I know it's a little early to be thinking of making Christmas candy, but I had huge blocks of Ghirardelli chocolate in the freezer and virtually all the ingredients to make nine out of eleven fillings.
--this is called planning ahead. I bought all those blocks of chocolate last spring because I knew they would disappear over the summer months!
Some are new flavors. Some are tried and true flavors that I simply didn't have enough filling left to make a batch of candy.
I tried to measure and time everything so I could tell you that it's a 'one size fits all' procedure, but I can't.
The fruit purees took up to 45 minutes to boil down (and boil over in the case of Bronx Cheer, a raspberry filling--walk away for one measly second to read a food blog and BAM! Oh, the flames! The sizzling! the mess!), while the liqueur syrups were finished in less than 15 minutes.
Some of the fillings needed more cream than others (the ones made with dark chocolate, for sure), while the ones prepared with white chocolate didn't really need any cream.
Shoot, I had to remake a couple of them because they didn't harden like I expected them to after they cooled down. Cherries Jubilee was one of those culprits, while Pilgrim's Progress (maple) had the opposite problem of setting up while I was stirring in the chocolate. I packaged it anyway, but turned right around to fix the problem.
Though they are in the freezer, I have a feeling I'll have to rework Mango Madness and Bronx Cheer. I really don't want to add more chocolate to harden them up, because it will change the flavor profile. Ugh!
In one or two of the flavors, I added a touch of salt to cut the sweet and enhance the flavor.
I also checked the temperatures while I was cooking them down.
And no, there was no magic number here. Some of them were at the perfect syrup texture at 100 degrees Celsius, but other syrups were finished at 90 degrees C.
I added sugar to all of them, but it varied too. I didn't want them too sweet since the chocolate could push it into the overly sweet category--especially white chocolate, as it can be a little cloying!-- but if there wasn't enough residual sugar in the liquor or fruit, then I needed the sugar to make the syrup.
So while I was making the fillings, I was tweeting about it. A few people responded, but I had fun making up names to go with the fillings--some are lame, but some are very fitting!
This is what I made yesterday:
Pilgrim's Progress -- maple, made from 100% dark amber maple syrup
Midnight Magic -- blackberry and Crème de Cassis puree, it's a beautiful deep purple
Mango Madness -- No mangos, so I tried a Bare Naked smoothie with vodka, a gorgeous yellow-orange color
Bronx Cheer -- raspberry, yanno, Raspberries with raspberry pucker-- a simply divine red with a hint of pinkness
Honey Bear -- honey, Barenjager liqueur with dark chocolate
ButterShots -- butterscotch, Buttershots liqueur with dark chocolate
Cherries Jubilee -- Frozen dark cherries (we don't really get cherries here) and a Bacardi Rum Reserve (I didn't have any brandy!:-()
PomPom -- Pomegranate juice
Cup o' Joe -- coffee, Kahlua liqueur in dark chocolate
I still need to make Strawberry Margarita (I didn't have any limes) and Black Forest (no cherry pucker). The difference between the two cherry fillings: Black Forest and Cherries Jubilee is the liquor the fruit is macerated in and the type of chocolate, dark chocolate for Black Forest, and white chocolate for Cherries Jubilee.
Once my fillings are finished, I can experiment with some various caramels that I want to try.
Why am I starting so early?
Because molding chocolate is a time-consuming, back-breaking job that uses ALL my available counter space, including the stove! I simply don't want to stop what I'm doing to make a filling.
And since I just defrosted the freezer, there's all sorts of room!
Later, Peeps!
Showing posts with label truffle fillings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label truffle fillings. Show all posts
12/10/12
Candy Stats
Yesterday evening, I finally finished making candy!! YAY!
Maybe I better qualify that statement: I finished making molded chocolates that will be given away as gifts. Talk about a back-breaking labor of love.
