Hand Dipped Chocolates

I got these recipes from Lizzie a few years ago and it's been so fun to make them each Christmas and Valentine's Day!  The kids had a blast!  This year, there was 3 different chocolate making sessions going on.   I stayed up til after midnight with some dear friends dipping chocolates, my daughter and her friend spent the afternoon making them for their teachers and the boys I teach enjoyed learning how to make them as well!  I think I've seen and eaten enough chocolate to last me at least until Valentines Day :)





Peanut Butter Fillings

4 cups powdered sugar
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup creamy peanut butter

Mix together. Roll into balls and refrigerate. If the mixture is too soft to roll, refrigerate for an hour or so, then roll into balls and refrigerate again.
Makes about 40 fillings.

Chocolate Truffle Fillings

1 pound of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate finely chopped or 2 2/3 cups of
semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy cream
Place chocolate in a large heat-proof bowl.
Bring cream to a boil over medium-high heat; pour directly over chopped chocolate. Allow to sit 5-10 minutes; use a rubber spatula to gently stir chocolate and cream until combined.
At this point you may add flavorings if you wish. You can add raspberry, almond, hazelnut, cherry, orange, mint or other flavorings or extracts. Just add a very small amount at a time, and taste it. Keep adding until you like the taste.
Pour mixture into a shallow square or rectangular dish, lined with wax paper (hanging over all sides). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold and set.
When you are ready coat the truffles with chocolate, pull the truffles out of the pan by grabbing onto the wax paper. Cut with a butcher knife into bite size squares.
Makes about 50 truffle fillings.

Creme Fillings

4 cups sugar
1 cup butter
2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 cups white chocolate chips
flavoring extracts (orange, vanilla, peppermint, raspberry, hazelnut, almond, etc.)
absorbic acid, ONLY if using a fruit extract (This is powdered vitamin C, found in the
pharmacy section. It brings out the flavor of the exract)
food coloring to match the flavoring that you choose.
Put white chocolate chips in a mixing bowl.
Bring sugar and cream to a boil.
Boil at medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until the soft ball stage. Remove from heat.
Chop butter into small pieces and add to the hot mixture. Let melt.
Pour hot mixture over chocolate chips. Blend until smooth.
Dissolve a 1/2 teaspoon of absorbic acid into 1 teaspoons of water. Pour into the mixture along with 1/2 teaspoon of the extract of your choice. Blend and taste. If you want the flavoring stronger, add more absorbic acid and extract (doing the same procedure as before).
Add the food coloring and blend.
Once it cools off, coat your hands with powdered sugar, roll into balls and refrigerate. If the mixture is too soft to roll, refrigerate for an hour or so, then roll into balls and refrigerate again.
*To test the crème filling to see if it’s at the “soft ball” stage-have a glass of cold water ready on the counter and drizzle a small amount of mixture into the water. Then reach in and form the mixture into a ball with your fingers. When the ball of candy is removed from the cold water, the candy instantly flattens and runs between your fingers. This is the “soft ball” stage.

Tempering Chocolate

Chop your chocolate into small pieces. Put in a glass bowl and microwave 30 seconds or so (depending on your microwave). Stir, cook for another 30 seconds. Stir again. Repeat until chocolate is almost melted. Then stir together until it melts completely. The chocolate will still be too hot, so you need to bring the temperature down by adding more chocolate. Add a handful or two of more chopped chocolate and stir until it melts in. Continue stirring chocolate until it is cool. The way to know if it is cool enough, is to put a small amount on your upper lip. If you can feel its warmth, it’s too warm. Continue stirring until you can put it on your upper lip and not feel it.

Another filling recipe that I am dying to try is on my friend Lisa's food blog.