Chocolate Peanut Butter Easter Eggs

This started out as an experiment. I had tried other recipes for peanut butter cups, but they never tasted quite right. My husband said they just weren't "peanutty" enough. So like the proverbial mad scientist, I went into the kitchen, determined to make a more "peanutty" peanut butter cup!! After a couple of tries, I made some ingredient adjustments and came up with this recipe. I recommend you use a high quality milk chocolate, but it must be tempered. If tempering chocolate seems too intimidating, you can use milk chocolate flavored candy melts.

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Jacque's Peanut Butter Cups

1/4 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts

1/2 cup peanut butter

2  Tablespoons softened butter

dash salt

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

3/4 cups powdered sugar

Melted Milk chocolate ( tempered)

Grind peanuts very fine in a blender or processor. In a bowl, Mix together  ground peanuts, peanut butter, butter, salt and brown sugar. Add Powdered sugar and incorporate until you have a nice dough, about the same feel as a pastry dough. 

If it is too crumbly, add more peanut butter. If too soft, add more powdered sugar.

Roll out on a silicone mat or wax paper about 3/8" thick.

 Using a 3/4" circle cutter, cut out patties and set aside.

Use only what you need. Wrap remaining dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Fill a medium sized Peanut Butter Cup mold  almost half full with milk chocolate.

Using a stiff artist brush, paint the chocolate up the sides of the molds.

Place peanut pattie in each cup. 

Drop enough chocolate over the top of the patties to fill cups.
 Lightly tap mold on counter to remove bubbles. Place in freezer for 5 minutes. Pop out of mold.

Wash mold and repeat process.

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For Easter Eggs, use a chocolate egg mold.  Form the peanut butter centers into ovals instead of round.

 Follow the directions as shown above.

Pop out of mold for your own Chocolate Peanutbutter Eggs.

Now if you want the Easter Bunny to deliver these, you will have to hide them!

Because they are likely to disappear "mysteriously".  ;-)

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Photography and Tutorial by Jacque Benson 2010- All Rights Reserved

This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.

Chocolate Bunny Boxes

It just would not be Easter without chocolate bunnies, right? I just had to share with you these adorable chocolate boxes I made. I got the mold here.

They are so cute filled up with candies. And you can eat the whole box! Gotta love that.

Paint the accent areas inside the mold with colored chocolate and a paint brush. It's easier to do if the chocolate is cooled off a bit and a bit stiffer. Don't be too worried about staying exactly in the lines. If you paint out of the lines, just let it air dry, and then use a toothpick to scrape off the excess where you don't want it to be. Use a soft brush to brush out all the "crumbs". Why not pop it in the fridge instead of waiting for it to air dry? Because that will cause the chocolate to release from the mold, and when you try to clean it up with the tooth pick, the whole piece of colored chocolate will pop right out. And then you will cry, and have to start all over.

This is what the outside of the mold looks like after the inside has been painted.

Then fill both cavities with melted chocolate in the color of your choice. Make sure the chocolate is cool to the touch. If it is too warm, it will melt your colored accents and they will run and smear. And then you will cry, and have to start all over again.

Edited to clarify: The above mold is the 2 pieces of the box. One side is the top, and the other side is the bottom part of the box with the cavity for the candies already in there. When you unmold it, the 2 pieces come out as you see in the finished product. I apologize for not getting a photo of the bottom part of the mold empty.

I put it in my freezer for 12-14 minutes, and then the 2 pieces come right out of the mold with a gentle tap. Let them come to room temp in cool room before you touch them. If not, you will get finger marks on the condensation you will not be able to repair. Then you will cry, and have to start all over again.

Isn't he cute???

All packaged up and ready to be delivered by the real Easter Bunny.

Wishing all of you a blessed and peaceful Easter with your family and friends,

Sharon

SugarEdProductions

Tutorial and Photography courtesy of Sharon Zambito
2010
All Rights Reserved
This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.

Cake Balls....or....Truffles?

 

Here's a great way to use up your leftover cake scraps!  This is the first time I have made these.  My daughter always makes them when we have parties and her hubby is always asking her to make them so he can take them to work! 

 

Make a cake of your choosing or use cake scraps.  You may use any cake mix flavor also.  Crumble the cake into a bowl.

Next add anywhere from 1/2 cup to 2 cups prepared icing, depending on how moist or dry the cake is.