I want to make peanut brittle, pecan brittle and walnut brittle. No, they don't have the same base sugar ingredients. Would you want to eat a pecan brittle with the foamy brown peanut brittle sticky stuff? I wouldn't. The sugar base for the other two brittles needs to be clearer without the addition of baking soda. I thought I'd like to play with a maple extract in the walnut brittle.
And I haven't made polar bear poop or reindeer poop yet. Hm, just noticed I don't have Reindeer poop in my recipes--it's made with a peanut butter filling dipped in chocolate.
If you want any of these recipes, you can click this link: Foodie Friday (or look at Foodie Friday on my blog header), scroll down to candy, and pick the link that interests you. I checked all the links in September so they should work. Please let me know if one is broken.
So what did I actually do for the last two weeks?
I molded roughly 1344 pieces of candy (give or take 30 pieces), made two batches of sea salt caramels, two batches of toffee, two batches of Margaret's Decadent fudge, one batch of Lemon Fudge with shortbread crust, one batch of Aftershock caramels (cinnamon-chipolte).
When you realize most molds hold only 8 slots, I went through the process a mind-numbing amount of times!
Now the time has come for me to figure out how to fit them into their boxes.
Hand-dipped chocolates:
Buttery Pecan Toffee (coated in milk chocolate and dusted with ground pecans)
Turtles (singles and doubles)
Sea Salt Caramels (dipped in milk and dark chocolate)
Aftershock Caramels (dipped in milk chocolate with dark chocolate zigzag)
Fudge:
Margaret's Decadent fudge (mistletoe foil)
Lemon fudge with shortbread crust (green foil)
Soft caramels:
Buttery caramel (daisy mold)--good old butter and sugar!
Chambord berry caramel (heart with flower mold)--Chambord and raspberries
Bananas Foster caramel (triangular mold)--Bananas and rum
Grand Marnier caramel (divided square mold)--Grand Marnier and oranges
White chocolate based fillings (clockwise from the top):
Maple walnut (maple syrup)
Key Lime (limes and Tanqueray gin)
Gingerbread (ginger root and vodka)
Strawberry Margarita (strawberries, lime & tequila)
Peppermint Schnapps (Rumpleminz schnapps)
Chambord (Chambord and raspberries)
Grand Marnier (Grand Marnier and oranges)
Limoncello (limoncello and lemons)
Cranberry Cosmo (cranberries and vodka)
Grapefruit Cuervo (center)
Dark chocolate based fillings (clockwise from the top):
Whiskey toffee (exactly how it sounds :-P)
Buttershots (butterscotch)
Frangelico (hazelnut)
Black Forest (cherry chocolate)
Grand Marnier (orange)
Amaretto (almond)
Barenjager (honey)
Porto (port wine)
Rum Raisin (rum and raisins, of course)
Kahlua (white pyramid in center)
Why did I choose some fillings to be made with white chocolate versus dark chocolate?
Dark chocolate has a very strong flavor on it's own, it would simply overpower the other flavors. The flavors made in dark chocolate enhanced the flavors without overpowering either the chocolate or the flavor. They work together to form an enjoyable combination.
And here you have the final result. One pound of candy that took me HOURS, DAYS and WEEKS to make. Only a select few, okay, 50 people (family, hub's coworkers, teachers, friends), are given my candy, and I suspect only a handful of those people know how much work that goes into making them.
Later, Peeps!
Now, I have to pack 49 more boxes. Ugh! I'll probably post the chocolate molding tutorial next Monday.
Maybe I better qualify that statement: I finished making molded chocolates that will be given away as gifts. Talk about a back-breaking labor of love.
I want to make peanut brittle, pecan brittle and walnut brittle. No, they don't have the same base sugar ingredients. Would you want to eat a pecan brittle with the foamy brown peanut brittle sticky stuff? I wouldn't. The sugar base for the other two brittles needs to be clearer without the addition of baking soda. I thought I'd like to play with a maple extract in the walnut brittle.
