my first guess. If you used high quality chocolate, then I have to see what else went wrong… so far, people who failed seem to have used the wrong kind of chocolate. Hope this helps!
This is amazing, I had Royce chocolate at the airport just before boarding my plane and I was sad I hadn’t found it earlier in my 3 month stay, it was just that good! Now I can make it at home! Thank you! 😀
You are very welcome! Hope you enjoy this recipe, Celine
I tried this recipe, but the chocolate was too goey to work with, even after leaving it overnight in the fridge! What did I do wrong??
Hi Ana! Thank you for trying this recipe! Some people who had trouble with this recipe always tell me that their selection of chocolate was not good after we discussed possible cause. Make sure the chocolate you use was good kind (should contain ONLY cocoa butter, not vegetable fat). Also, make sure your chocolate didn’t seize due to water (please read in my Note section). When you describe “goey” it sounds like your chocolate got seized by either over heating or water got into the chocolate for some reason. Hope this helps.
How much liqueur should I add?
Not sure how much you like but try from 1-3 Tbsp depending on how much you like and also on a kind of alcohol. 🙂
Hi what kind of cocoa powder did you use?
Hi Gian, Dutch-processed cocoa powder (https://amzn.to/2DNOHZO). 🙂
Hi, Ling here from Malaysia . Would like to enquirer that my country hard to find the heavy whipping cream . There only whipping cream available in all store which is 35% fat. Is it ok to use the whipping cream to make this nama chocolate ? Thanks
Hi Ling! You can use 35% fat heavy cream. Many people from Malaysia tried this recipe, so I’m sure it’ll work. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
OMG I really want to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Mitty! Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
I was wondering if you’re able to make a milk chocolate version, and if so, whats the chocolate to cream ratio? Thanks so much!
Hi Amy! You can just swap the chocolate without changing the cream ratio. 🙂
Hello!
First off, I would like to thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe! I had good luck and no troubles on my first attempt but I tried making it again today and for some reason, when I tried cutting the chocolate into pieces, it kept cracking/breaking. This didn’t happen the first time around so I’m not sure what’s causing this problem. Any suggestions?
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Judy 🙂
Hi Judy! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! Did you use the same ingredients as before and you prepared in exact same way? I am not sure why – the texture should be trouffle like (not easy to crack), so I don’t know why it was cracking… was the chocolate thinner this time? I wish I could help, but I am not sure…
I’m so excited to try out this recipe! My uncle just brought me some Nama chocolate as a souvenir from his trip to Japan and I instantly fell in love with its smooth, creamy texture.
Hi Christine! I hope you enjoy this chocolate recipe! Your uncle knows what to bring back from Japan!! 😀
Is there any reason why you didn’t melt the choc first then only combine with the heavy cream which has been warm up? When I used your method by heating up the heavy cream first, the choc was not completely dissolve, it still left some very tidy pieces of unmelted choc and in the end I put it into Thermomix to cook slightly under 100 degree n it turned out quite nicely but don’t think it is as smooth as Royce choc though. Hence would like to understand whether there is any reason why u did u this way. Was wondering whether it will be smoother if we melt the choc first.
Btw, I love all your recipe, they r easy n good. Hope to learn more fr u. Thanking u in advance.
Hi Pei! The common method is to heat up cream and pour over shaved (finely chopped) chocolate or put the shaved chocolate into the heavy cream. Save time and save pot/bowl to wash. Did you cut the chocolate finely? It should melt pretty easily. 🙂 I’m so happy to hear you enjoy my recipes. Thank you!!
The recipe came together well but if you’re like me and find dark chocolate to be incredibly bitter and almost inedible, make sure you use milk chocolate. I used 60% cacao and winced and made faces at the taste.
Thanks for trying this recipe and for your feedback! I know, dark chocolate is not for everyone. 🙂
Help. I tried recipe above but it was too sticky. Still tasty and taste good. not sure what went wrong
Hi Eiv! It is sticky, because it’s like truffle texture. I recommend cutting while the chocolate is still cold, and put back to fridge when it starts to get soft again. Hope this helps! 🙂
Hi I came across your recipe and I must say that I am absolutely in love with the simplicity of this. Can I know how much alcohol you put into that amount of chocolate? Does the amount change depending on what alcohol is used? For say rum VS Irish cream VS Moscato. What about tea flavors? I know that you have a green tea matcha recipe. What about other teas like Darjeeling?
Thanx!
