Heat resistant chocolate was developed by adding ethylcellulose (EC) solubilized in ethanol to molten chocolate and thereafter evaporating the ethanol. The hardness of the chocolate was found to be dependent on the chocolate formulation and concentration of EC. Mechanical testing, molecular dynamics simulations, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that hydrogen bonding between sucrose and EC were responsible for the formation of a network within the chocolate that provided mechanical strength at elevated temperatures. These methods also showed that lecithin, typically found...