And I haven't made polar bear poop or reindeer poop yet. Hm, just noticed I don't have Reindeer poop in my recipes--it's made with a peanut butter filling dipped in chocolate.
If you want any of these recipes, you can click this link: Foodie Friday (or look at Foodie Friday on my blog header), scroll down to candy, and pick the link that interests you. I checked all the links in September so they should work. Please let me know if one is broken.
So what did I actually do for the last two weeks?
I molded roughly 1344 pieces of candy (give or take 30 pieces), made two batches of sea salt caramels, two batches of toffee, two batches of Margaret's Decadent fudge, one batch of Lemon Fudge with shortbread crust, one batch of Aftershock caramels (cinnamon-chipolte).
When you realize most molds hold only 8 slots, I went through the process a mind-numbing amount of times!
Now the time has come for me to figure out how to fit them into their boxes.
 |
| Hand dipped chocolates |
Buttery Pecan Toffee (coated in milk chocolate and dusted with ground pecans)
Turtles (singles and doubles)
Sea Salt Caramels (dipped in milk and dark chocolate)
Aftershock Caramels (dipped in milk chocolate with dark chocolate zigzag)
 |
| Fudge and caramels |
Margaret's Decadent fudge (mistletoe foil)
Lemon fudge with shortbread crust (green foil)
Soft caramels:
Buttery caramel (daisy mold)--good old butter and sugar!
Chambord berry caramel (heart with flower mold)--Chambord and raspberries
Bananas Foster caramel (triangular mold)--Bananas and rum
Grand Marnier caramel (divided square mold)--Grand Marnier and oranges
 |
| White chocolate based fillings |
Maple walnut (maple syrup)
Key Lime (limes and Tanqueray gin)
Gingerbread (ginger root and vodka)
Strawberry Margarita (strawberries, lime & tequila)
Peppermint Schnapps (Rumpleminz schnapps)
Chambord (Chambord and raspberries)
Grand Marnier (Grand Marnier and oranges)
Limoncello (limoncello and lemons)
Cranberry Cosmo (cranberries and vodka)
Grapefruit Cuervo (center)
 |
| Dark chocolate based fillings |
Dark chocolate based fillings (clockwise from the top):
Whiskey toffee (exactly how it sounds :-P)
Buttershots (butterscotch)
Frangelico (hazelnut)
Black Forest (cherry chocolate)
Grand Marnier (orange)
Amaretto (almond)
Barenjager (honey)
Porto (port wine)
Rum Raisin (rum and raisins, of course)
Kahlua (white pyramid in center)
Why did I choose some fillings to be made with white chocolate versus dark chocolate?
Dark chocolate has a very strong flavor on it's own, it would simply overpower the other flavors. The flavors made in dark chocolate enhanced the flavors without overpowering either the chocolate or the flavor. They work together to form an enjoyable combination.
And here you have the final result. One pound of candy that took me HOURS, DAYS and WEEKS to make. Only a select few, okay, 50 people (family, hub's coworkers, teachers, friends), are given my candy, and I suspect only a handful of those people know how much work that goes into making them.
Now, I have to pack 49 more boxes. Ugh! I'll probably post the chocolate molding tutorial next Monday.
12/3/12
Candy Making
Hey, All!
Sorry I don't have a whole lot of stuff to tell you, but I've been busy making candy this last week. I'm about 2/3 of the way finished, but still have a few days of candy making to do.
I've made 2 batches of MAG's Decadent Fudge, and wrapped the pieces in foil one batch of Sea Salt Caramel (dipped in dark chocolate), Aftershock cinnamon caramel. Of the molded truffle filled chocolates, I've made:
Maple Walnut, Strawberry Margarita, Cranberry, Limoncello, Whiskey Toffee, Amaretto, Rum Raisin, Porto, Grand Marnier, Key Lime, Frangelico, Gingerbread, Grapefruit, and Peppermint Schnapps.