Hi Sam! Thank you! The amount of alcohol you want to add is really up to you (how strong you want in chocolate), but 2 Tbsp. should be a good starting point. Sure, you can make tea infused chocolate! I really want to do earl grey version… 🙂 Green tea version use green tea powder, but for earl grey or darjeeling version, you probably need to infuse while heating up cream. 🙂
I made these today, as I am addicted to Royce! Lol, I usually get the milk chocolate one but this recipe is for dark chocolate which I also love. I used Cadbury chocolate 70% and they turned out delicious! Mine don’t look as good as yours Nami but they taste almost as good as the real thing! Gonna try milk chocolate next time ???????? ariagato!
Hi Emma! Thank you for trying this recipe, and I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Hope you like the different versions too! 🙂
Do you have a recipe for pork soup dumplings? And can you give me an exact recipe for the nama chocolate for an 8×8 pan? Meaning 1 cup of cream to how much chocolate. And how much liquor if I want to add? I LOVE your recipes and have made several. The gudon being my favorite. Thank you!
Hi Kim! Xiao Long Bao is very hard and time consuming and I most likely won’t make it…. it’s just one of those things that you need to put your whole energy to it….
This is one of my favorite Chinese food blogs: http://thewoksoflife.com/2014/09/steamed-shanghai-soup-dumplings-xiaolongbao/
I use 8 x 8 pan and the recipe is in the post. 🙂 Liquor – 2 tsp. to 1 Tbsp, but it’s up to you. 🙂
Thank you for trying my recipes! I’m so happy to hear you like gyudon recipe!
How much liqueur should I add into a batch of the recipe?
Hi Doreen! 2 tsp. to 1 Tbsp.? It’s up to you and you can adjust. 🙂
In my country we dont have Heavy cream orr Heavy Whipping cream we just have Whipping. I try to use whipping cream but it didnt right. So can you tell me what i can replace Heavy cream in this recipe? Thankyou
Hi Huyen! Whipping cream is different from heavy / double cream. You will need heavy cream for this recipe. I googled and found this link. Hope this helps?
http://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=311215
Thank you so much for sharing this! I can’t wait to try it. Can you tell me how much liquor to use, I don’t see an amount anywhere. I’m sorry if I missed it.
Hi Christine! Alcohol in chocolate is really up to your preference. My kids don’t like it so I don’t usually put in the chocolate. Start with 1 Tbsp. to see if you like the amount? 🙂
Oh my goodness this looks delicious and so easy! If I wanted to try and use semi sweet chocolate chips (it’s what I have on hand haha) would it still work as long as it melts well? Thank you for the wonderful recipe! 😀
Hi Stacey! Yeah I am pretty positive that it works too – I remember I’ve used it once… 🙂 Let me know how it goes!
Perfect! I may try it for Valentine’s day for my husband. <3 Thank you.
Hi I’m wondering what kind of high quality chocolate you would recommend using for this recipe. I was thinking Hershey’s or Meiji but I’m not sure if that’s considered high quality..
Hi Trina! As long as it doesn’t contain vegetable fat in ingredients, you can use it. The one I use in this recipe is from Scharffen Berger: http://www.scharffenberger.com/
I love Royce Nama chocolate! So happy to have discovered it in Japan and then found it in Hong Kong and now Vancouver 🙂 Matcha and milk are my favourites.
Hi Rosie! I love matcha too! So lucky you can buy it in Vancouver! 🙂
I made these today to see if I needed to change or troubleshoot anything before valentine’s day, but they were perfect 😀 I made them into individual little hearts with a silicone hearts pan. These will not last through the weekend so luckily I halved the recipe so I can make more on the 13th 😀
Thank you!!!
Hi Katrena! AWESOME! So happy to hear that, and you’re very good at practicing and making sure ahead of time. 🙂 Hope you have a lovely V-day! Thank you for your kind feedback. xoxo
This looks delicious, i must give it a try.
Hi Linda! Hope you enjoy! 🙂
how much sugar is needed? I think it might be bitter.
Hi Judi! No sugar, just heavy cream and chocolate. If you prefer sweeter taste, use milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate. ????
Thankyou for providing such wonderful recipes. I live in Tasmania so our cooler weather is perfect for your recipes. Keep up the great work and thankyou again for imparting your knowledge.