 

Line a baking tray with wax paper or foil.  Use a melon baller as a scoop to form the mixture into balls.  When all of the mixture is used, place the baking trays into the freezer and freeze for several hours.  I like to do mine over night.

 

Using Almond Bark (white or chocolate) or a confectioners coating of you choice, melt in microwave as per instructions on package.  Using a candy fork, regular fork, tooth pick or spoon, dip cake ball into the hot melted chocolate, tapping off extra.

 

Freezing the balls will help keep crumbs to a minimum.  If the chocolate starts to cook off, microwave for to rewarm it.

 

Place on wax or parchment paper to cool.

 

Decorate as desired!!

 

I liked using this handy little bottle to cover the tops.

 

To make them look a little more elegant, you can use candy papers or the very small cupcake papers.  I really like how they look in them!!

 

These cake balls were covered in sprinkles and nuts.  Do this as soon as you take the balls out of the melted chocolate.

 

I used a candy mold to do these.  Just coat the bottom and sides of the mold and let set up in the freezer for a minute.  Then put the cake mixture in the middle and top with more chocolate.  These were really easy!!

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Below are some of the cake balls that my daughter, Kami has created.  Click on the link to go to her cute food blog!

Red Velvet Cake Balls

Chocolate Mint Cake Balls

Spice Cake Balls

Pokemon Cake Ball Lollipops

Here are some combination's that you can use:

*Red Velvet Cake/Cream Cheese Frosting and dipped in white chocolate coating

*Strawberry Supreme Cake/Strawberries and Cream Frosting - Dipped in Chocolate Coating

*White Cake/Mint Chocolate Chip Frosting - Dipped in Chocolate Coating

*Caramel Cake/Chocolate Mocha Frosting - Dipped in Chocolate Coating

*White Cake/Wild Cherry Vanilla Frosting - Dipped in Dark Chocolate Coating

*French Vanilla Cake/White Chocolate Almond Frosting - Dipped in Chocolate Coating

*Dark Chocolate Cake/Cream Cheese Frosting - Dipped in White Chocolate Coating

*Spice Cake/Cream Cheese Frosting - Dipped in White Chocolate Coating

*Lemon Cake/Lemon Frosting - Dipped in White Chocolate Coating

*Confetti Cake/Vanilla Frosting - Dipped in White Chocolate Coating

 

You can also add nuts, lemon, lime or orange peel, mini chocolate chips, broken or crushed candies or bars, and any LorAnn Gourmet flavorings to come up with some really great flavors!!  Be creative!  Have fun making them!  You may also want to do a search on Cake Balls!  WOW!!

Tutorial courtesy of Rhonda Christensen
All Rights Reserved
2010

  This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.

Dark Chocolate Truffles....Pure Temptation

There is nothing quite like the taste and texture of rich, luscious Chocolate Truffles. And although they are luxury to the palate, these tempting treasures are easy to make. Here are the recipes of my own favorite combinations. Enjoy!

Rich Grand Marnier and Chambord Chocolate Truffles

Ganache Ingredients

24 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
Generous 2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 Tablespoon White Corn Syrup

2 Tablespoons Chilled butter
2 Tablespoons Grand Marnier

2 Tablespoons Chambord

For Coating the Truffles:
24 ounces tempered bittersweet chocolate

Over double boiler, melt chocolate, stirring until smooth.

Scald heavy cream with the corn syrup in a 2-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan just until bubbles begin to form around the edge of the pan. Remove from heat. Do not boil.
Gradually pour the cream into the melted chocolate . Then slowly whisk until smooth and homogenous.
The ganache should be thick, shiny, and smooth.
Divide the chocolate into two separate bowls. and add 1 tablespoon of chilled butter and Grand Marnier (2T) in one bowl, 1 T of chilled butter and Chambord(2T) to the other. Mix until fully incorporated.

Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to chill until ganache holds its shape. Or you can make the ganache at the end of the day and let it cool overnight. As it cools, it will thicken and set.

Using a melon baller, drop small mounds of ganache onto the baking sheet covered with wax paper. Let the truffles harden at room temperature for several hours (or in the refrigerator for 30 minutes), until they are hard enough to roll with your hands. Roll quickly between the palms of clean hands and set on wax paper. Chill until time to coat in chocolate.