I did take pictures for a tutorial Margaret-style, but I haven't had a chance to download them to even see if they are usable. I'll download them and then, hopefully, I'll have a chance to organize them into something to blog about next week.
Okay, I just looked at them. They're so-so. I have all the kitchen lights on and they still look yellowy and dim, but the ones with the flash are washed out. Seriously, I don't know how the Pioneer Woman does it!
During this process, I had to take Tuesday off--Weight Watchers, lunch with my 91-year old mom (we hung out and chatted until her dentist appt.), took her to the dentist, picked my daughter up from school, fix dinner and then off to dry land and swim practice. The only thing I accomplished on Tuesday was crocheting.
Then on Thursday, I had to hit the liquor store. I knew I was running out of some flavors and had to make some new truffle fillings. AND more than $222 later, I was home making flavors--Amaretto, Frangelico, Grand Marnier, Gingerbread, and grapefruit. The grapefruit one was supposed to have Blue Curacao in it, but when I added a small amount to the concentrated red-orange of the grapefruit-tequila combo, it would have turned into something totally gross. Who wants to eat a gross brown mess?
Yes, the gingerbread is kinda a gross brown color, but it tastes like gingerbread, while the grapefruit combo wouldn't have fit that look AT ALL!
Now, I have a decent size bottle of Blue Curacao and no idea how to use it!
Anyway, I have four flavors to mold today: Chambord (raspberry), Buttershots (butterscotch), Black forest (cherry), Barenjager (honey). The only filling in this batch made with white chocolate is the Chambord. I should have enough of the fillings for the molds, but you never know with some of the deeper molds, but I have supplies to make more if I need to.
These four will keep me busy most of the day after my walkies. I need to make at least 50 candies of each flavor and the molds only make 8 candies each. Let's do the math: I need to make at least 7 batches for a total of 56 candies. Extras always need to be made to account for breakage, leakage, and taste-testing. Now we take those 56 candies and multiply it by 4 flavors, which equals 224 candies.
It takes me roughly, 30-45 minutes to make one batch of candies.
In theory, I should finish them in 4 hours, but that doesn't take into account the trimming of excess chocolate, or putting them in paper cups. Trimming can take up to 2 hours on 224 candies, depending on the shape of the mold and how messy I am.
Just reading about this is giving me a headache! I finished watching all the Harry Potter movies last week. I think I'll watch The Mummy 1 & 2. I need a little Brendan Frasier to get me though.
After I finish the molded chocolates, I'm still not finished. I have the Buttery Pecan toffee (dipped in chocolate and coated with ground pecans), Turtles (caramel coated pecans dipped in chocolate), Sea Salt caramel (this time dipped in milk chocolate), Grand Marnier caramels to mold, regular caramel to mold, cherries Jubilee caramel and a mixed berry caramel to mold. I also thought I'd make a Kahlua filling--which is ANOTHER molded chocolate!
I'm already running behind today, so I'd better get a move on!
Later, Peeps!
Sorry I don't have a whole lot of stuff to tell you, but I've been busy making candy this last week. I'm about 2/3 of the way finished, but still have a few days of candy making to do.
I've made 2 batches of MAG's Decadent Fudge, and wrapped the pieces in foil one batch of Sea Salt Caramel (dipped in dark chocolate), Aftershock cinnamon caramel. Of the molded truffle filled chocolates, I've made:
Maple Walnut, Strawberry Margarita, Cranberry, Limoncello, Whiskey Toffee, Amaretto, Rum Raisin, Porto, Grand Marnier, Key Lime, Frangelico, Gingerbread, Grapefruit, and Peppermint Schnapps.
I did take pictures for a tutorial Margaret-style, but I haven't had a chance to download them to even see if they are usable. I'll download them and then, hopefully, I'll have a chance to organize them into something to blog about next week.
Okay, I just looked at them. They're so-so. I have all the kitchen lights on and they still look yellowy and dim, but the ones with the flash are washed out. Seriously, I don't know how the Pioneer Woman does it!