Hi Liz! Thank you so much! You live in Tasmania! Wow… I wish to visit one day! 🙂
Nami, why don’t you write the equivalent of USA measurements in 400ml ( ), and 200g ( )? Then only one person has to look them up. I know we are way behind with our measurements in the US but it doesn’t look like change is happening very soon and I am old. Best Regards, Judy rjpeters21@gmail.com
Hi Judy! All my recipes for the past 3 years have both measurement. This post was re-post, so my recipe was from the original 2012. Here’s the update:
400 g (14 oz) good quality dark chocolate (70% cacao) (Semisweet for less bitter taste)
200 ml (3/4 cup + 1 Tbsp) heavy cream (38% fat)
I checked online for the chocolate weight – everyone seems to have different measurement for 1 cup, so I recommend following weight instead of cup for chocolate. 🙂
Wow! This is so cute! The presentation is awesome. I missed the post this year, but next year I will definitely make this. I usually make royal icing cookies for my friends on holidays, but it’s good to mix it up sometimes.
Thank you Erin! 🙂 Your cookies sound delicious, and your friends are so lucky! 🙂
HI!Nami,
I am much inspired and appreciatedo to you for your wonderful skill sharedo with me.
Best regards.
Alex Thai
Thank you Alex! 🙂
Hi…. I’m Shierly. I tried your recipe but the chocolate stick to the paper. I already refrigerate for 5 hours but it still stick to the paper. I use parchment paper btw. What must i do? Thank you…
Hi Shierly! I am sorry for my late response. The parchment is attached to the chocolate BUT it should come out clean….
Question: how do you clean a fine mesh sieve after using it to strain kanten?
Hi Natalie! Which recipe are you talking about? I try to understand when I strain kanten…
Hi Nami, thank you for sharing the recipe. I want to make these for a dinner party, but there’re people that I don’t know well and I’m afraid that not all of them enjoy dark chocolate. Can it be made with half milk and half dark chocolate?
Hi Phuong! Sure, it doesn’t have to be dark chocolate. Semi sweet might be good as well. 🙂
Thank you for this lovely recipe. Can I keep the Nama chocolate in the freezer so that it can last longer instead of just 2 or 3 days? Thank you.
I think you can – I haven’t tried (ours are gone very quickly….). You just need extra time to defrost. 🙂
Thank you for the recipe!
I noticed my end product is a bit less sweet than royce’s regular nama choco when tasted side-by-side, can I re-melt my finished product in a double boiler and introduce a bit sugar? (Either add sugar straight or dissolve in a small amount of heavy cream)
Thank you!
Hi Karina! I’ve never tried it, but I looked it up and yes you can melt and add cream/sugar and it works again. 🙂
Hi, I’d like to try your delicious nama chocolate. What is the size of the tin you used, so that the chocolate has the perfect height?
Hi Marie! It’s in Step 3, 8″ square baking dish (20 x 20 cm). 🙂
I wonder if we keep the chocolate in the fridge for long time, is it still good? how about the maximum time to keep it and can I use any Biological preservative to keep it stay longer? Thanks a lot.
Hi Quoc! You can keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 days and I highly recommend eating it soon because of using fresh cream. I’ve never used biological preservatives so I can’t tell… 🙂
Can you keep the refrigerated for more the. 3 days?
Hi Mii! Hmm sooner is better though. Maybe 5 days max? These chocolates never last that long in my household. 😀
Hello, I want to make your recipe but unfortunately, I can’t find any heavy cream in Jakarta, but the recipe requires 38% heavy cream, I can only find 36%. Is there any substitute I could use?
Hi Ebi! I think 36% should work. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
What need to add or substitute if I want to make coffee flavor?
Hi Lilly! Coffee flavor… I’ve never tried making it. It looks like it’s best to use instant coffee (not liquid, that’s why).
https://delishkitchen.tv/recipes/162951862469788140
Hope that helps. 🙂
Hi! This looks soooo good! I am going to try your recipe very soon! But before that, I have a question, will the texture be different if i use CHOCOLATE COINS instead of chocolate bar/s? Thank youu!!!
Hi Chu! I hope you enjoy this recipe! Hmmm it all depends on the ingredient. Make sure the chocolate does not include vegetable fat and it uses 100% cocoa butter. 🙂
Instead of cutting the chocolate block after it has cooled, is it possible to pour the chocolate into ice cube moulds?
Hi Yvonne! To me, it’s more work to unmold each piece… but if you have silicone mold that has whatever shape, it will work better. But not sure about the plastic ice cube mold though… 🙂
Thanks for replying, Nami! I shall be brave and try it with a plastic ice cube mould 😀
I just realised this question has been asked before, didn’t know I have to click a button to see comments.
Hi Yvonne! Let me know how it goes! Yeah… it’s hard to see the comments. My new web design which will release the end of this month has a question tab, hopefully, it’ll be easier to go through everyone’s questions (and my answers).
Thank you for sharing! I recently discovered the Royce chocolates and was thinking to surprise my husband for his bday. This is probably just better idea than buying it from store.
