more chocolate methodology.
i'm so sorry i always have these long gaps in my posting. i wish i had more time for this stuff. it was great when i was unemployed. heh. well, maybe not financially, but definitely bloggingly.
but rest assured, i will not abandon this blog completely.
in my quest for the perfect method of making chocolate coated things, i think i have found my favorite method. sure they look a bit messier than the flat-topped counterparts, but i think they look charming. :-)
(one thing i didn't do this time around that i will hopefully remember to do in the future is to work in a smallish room with little to no circulation that is kinda warm to allow the chocolate to harden in it's own time. that's why i still have the greyish spottiness in my finished pics. i was in a wide open room with lots of cold air circulating.)
ok. first, acquire dipping utensils such as those below. i am a righty, so i use the pronged one to support the ball o'filling (which i had placed in the freezer to harden up) in my right hand, and the round one helps to push the chocolate coated filling off of the prongs onto your parchment/silicone sheet/mold/paper cups. if there are exposed filling spots, use the rounded one to plop extra chocolate on them.
here you can also see the size difference between regular mini cupcake papers and the "glassine candy cups". the only thing with using white liners is that it looks less nice since the oils seep in. the brown ones mask that. but otherwise, they work just as well.
i really like the cups. they're much easier to work with than the molds, and look more professional, and there's just something about peeling back the piece of paper to make it more fun.
if you're making multiple flavors, top them with distinguishing markings while the chocolate is still wet. (i found these jimmies at wegmans in their bulk bins. they didn't have confectioner's glaze on the ingredients label. i hope that's something that legally has to be disclosed.) if you have a chocolate mold, don't despair, you can still use them to hold the glassine cups in place.
here are the mini cupcake papers being used. and they're held in place in a mini cupcake pan. (you can see that i was using up some of the slightly larger papers that i bought thinking they were the right size. see how they fold in a little? the wilton brand doesn't do that. i'm sticking with wilton from now on for my cupcakes.) so... if using the cupcake papers, make your filling balls larger. (or flatter) so you can fill the entire bottom of the paper. it looks nicer that way. however it's a bit too much for one mouthful. that's why i like to use the glassine cups or petit-a-four cups. that's the right ratio of chocolate to filling.
packaged and ready to go. i love reusing those take-out containers for small cupcakes and candy. they even fit 6 unfrosted (or minimally frosted) regular sized cupcakes/muffins. nice!
and the money shot.
here's the recipe for the PB cups. as usual.
http://supercarrotcake.livejournal.com/4303.html
the coconut cream i totally forget what recipe i used. if it comes to me, i'll edit the post.
and not pictured here are the incredibly simple and incredibly tasty chocolate truffles. i thought i had taken pictures of them. but i can't seem to find them. they were soooooooo good. http://www.recipezaar.com/33995
vegan truffles from recipezaar
3/4 cup raw cashews
3/4 cup cold water
1 lb bittersweet chocolate
cocoa powder
1. Put cashews and cold water in a blender and blend at high speed for 1-2 minutes (yes a long time).
2. Scrape the sides down and blend again until the mixture is the consistency of heavy cream.
3. Meanwhile, in a double boiler heat the chocolate until it's all melted.
4. Cool the chocolate until it's comfortable to work with and fold in the cashew cream (making sure not to stir too fast or you'll create bubbles).
5. Cool in the fridge for 2 hours (to set).
6. Take out a small ball, roll in cocoa powder and store in fridge/freezer.
7. Repeat until done.
(of course instead of steps 5-7 i freeze them and dip in chocolate instead of the cocoa powder and store at room temp.)
next time around, hopefully the ambient room temp will make a difference in the appearance of the chocolate. if it is in fact the freezing that is affecting the appearance of the chocolate, then bummer. i've tried holding soft filling on the coating tools, and if it comes to dealing with the unwieldy filling for pretty chocolate vs easy to control solid filling for not completely appealing chocolate, then i suppose we'll deal with that road when we get there.