During this process, I had to take Tuesday off--Weight Watchers, lunch with my 91-year old mom (we hung out and chatted until her dentist appt.), took her to the dentist, picked my daughter up from school, fix dinner and then off to dry land and swim practice. The only thing I accomplished on Tuesday was crocheting.
Then on Thursday, I had to hit the liquor store. I knew I was running out of some flavors and had to make some new truffle fillings. AND more than $222 later, I was home making flavors--Amaretto, Frangelico, Grand Marnier, Gingerbread, and grapefruit. The grapefruit one was supposed to have Blue Curacao in it, but when I added a small amount to the concentrated red-orange of the grapefruit-tequila combo, it would have turned into something totally gross. Who wants to eat a gross brown mess?
Yes, the gingerbread is kinda a gross brown color, but it tastes like gingerbread, while the grapefruit combo wouldn't have fit that look AT ALL!
Now, I have a decent size bottle of Blue Curacao and no idea how to use it!
Anyway, I have four flavors to mold today: Chambord (raspberry), Buttershots (butterscotch), Black forest (cherry), Barenjager (honey). The only filling in this batch made with white chocolate is the Chambord. I should have enough of the fillings for the molds, but you never know with some of the deeper molds, but I have supplies to make more if I need to.
These four will keep me busy most of the day after my walkies. I need to make at least 50 candies of each flavor and the molds only make 8 candies each. Let's do the math: I need to make at least 7 batches for a total of 56 candies. Extras always need to be made to account for breakage, leakage, and taste-testing. Now we take those 56 candies and multiply it by 4 flavors, which equals 224 candies.
It takes me roughly, 30-45 minutes to make one batch of candies.
In theory, I should finish them in 4 hours, but that doesn't take into account the trimming of excess chocolate, or putting them in paper cups. Trimming can take up to 2 hours on 224 candies, depending on the shape of the mold and how messy I am.
Just reading about this is giving me a headache! I finished watching all the Harry Potter movies last week. I think I'll watch The Mummy 1 & 2. I need a little Brendan Frasier to get me though.
After I finish the molded chocolates, I'm still not finished. I have the Buttery Pecan toffee (dipped in chocolate and coated with ground pecans), Turtles (caramel coated pecans dipped in chocolate), Sea Salt caramel (this time dipped in milk chocolate), Grand Marnier caramels to mold, regular caramel to mold, cherries Jubilee caramel and a mixed berry caramel to mold. I also thought I'd make a Kahlua filling--which is ANOTHER molded chocolate!
I'm already running behind today, so I'd better get a move on!
Later, Peeps!
9/7/12
Foodie Friday -- Gingerbread Truffle candy
So I've been making candy over the last few days to donate to the Writer's Police Academy.
No, I'm not attending. No, I don't write cop stories. I'm simply donating two boxes of candy to be auctioned off for a good cause. My little donation is nothing compared to the big stuff they have.
So while I had to make truffles, I checked out my inventory and then proceeded to make enough of various flavors that were on the lean side. I now have 15 different flavors of truffles in my freezer waiting for my Christmas candy making.
In no particular order, they are:
Peppermint Schnapps, Strawberry Margarita, Frangelico, Amaretto, Whiskey Toffee, Baranjager (honey liquour), Key Lime, Chambord, Buttershots (butterscotch), Rum Raisin, Grand Marnier, Black Forest (cherry), Limoncello, Porto, and Gingerbread.
The gingerbread flavor is my newest invention. I tweeted the idea the other day and had a positive response to it, so I made it today. I had hubs taste the filling when he came home from work. His response, "How did you get gingerbread in there?"
Schwing! Outta the park!
As you know, I do a lot by sight and taste and adjust accordingly.
Here's the 'recipe'.