Quick question, can I use cocoa nibs instead of chocolate for a slightly bitter taste?
Hi Akshata! So happy to hear you got to try Royce and how sweet of you to make it for your husband’s birthday!
I don’t think cocoa nibs will melt? How about using bitter chocolate?
Made this for my boyfriend on Valentine’s Day 2 years ago. He must have loved it so much because now we’re married! HAHA
AWWWWWW!!!! Congratulations!!! Thanks so much for sharing your happiness with us! I love it when the food and story are combined. 🙂
These look beautiful! Will try making them soon and reply back with what I think. 🙂
Hi Sophie! Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Hi Nami! I just tried your recipe! It took me a while to cut all the chocolate but I made it! Except I wish I read your recipe notes earlier as mine turned out lumpy and oil separated =( I think the maybe cream was too hot. It’s in the fridge right now, but hopefully it’ll at least taste ok?!!?
I forgot to mention.. I also used whipping cream that’s 33% — not sure if that makes a difference
Hi Jasmine! What type of chocolate did you use? Make sure that it contains cocoa butter because some inferior brands contain vegetable fat and that could cause separation. If you remove the heavy cream before full boil (Step 5) it should not cause the issue. Your heavy cream should be okay. Is it possible your kitchen equipment has water or moisture?
Hi Nami! I Used Lindt EXCELLENCE 70% Cacao chocolate bar. It shows cocoa butter on the ingredients — doesnèt look like it contains vegetable fat.
It wasn’t at full boil, I had the heat on Medium for a few minutes I think? My equipment was dry I believe as it was just in the cupboard.
The taste turned out ok, but it had white spots from the oil after it dried up~ My only assumption is the cream was too hot.
I’ll try again in a couple of weeks!
Thank you for letting me know Jasmine! Yes, please keep me posted and wishing you good luck on your next batch!
Hi Nami!
I just tried this again. This time right after I pour in the chocolate and start mixing, for the first 5 seconds, a bit of it looks nice and smooth, but it started to get clumpier and thicker as I kept mixing. I see in your video, you mixed for a while but it’s still nice and smooth! Do you know what I could be doing wrong?
Hi Jasmine! I think you have seized chocolate. This article tells you why and how to fix it: https://www.cooksillustrated.com/how_tos/5712-how-to-fix-seized-chocolate
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV-T9-H90pA
Is it possible that some of your tools got moisture? It’s so strange… 🙁 I’m sorry you can’t get the right consistency.
I am going to add powdered strawberries!
Hi Aimee! Oh that sounds delicious AND pretty! 🙂
Hi!
I followed the recipe but I can’t seem to get it right? The chocolate doesn’t harden even though it’s been in the fridge for 5 hours, and half a day in the freezer and it’s like nutella or some kind of spread… How do you think should I go about with it?
Much love, Jona
Hi there! Thank you for trying this recipe! With the 2 ingredient recipe, I really need to know what kind of ingredients you used for this recipe. The chocolate should harden even with room temperature if you keep it for 5 hours, but we speed up the process by putting in the fridge. If it does not harden, then something is not right. First, your chocolate didn’t separate, right? Everything looked like mine till you pour and spread the chocolate evenly? Any different texture etc?
Nuh-uh, everything seemed cool until the cooling process? Maybe it’s the cream I used?
Hi Jona! Hmm it’s a bit hard to know without seeing how it was with my eyes… next time please send me a picture, which will help me give you better advice. 🙂
this time I was planning on putting the chocolate into silicone heart molds I bought last year
Hi Judi! I’ve never used the silicone molds before. Keep me posted how it goes! Good luck! Happy V-day! xo
Beautiful recipe! Can I call it Nami Chocolate hehe =)
Quick question, is it possible to avoid the shredding of the chocolate by melting the whole bar and then adding it to the cream?
Thank you Moosie! Haha, you’re sweet. 🙂 I think you can do that, but you still need to chop the chocolate into chunks so it melts evenly and faster. So if you have to chop chocolate anyway, I think this method is faster?
Is there anyway i can do this without liquor or and alcohol??
Hi Sam! You can skip it. I make it without for my kids. 🙂
This recipe looks so easy and such a beautiful presentation! I’ve had Nama chocolate before and it’s really smooth and rich and I didn’t realize how simple it was to make. I was wondering if it’s possible to use milk chocolate for this recipe or a mixture of milk chocolate and dark chocolate since I usually prefer a sweeter chocolate?
Hi Kelly! Although I have only tried it with semi-sweet, I think you should be able to make it with milk chocolate (according to my research). 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
It’s delicious!!
