I was recently asked about a recipe for making chocolates. It’s been a while since I’ve made chocolate, mainly because it is not for the faint-of-heart. There’s a couple of different recipes I’ve used. Only one of them is easy by any stretch. Making chocolates is also a rather messy undertaking and can be expensive if you buy any of the mid-to-higher end unsweetened chocolate as your base.

Is it worth it? Yes. Yes, I’d have to say it is. You can control the amount of sugar in the chocolate, you can add flavors like orange essence and you can control the cream. The two important ingredients in chocolate are cream and sugar. You can get away with a lot less sugar by making a very creamy chocolate. You can also use less sugar if you soak orange peels in the cream overnight, strain the cream and make “orange” chocolate, one of my favorite flavors. (You can do this with mint leaves if you like mint, but mint leaves are harder to work with –start with lemon zest or orange.)

My favorite chocolate making cookbook and where I got my start:

Bittersweet: Recipes and Tales from a Life in Chocolate

One of the best cookbooks I’ve ever read. One of the most important things it taught me was what ganache is, how to temper chocolate (that nice shell you need) and how to work with chocolate. Basically a ganache with a shell is the type of chocolate you buy when you get a box of See’s candies–a creamy chocolate center with or without nuts that has been dipped in a “shell.” These are very difficult to make. Don’t start here. You want to start with a chocolate that doesn’t require getting everything just perfect to “set.”

Because the chocolate coating in this recipe is not tempered, you must keep them in the fridge and eat them one at a time! (If you can contain yourself to that.) The secret, according to Bittersweet is the ratio of cream to chocolate. I tried various ratios and didn’t find a bad one.

4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate (my favorite is 62 to 64 percent. I’ve used as high as 70 percent, but added 1 tablespoon of sugar to the chocolate.)
1/2 cup heavy cream (plus 2 tablespoons if you are going to add orange zest)
2 tablespoons orange zest (grated orange peel) –optional

8 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate for dipping (I use a 55 percent Lindt bar)

If you want the centers to have the essence of orange, put the orange zest in the cream and refrigerate the mix overnight. When you are ready to make the chocolates the next day, strain out the orange peel and the cream is ready to heat.

To make the center, break the 4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate into small pieces and place in a glass bowl. The chocolate should be about the size of small chocolate chips. If the chocolate is thin, it’s going to work a lot better. I have used Ghiradelli bars, Lindt bars and Sharffenberger bars.

In a small pan, bring the cream to just boiling. Pour over the chocolate. Stir gently until the chocolate is melted. Refrigerate at least 4 hours until the ganache is set. Do not stir.

To form the chocolates, scoop out one inch round balls using a melon baller or very small ice cream scoop (one used for making ice cream decorations.) Place one-inch balls on a plastic sheet inside a large rectangular container. Keep the balls from touching each other! When you’ve formed all the balls, cover them with the lid and freeze them in the container overnight. You want them frozen hard.

When you are ready to dip the frozen centers, set up a baking sheet with waxed paper. Melt the 8 ounces of chocolate in a medium bowl (use either slow/low microwaving or you can use a double boiler). When the chocolate is smooth and melted, it is ready to use.

Take the frozen balls from the freezer, dip them into the melted chocolate and set them on the waxed paper. Use the edge of the bowl to keep the chocolate from dripping. DO not lick your fingers as you work, no matter how tempting!

Work fast, you don’t want the centers to get too soft. When you’re done, put all the chocolates in the fridge and let them firm up. Once the coating is hard, remove them from the wax paper and store in the refrigerator. These chocolates will “melt in your hand” but they are VERY tasty!!!

NOW, you can lick the bowl!

I never said it would be easy…