No, I'm not attending. No, I don't write cop stories. I'm simply donating two boxes of candy to be auctioned off for a good cause. My little donation is nothing compared to the big stuff they have.
 |
| 1 lb. assorted truffles |
 |
| 1 lb. sea salt caramel |
In no particular order, they are:
Peppermint Schnapps, Strawberry Margarita, Frangelico, Amaretto, Whiskey Toffee, Baranjager (honey liquour), Key Lime, Chambord, Buttershots (butterscotch), Rum Raisin, Grand Marnier, Black Forest (cherry), Limoncello, Porto, and Gingerbread.
The gingerbread flavor is my newest invention. I tweeted the idea the other day and had a positive response to it, so I made it today. I had hubs taste the filling when he came home from work. His response, "How did you get gingerbread in there?"
Schwing! Outta the park!
As you know, I do a lot by sight and taste and adjust accordingly.
Here's the 'recipe'.
Gingerbread Truffle Candy filling
Grated ginger root
Vodka
Sugar
Cinnamon
Allspice
Nutmeg
Molasses
Cream
White chocolate
Dark chocolate
In heavy medium saucepan, add one cup of vodka, @ 1/2 sugar and about 1 Tbls grated ginger root. Bring to boil and add dash of nutmeg and allspice, 2 Tbls of Molasses and @ 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. Simmer until mixture reduces and becomes syrupy. Add 1/3 cup cream and stir. Add chopped white chocolate until thickens .
Taste constantly and adjust flavors. This time the concoction had a disgusting color, so I added a little Milk chocolate. It improved the color, but changed the taste. I added a little more molasses, fresh grated ginger and a dash of cinnamon.
You'll just have to trust me that these are really, really good!
Later, Peeps!
12/8/10
Busy Making Candy
Over the last two days, I've been busy making candy fillings . . . and I'm not even close to finishing.
For the most part, I enjoy this task that I set myself every year. I make my own truffle fillings for my filled candies. I also make caramels, fudges, turtles, peanut brittle and toffee. And I'm not like some people who keep their recipes a closely guarded secret. If you want my recipe, I'll give it to you.
BUT I make my candy fillings visually. In other words, I eyeball everything--no measuring, which makes it difficult for me to 'write' down a recipe and duplicate it exactly. I basically follow the same technique for most of my fillings.
I invented a Strawberry Margarita filling yesterday. Here's my rendition:
Take handful of frozen strawberry slices (roughly 1/2 cup) and place in glass cup measure, add roughly 1/4c tequila (Cuervo Gold has more flavor than the clear stuff) and add the juice of one large lime. After the strawberries melt, blend together with hand blender (should be about 1 cup--add tequila to top off). Pour into heavy saucepan and add enough sugar to sweeten (See? Told you, I don't measure stuff), anywhere from 1/4-2/3 cup (don't over sweeten because you will be adding white chocolate to the mixture). Boil down (alcohol cooks out, but the flavor stays), stirring regularly until it resembles the thickness of cold pancake syrup. Taste, adjust flavors (add sugar, tequila, or lime if needed). Turn off burner and add white chocolate, stirring constantly until desired texture and thickness (again, no clue as to how much I use, probably 1/2 lb-ish). I store my fillings in a quart-sized Ziploc freezer bag.
Now that I have my ten fillings ready and chilled, I need to make a plan to fill my candy molds. I have about 35 people (husband's coworkers and employees, both of our families). So I want to make at least five extra of each flavor in case of accidents. Accidents could be from too thin chocolate coating, or the filling bursts through the bottom, or the bottom slides off, or someone steals a 'sample'. All have happened. Candy molds are plastic and can mold anywhere between 8-12 candies per mold. I prefer the hard plastic over the rubbery silicone. I've found working three to four molds at a time seems to be the most efficient, but for beginners don't try to do more than two until you get comfortable.