Thank you so much, Filipa! 🙂
This chocolate has always been a favorite of mine when I leave Japan after visiting family. Thank you for publishing this recipe. I can’t wait to try this!!
Hi Sarah! I hope you enjoy this recipe! 🙂
My Mother in law sent us some chocolates from Japan. I saw this recipe and thought “this is too easy to be good” It was easy and absolutely fantastic only problem? We cant leave the alone – It is delish. Thanks again for a wonderful recipe
Hi Steve! Aww I’m so happy you tried this recipe and liked it! Thank you for your kind feedback! 🙂
I made this for a friend during the Winter and she and I LOVED IT. It’s so addicting and so luxurious and I was surprised that I could make something as elegant as this recipe.
Hi Sophie! I’m so glad you and your friend enjoyed this recipe! Yeah, it’s pretty easy, with good ingredients. If you use lower quality chocolate, it won’t go well, and if water goes into chocolate etc. 🙂 Otherwise, it’s pretty easy to make! Thank you for your kind feedback!
This was very easy to make, with outstanding results! Used 63% Guittard chocolate chips. Dusted it with Guittard cocoa powder & sprinkled a few pieces with kosher salt & turbinado sugar.
Hi Carmen! YUM! I love the salt and sugar sprinkle! Thank you so much for trying this recipe. I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Hi Nami, I love your site and appreciate your guidance in making more authentic Japanese dishes. I have a go-to chocolate peanut butter cup recipe that I created myself, and I make the chocolate from scratch combining melted cocao butter, cocao powder, a bit of maple syrup and vanilla extract. I am wondering, instead of purchasing dark chocolate bars, do you think I might be able to make your nama recipe using cocao butter and cocao powder? I’m not sure if I would make the chocolate first, and then add to the cream, or if I could add the butter and powder as separate ingredients directly into the cream. Would love to hear your thoughts. I’ll do a bit of online research as well… Thanks again for the great site!
Hi Raechel! Thank you so much for reading my blog and for your kind comment. 🙂
Your recipe sounds delicious! Hmm… I think it’s possible to make the nama chocolate with cocoa butter and cocoa powder. It would be ideal if you can throw all the ingredients and make it instead of 2 steps. Let us know how it goes!
I’m about to try this recipe, and wanted to pass along this bit of info. I found an article where someone had tried to duplicate the secret recipe for Pave de geneves, and they used coconut oil and dark chocolate with a similar procedure to yours. Here’s a link:
https://sweettraveller.wordpress.com/2012/07/04/pave-de-geneve/
Hi Rohvannyn! Thank you for sharing the info with us! I hope you enjoy the recipe. 😀
Hey Nami-san!
Just a quick question:
Why do you use 200 ml of heavy cream per 400 g dark chocolate for the ROYCE Copy Cat recipe but only 125 ml of heavy cream per 400 g white chocolate for the Matcha Nama Choco?
Would you recommend using more or rather less heavy cream?
And should I use different amounts of heavy cream for different types of chocolate?
Thanks already!
Hi Nico! It’s a different type of chocolate so we use a different amount of cream. 🙂 You can test by adding more cream but the white chocolate is already creamy so I would use less… 🙂
Royce Nama is one of my favourites!
The chocolate used here is a baking chocolate?
Excited to try this at home.
Hi Joy! Yes I used good baking chocolate 😊
I tried making this recipe and put the chocolate in the freezer for almost 12 hours, but it ended up too soft that it kept being deformed and melting while I sliced into it. Is this because I put it in the freezer and for too long? Or because of some other problem? Please help.
Hi Rojer! You do not need to put in the freezer to solidify. I think the issue is your chocolate has vegetable fat instead of cacao butter? With the good quality chocolate, it should not have an issue with solidifying chocolate. 🙂
Aha, is vegetable fat commonly used in cheaper bars of chocolate? That would make sense, since the cheapskate within me chose the bar of chocolate that was half the price of the premium bar.
Hi Rojer! Yeah, it is. I also wrote Tips for Making Nama Chocolate in my post. And be careful NOT to introduce any moisture when you are melting the chocolate (I wrote in Notes section of the recipe). I hope the next one will be successful! 🙂
There are certain people that we should stop facing and look at for 5 minutes at least, they are so wonderful.
One of these dishes is this beautiful one, I’m just going to buy the ingredients.
Thank you very much for the recipe and the website.
Syd – São Paulo – Brazil.
I’m sorry for the translation, my english is terrible.
Olá Syd! Obrigado por seu comentário doce! Obrigado por usar o tradutor para escrever para mim. Espero que você goste da receita!