Amaretto/Ginger White Chocolate Truffles

Ganache Ingredients

20 oz white chocolate, chopped
Generous 1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 Tablespoon Preserved Ginger Syrup

2 Tablespoons Chilled butter
1-1/2 Teaspoons Pear Brandy

1 Tablespoon Amaretto

2 Tablespoons minced Preserved Ginger

For Coating the Truffles:

18 ounces tempered milk chocolate

Garnish with chopped candied ginger

Follow same procedure by melting the white chocolate over hot ( not boiling ) water.

Scald the cream with the ginger syrup, then gradually add to the melted white chocolate.
Whisk mixture slowly until smooth and homogenous. Stir in the butter and the flavorings until fully incorporated; then stir in minced preserved ginger. Pour into bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill until the ganache holds its shape, then scoop out balls with melon baller, placing on wax paper, then chill.
When cold, roll quickly between the palms of clean hands to form into perfect balls of ganache. Chill until ready to coat with chocolate.
To Coat with Chocolate

You can use either a dipping fork or a table fork to dip the truffles in chocolate. To use the fork, drop the truffle into the bowl of tempered chocolate and then retrieve it quickly with the fork.
Hold the fork over the bowl for several seconds to allow the excess chocolate to drip back into the pan, then place the truffle on wax paper swirling the extra chocolate over the top of the truffle to finish off. Garnish the top of the Amaretto Ginger Truffles with small pieces of candied ginger.
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The truffles will keep for up to 2 weeks at room temperature, when stored in an airtight container. But I doubt they will last that long!

Tutorial courtesy of Jacque Benson
All Rights Reserved
2009


This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.

How to Make Chocolate High Heel Shoes by Jennifer Dontz

How do I make that???

This tutorial is on how to make a lifesize (about a size 6) chocolate shoe. These are SO much fun to make and your imagination can run wild. I made a really fun pair for the TLC competition, but I can't show them to you until after the show airs. I covered them in a patterned fondant....they were really cool :-)

Step 1 - This is the mold that you need. High Heel 3-d Mold

Step 2 - You will need to trim the mold and cut out the section that you would place your foot into if it were a real shoe. I normally write on the mold for customers so there is no doubt which parts need to be removed. I trim about a good inch to inch and 1/2 all the way around the mold. This allows you to clamp it tighter.



Step 3 - Melt your chocolate and pour into the mold. I kind of swirl it around to get to the edge of the mold, then pour it out leaving a thin shell in the mold. I put the mold in the frig JUST until it gets hard. Prop the mold upright...don't leave it in there to long or the really thin shell will crack. Just until it's setup. Then you do the pouring process 2 more times, for a total of three layers. You don't need to be quite as careful with the refrigeration time on the other two layers. Once it starts getting thicker, it really shouldn't crack. The heel part will be fully filled in by the time you do three layers of chocolate.

Step 4 - Remove the mold from the fully setup shoe. You will have some rough edges.

Step 5 - Trim down the seams with an exacto knife. I like using the cotton chocolate gloves (on the site). you don't get any finger prints on the chocolate when using these.

Step 6 - Add whatever your imagination comes up with. I love to use the Jem bow makers and pearl molds. The # 4 pearls are nice and delicate, perfect for outlining the edges of the shoe.

Finished shoe :-) This was dry dusted with silver hi-liter dust. I used the Jem bow maker and some of the 2mm dragees. I also mounted it to a chocolate base. The "base mold" I sell in the mold section works great. I unfortunately cannot get the base mold that I used in the picture. But the oval one works great as well.

This is another gorgeous design, I think this one looks like a bridal shoe.
Again, I used the Jem bow cutters. If you don't have them, they are SO much fun to use. I will try to do a tutorial on those for the next post. I also used the # 4 pearl mold.
If you would like to know how to make awesome chocolate pearls, the instructions for my pearl clay + many other cool techniques, including step by step making of pearls, are on my Fun With Fondant Frills DVD.
I also used a section of the floral lace press on the shoes below. It really makes for a very stable shoe to add the base mold. You can fill it with truffles and place on the tables OR wrap with pretty cellophane for a beautiful gift or give away at a bridal show.

Hope you enjoyed the little mini class :-) Happy shoe pouring!! Jennifer :-)

Tutorial and Photos by Jennifer Dontz 2009 all rights reserved.
This material may not be reproduced for commercial use without permission from the author.
You can  find other cake decorating supplies and instructional DVDs by Jennifer Dontz online at SugarDelites