I also use pre-tempered chocolate (Merkens). This chocolate is very smooth and flavorful, giving me one less thing to worry about. Get two work areas ready, laying down waxed paper: one to fill the candy, and the other area for the finished products. I usually use a sharpie to write on the paper, so I remember the flavors. Before starting, pull the fillings out of the refrigerator to warm up. The fillings should be thick, but malleable. If too thin, keep refrigerated until needed. If too thick, you can pop them into the microwave for a few seconds.
I melt about 2-3 lbs of chocolate in the microwave. Start at about 3 minutes, then take out and stir, continue nuking for 30 seconds at a time until melted. Using a plastic spoon (trust me--the chocolate hardens on the spoon and you will want to nuke it) fill each mold to the rim. Tap mold against counter to remove air bubbles. Do this with each mold. Return to the first mold, flip over and dump excess chocolate on the waxed paper (let harden and remelt as needed), roll the mold around tocoat the walls of the shell thoroughly. Use flat scraper to wipe away excess chocolate and level the rims of the candy. Pop mold into freezer. Repeat with other molds.
I used different mold shapes for different flavors. I have a heart-shaped mold for Amaretto, a rose for my Chambord, etc. I also wrote on a piece of painter's tape and put it on the mold so I can keep track of the mold and the flavor.
Remove first mold. Snip a bottom corner of the bag, squeeze filling into frozen shell until it is about 1/4 below the rim. If the filling is stiff, then gently press down to fill the air spaces. If the filling is thin, pop into the freezer to firm up. Repeat with other molds.
When you 'top' off the candy, make sure your chocolate is warm. If it has thickened and cooled too much, then pop it in the microwave to warm it up. Using the plastic spoon take a half scoop of chocolate and spread over the filling, sealing the edges around the candy. Try not to make a mess as it will mean less work later. If the filling is too liquid and thin, the heavy chocolate will sink, causing all sorts of problems. Thicker filling is better in the long run. Seal all the candies in the mold and pop it into the freezer. Repeat with remaining molds. By the time you finish the last mold, it should be time to release candies.
Take your filled candy mold from the freezer, flip over onto second area of waxed paper. If the candies are ready, they will drop out of the mold. If some candies fall out, but not all of them, take your hand and rub it over the outside of the mold. The warmth of your hand will release the candy. When you flip the candy out, try to do it as close to the waxed paper as possible. If your chocolate shell was too thin, then the drop from the mold can crush the candy. Been there, done that.
Repeat a gazillion times. Then you have to trim the excess chocolate from the bottoms of the candy (a sharp paring knife works well) and place in cute little candy cups. I have a pair of cotton gloves that I use to handle the finished chocolates. I don't want to melt fingerprints into the candy. I store the candy in airtight containers. I can usually fit two flavors in each 7 in. X 11 in. container. Keep in a cool room until all candy is made. Filling gift boxes is quick and easy as I make a circuit around my table. Repeat until all boxes are filled.
Merry Christmas!
For the most part, I enjoy this task that I set myself every year. I make my own truffle fillings for my filled candies. I also make caramels, fudges, turtles, peanut brittle and toffee. And I'm not like some people who keep their recipes a closely guarded secret. If you want my recipe, I'll give it to you.
BUT I make my candy fillings visually. In other words, I eyeball everything--no measuring, which makes it difficult for me to 'write' down a recipe and duplicate it exactly. I basically follow the same technique for most of my fillings.
I invented a Strawberry Margarita filling yesterday. Here's my rendition:
Take handful of frozen strawberry slices (roughly 1/2 cup) and place in glass cup measure, add roughly 1/4c tequila (Cuervo Gold has more flavor than the clear stuff) and add the juice of one large lime. After the strawberries melt, blend together with hand blender (should be about 1 cup--add tequila to top off). Pour into heavy saucepan and add enough sugar to sweeten (See? Told you, I don't measure stuff), anywhere from 1/4-2/3 cup (don't over sweeten because you will be adding white chocolate to the mixture). Boil down (alcohol cooks out, but the flavor stays), stirring regularly until it resembles the thickness of cold pancake syrup. Taste, adjust flavors (add sugar, tequila, or lime if needed). Turn off burner and add white chocolate, stirring constantly until desired texture and thickness (again, no clue as to how much I use, probably 1/2 lb-ish). I store my fillings in a quart-sized Ziploc freezer bag.