These are awesome! I can’t wait to try them! Just a question though, how do you store them? And how long are they good for? Thanks!
Hi Maria! It’s using fresh cream, so enjoy it soon, in a couple of days. I put it in an airtight container. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hi Nami! My friend and I are thinking of using milk tea powder to flavor the chocolate – how would we add it to this recipe without thickening the mixture too much? It’ll definitely be too sweet in the white chocolate, so we were hoping to mix it with the dark. Thank you so much!
Hi Ariel! Hmmm…. I’ve never used milk powder so I honestly don’t know what to expect. I’m so sorry…
it’s okay!! just in general then – is there any way to combine the dark chocolate with any powders? i’ve tried the normal recipe and it was amazing so i don’t want to mess up the texture or anything
Hi Ariel! I’ve only used milk powder when baking bread so I have no idea how much of milk powder is needed for chocolate or how the taste is affected by the milk powder etc. Sorry I wish I could help, but I just have no experience in this. 🙁
Mine don’t look as nice, but wow, they taste AMAZING.
Hi Celina! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this chocolate. Thanks for trying this recipe!
Hi Nami!
Yesterday I tried out this lovely recipe and it was my first time dealing with chocolate on such a scale. I had a little issues though since I couldn’t seem to tell whether the lumpiness i had from the chocolate was due to separation or not melting thoroughly. I ended using an improvised double boiler method to heat the chocolate up again and it became smooth but this morning I noticed a whitish ring around the edge of my refrigerated chocolate which I fear might be a sign of separation. Is there an easier way to tell separation versus just not melting enough? Hopefully it still tastes okay 😣 Thanks!
Hi Caitlin! I apologize for my late response. I was traveling and then got sick. Separation is very obvious and it’s really hard to fix, so I doubt you had that. Hope your chocolate came out well…
On the mama chocolate, if it seizes is it ruined? The recipe said to cook over medium heat. Then upon reading troubleshooting it says to cook on low. I’m having tonight. It’s in refrigerator, but is it ruined? I’m making 3 dishes from your website tonight.
Hi Patty! I apologize for my late response. Due to traveling and getting sick after coming back, I’m finally being able to go through comments now. I’m very sorry.
I remove the note section mentioning “low heat” as it can be confusing. You can heat the milk over low, medium or high heat as long as you’re watching the heavy cream and make sure it does not boil. Just small bubbles appear around the edge and need to turn off.
If your chocolate is seized, then it’s more like there was some moisture in the utensil or introduced to the chocolate. You have to make sure nothing is wet when you are making chocolate. Hope this helps…
Hi can i use all purpose cream or culinary cream? Will there be any difference on the nama chocolate? Thank you 😊
Hi Joliza! I’m not sure what’s all-purpose cream or culinary cream mean. American heavy cream is 36 to 38% fat. I hope this helps to find the right one.
Made them yesterday for my family and they tasted exactly like Royce. Thank you for this recipe and the useful tips – the chocolates were amazing!!
Hi Jay! Thank you for trying this recipe. I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Can I use Vodka or Whiskey instead?
Hi Angela! Maybe whiskey? 🙂
Hi there,
I whipped some of this up, on a whim today, and thought it looked the right consistency, but only after it was chilled did I find that it was a little grainy inside, and also not quite as firm as I expected (a bit jiggly). My kitchen scale had run out of batteries so I had to guess the amounts, so it’s possible I used too much liquid for the right firmness.
Mainly I wanted to ask if you think it’s possible, at this point, to re-melt it all slowly, in an attempt to smooth it out, at least. I don’t mind if it’s still a bit soft…since it’s just for personal snacking this time.
Oh, also, I wondered if you could explain a bit of how it works to add an alcohol, when liquid water is supposed to mess it up – that seemed counter intuitive to me, and I wondered if that was what made it slightly grainy…though it could have also been that I didn’t melt all the bits as well as I thought I did first, and/or the cream was potentially too hot.
Anyway, I chose to just use an alcohol-based organic vanilla extract in place of a liquor. It all tastes good, I would just love your feedback on potentially smoothing it out better, if possible after chilling has happened? I did read that helpful linked page about how to fix seizing during the mixing process, but I think it’s far past those steps so I wasn’t sure now.
Thank you for a fun recipe all the same. And Happy 1st Day of Summer!
Hi Krystal! I apologize for my late response (I was away from work due to my post-surgery). It’s usually quite difficult to make it work. It’s a bit hard to assess what happened when the ingredients are not properly measured, but I think your chocolate might have seized? There are tutorials online and youtube on how to fix it but it has to be done prior to chilling.