Now that I have my ten fillings ready and chilled, I need to make a plan to fill my candy molds. I have about 35 people (husband's coworkers and employees, both of our families). So I want to make at least five extra of each flavor in case of accidents. Accidents could be from too thin chocolate coating, or the filling bursts through the bottom, or the bottom slides off, or someone steals a 'sample'. All have happened. Candy molds are plastic and can mold anywhere between 8-12 candies per mold. I prefer the hard plastic over the rubbery silicone. I've found working three to four molds at a time seems to be the most efficient, but for beginners don't try to do more than two until you get comfortable.
I also use pre-tempered chocolate (Merkens). This chocolate is very smooth and flavorful, giving me one less thing to worry about. Get two work areas ready, laying down waxed paper: one to fill the candy, and the other area for the finished products. I usually use a sharpie to write on the paper, so I remember the flavors. Before starting, pull the fillings out of the refrigerator to warm up. The fillings should be thick, but malleable. If too thin, keep refrigerated until needed. If too thick, you can pop them into the microwave for a few seconds.
I melt about 2-3 lbs of chocolate in the microwave. Start at about 3 minutes, then take out and stir, continue nuking for 30 seconds at a time until melted. Using a plastic spoon (trust me--the chocolate hardens on the spoon and you will want to nuke it) fill each mold to the rim. Tap mold against counter to remove air bubbles. Do this with each mold. Return to the first mold, flip over and dump excess chocolate on the waxed paper (let harden and remelt as needed), roll the mold around tocoat the walls of the shell thoroughly. Use flat scraper to wipe away excess chocolate and level the rims of the candy. Pop mold into freezer. Repeat with other molds.
I used different mold shapes for different flavors. I have a heart-shaped mold for Amaretto, a rose for my Chambord, etc. I also wrote on a piece of painter's tape and put it on the mold so I can keep track of the mold and the flavor.
Remove first mold. Snip a bottom corner of the bag, squeeze filling into frozen shell until it is about 1/4 below the rim. If the filling is stiff, then gently press down to fill the air spaces. If the filling is thin, pop into the freezer to firm up. Repeat with other molds.
When you 'top' off the candy, make sure your chocolate is warm. If it has thickened and cooled too much, then pop it in the microwave to warm it up. Using the plastic spoon take a half scoop of chocolate and spread over the filling, sealing the edges around the candy. Try not to make a mess as it will mean less work later. If the filling is too liquid and thin, the heavy chocolate will sink, causing all sorts of problems. Thicker filling is better in the long run. Seal all the candies in the mold and pop it into the freezer. Repeat with remaining molds. By the time you finish the last mold, it should be time to release candies.
Take your filled candy mold from the freezer, flip over onto second area of waxed paper. If the candies are ready, they will drop out of the mold. If some candies fall out, but not all of them, take your hand and rub it over the outside of the mold. The warmth of your hand will release the candy. When you flip the candy out, try to do it as close to the waxed paper as possible. If your chocolate shell was too thin, then the drop from the mold can crush the candy. Been there, done that.
Repeat a gazillion times. Then you have to trim the excess chocolate from the bottoms of the candy (a sharp paring knife works well) and place in cute little candy cups. I have a pair of cotton gloves that I use to handle the finished chocolates. I don't want to melt fingerprints into the candy. I store the candy in airtight containers. I can usually fit two flavors in each 7 in. X 11 in. container. Keep in a cool room until all candy is made. Filling gift boxes is quick and easy as I make a circuit around my table. Repeat until all boxes are filled.
Merry Christmas!
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