Hi
I found the cocoa powder will get slightly wet and clump up a little after 3-4 days even in an airtight container kept in the fridge , what is the solution to keep it for as long as possible ?
Hi Rehab! Did you use a fine-mesh sieve/sifter to sprinkle? It should be a very thin coating on top of the chocolate that the cocoa powder should not become clump up. It should stay just like right after sprinkle. I’m not too sure how it looks like but maybe sprinkle again? Nama Chocolate should be eaten soon too. 🙂
Hi, I tried your recipe and it tastes great. It’s just that mine is super sticky that its difficult to remove the parchment from it, not to mention that it’s kind of impossible to cut. Do you have any idea what might went wrong? Did you mean put in freezer before cutting?
Hi Wendy! Hmmm I usually don’t have problem with parchment paper being stuck, but when I cut the chocolate itself, it does stick to the chocolate so I have to remember warming up my knife and wipe every time I slice… otherwise, I can cut each piece nicely because it’s like a chocolate magnet attached to the knife.
Step 3: Warm up the sharp knife with a hot towel, and cut the chocolate into 1” strips. Make sure to clean/warm the knife before each cut to achieve a nice sharp cut.
Kinichiwa Nami! I have been a huge fan of these chocolates for a long time and this is the closest i have come to tasting them when im not in Japan. Thank you for this recipe, everyone who tastes them thinks they are the best chocolate.
Just one cookbook is definitely my fav go to cooking blog.
Thanks! 🙂
Yianni
Hi Yianni! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and I’m so glad you and everyone liked it! It’s definitely “closest” to the real thing. 😉 Thank you for your kind feedback. xoxo
Great and easy recipe! I did exactly as you described. I used a cream with 32% fat and a mixture of Lindt 70% and Lindt milk chocolate. It was delicious! Many thanks!
Hi Luna! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. So glad you enjoyed this chocolate recipe! 🙂
why use liquor? and can i add butter ?
Hi Kevin,
Thank you very much for the 5 stars! The liquor is optional and I know people put Grand Marnier or Cointreau. You can start with 2 Tbsp, and add more if you like. As for butter, we’ve never used butter before, so I’m not sure how the outcome will be… please let us know how it goes!
Hi Nami!
I want to make these as gifts for the holidays. Where did you get your box in the picture? Also can I substitute milk chocolate as well? I want to do both milk and dark versions.
Thanks!
Darlene
Hi Darlene,
Nami got these boxes at Daiso (a Japanese dollar store and there’s one in SF). She has tried this recipe with semi-sweet, but not milk chocolate before. Let us know how it goes!
Hi Naomi
Saw your video on making mama chocolate and I want to try it. I bought 100% cacao but it’s not sweetened. So I am just wondering how much sugar I should add to the recipe you have given and looking at other truffle recipes, please confirm I should add sugar into cream to melt the sugar first before adding the chocolate to the hot cream.
Thank you very much for your reply and your wonderful recipe !
Best,
Serena
Hi Serena!
We do not add sugar to this recipe, so we are unsure how the outcome will be…
Since this is your first time making Nama Chocolate, please follow Nami’s recipe precisely, so we can help if there is something wrong.
We hope you enjoy this recipe. Good luck! 😉
Hi!
Am I able to halve the recipe? I have 200g chocolate.
Thank you! xx
Hi Ria!
Yes. You may use half of all the ingredients.😉
Hi!
Can I use non-lactose cream?
Thank you xx
Hi Ria!
If the non-lactose cream contains around 38% fat, it should work fine.
You can also try full-fat coconut milk. A reader tried it and said it worked great and didn’t taste the coconut.
We hope this helps!🙂
Hi!
I tried it and it tasted great! However the fat/oil separated and was floating on top of the Nama Chocolate. Any idea why?
Thanks xx
Hi Ria! Did you use heavy (whipping) cream (38% fat) or other creams?
Separation (oil came out of the chocolate) happens when you get the chocolate too hot. We hope this helps!
I only have 35% bulla cream here. I have nothing higher than 35%. Can i try to use it for the recipe?
Hi Yi,
We’ve never used 35% fat bulla cream before, so we are not sure how the outcome will be… please let us know how it goes! 🙂
Hi Nami, thanks so much for the recipe, it looks simple gonna try it in this weekend. I do not have a 8x8inches pan but a smaller one with 5×5 inches. I am wondering if it is alright to cut the amount of all ingredients into half?
Hi Jiayee,
Sure. You can try half of all the ingredients. It should work just fine.
Thank you for trying this recipe!
Hey Nami, thanks so much for the recipe. I tried it and it tasted really great! However, the batter turned out to be quite stiff, it wasn’t that smooth as yours. I used half of all the ingredients, 70% Callebaut chocolate and heavy cream that contains 36% milk fat. May i know what is the reason?
Hi Jolene,
Thank you very much for trying this recipe! We are so happy to hear it tasted really great.☺️
As for the texture, did you waiting for 5-10 minutes before serving? It gets soft enough to melt in the mouth instead of chilled and hard chocolate.
Hi Naomi, thank you for your reply. Yes, the taste was really good. just the texture was a bit stiff, so when I poured the batter into my pan, it didn’t flow out smoothly. I am wondering why is it so stiff.
Hi Pua Jia Yee,
I see…
As Nami mention in the recipe card notes, Seizing happens when moisture is introduced to melted chocolate (even a tiny amount of liquid or steam). It happens all of a sudden from a smooth bowl of liquid chocolate to a lumpy, grainy mass of chocolate. Even a small amount of water/steam can “seize” the chocolate melting process.
Do you think this is your case?
I used 400gm dark chocolate chips, and 200ml of whipping cream and followed everything as per your recipe. I chilled the chocolate in a 8×8 inch glass container overnight. But when I took it out in the morning it did not solidify. Plesse advice me what I did wrong.
Hi Ivy,
It may happen because your chocolate temperature got too high when you were melting the chocolate or got a small amount of water in it during the process.
Please review the recipe notes in the recipe card, and we hope you will give this recipe a try again.
Thank you for trying this recipe!
Hi I just saw this post and am currently trying to make nama Chocolate, however I realised as compared to Royce chocolate, my nama chocolate melts at a much faster rate at room temperature. Is there a way to fix this please? Your feedback would be much helpful! Thank you!
Hi Luke, Thank you very much for trying this recipe! Homemade desserts like this use fresh cream, and Nama Chocolate must be kept in the refrigerator at all times, and it is best enjoyed fresh, within 4 days after being made. Using an ice pack to keep the cooler temperature may help.🙂
I want to make this recipe with my high school Japanese class. What can be used instead of the liqueur? Will extracts work? Thanks for your help.
Hi Kristine, Thank you for choosing this recipe for your high school Japanese class! The liqueur is optional, and you may skip it. If your chocolate is not smooth at Step 7, please add the liqueur amount of heavy (whipping) cream. We hope this helps!
please help
me with the measurements, it says 3/4 cup cream, 3/4 cup is only 96 grams, then for the chocolate it says 14 oz which is 396 grams. on your recipe notes you said the ratio is 1:2 cream:cholate… could you please provide the exact measurements in grams? thank you very much.
Hi Kristine! We are installing a new measurements plugin, and now the Metric conversion is available in the recipe card. Please click “US Customary – Metric” below the ingredients list so that it will give you the amount in grams. Thank you very much for trying this recipe!❤️
Hi, I tried this recipe and it was excellent, thank you! Just wondering, can the heavy whipping cream be replaced with cooking cream? Cos that’s what I have in the pantry right now
Hi Kit, We have never tried this recipe with cooking cream. If your cooking cream contains more than 36% fat, it should work. Please let us know how it goes.
Namiko-Sensei, after we have mixed these ingredients can we pour it into a silicone mold so can get chocolate in different shapes? Or do you advise against this?
Hi Ashton, Yes! You can pour it into a silicone mold! It will be very cute.🙂 Thank you very much for trying this recipe!
I love the “au lait” (milk chocolate) version of Royce chocolate. Thank you for making this recipe so clear and easy to make. 🙂 Is the recipe the same if I get high quality milk chocolate (40-50% cacao)?
Hi Mary, It should work with milk chocolate. However, please note that milk chocolate should never be heated above 110ºF (43ºC) during the process of melting.😉 Thank you for trying this recipe!
Made this for my husband this week and he loved it! Added 1 tbsp of dark rum. Never had or heard of nama chocolate before until randomly found it on Google. Next time instead of booze can I substitute booze for vanilla extract??
Hi Cynthia, Thank you very much for trying this recipe! We are glad to hear your husband love this Chocolate!☺️
If you would like to skip the alcohol, yes, you can substitute it with extract or simply replace it with heavy (whipping) cream. We hope this helps!
I followed the recipe exactly but mine won’t harden. Please Help!
Hi Michaela, Thank you very much for trying this recipe!
We are sorry to hear that your’s didn’t harden.😞 Please read the important note from Nami at the bottom of the recipe and see if it could have happened. We hope this helps!