Homemade Chocolates Make a Sweet Christmas Gift
One of the most popular gifts you can give someone, not just at Christmastime, but for most occasions, seems to be chocolate and candy. Shops are busting full of chocolates for sale at this time of year, and the choice is vast. The highest priced chocolates are always those with the highest cocoa content, and the ones that have been made by hand. You could easily replicate some of the simpler handmade chocolate recipes for considerably less than the shop bought versions, and the recipient will still have lavish handmade chocolates – and since they’ve been made exclusively for them, the chocolates be savoured even more.
It’s interesting to note that a lot of the cheaper chocolate bars and sweets in the market, aimed for children have a lower cocoa solids percentage, and have higher sugar content. So for a more luxurious result, when you are choosing a basic chocolate to start from, make sure to look for one with a high cocoa solid percentage. Anything over seventy percent will be a little more costly, but make your finished chocolates will taste exponentially better – and appreciated so much more by the chocoholic recipient.
The easiest of all homemade chocolates to make are truffles, and the basic recipe is very quick, and easy. They only take about thirty minutes start to finish. If your older children can resist not eating all the finished chocolates, they could help make a batch of these as a great, inexpensive gift for their school teacher.
All you need for the basic recipe is: 150g/5oz of quality chocolate, and 150g/5oz of ground almonds, 75g/3oz of caster sugar, two tablespoons of double cream, and some cocoa powder.
You need a heatproof bowl, large enough to sit and rest on the rim of your saucepan. Fill your saucepan half full with water and bring to the boil. Once it is boiling, remove from the heat and place the bowl on the top – add pieces of broken chocolate into the bowl and allow all the chocolate to melt. (The water and the chocolate never mix.)
Now remove the bowl (beware – it will be hot) from the saucepan, and stir in the ground almonds, cream and sugar into the mixture. Mix to a firm paste. Roll the paste into small balls, and then toss in the cocoa powder.
For a really extra special adult gift, why not add a little of their favourite tipple to the mixture while you add the almonds, cream and sugar? The most complimentary are orange or brandy liqueurs, and rum. All of these can be bought in small bottles.
Once your handmade chocolates are complete – simply wrap in a little foil (easily found at craft stores), placed in colourful paper tissue, or put into small sweet cases; all put into a small box, or jar.
Be warned though – once you have made these homemade chocolates, don’t be surprised people are requesting them every year, and perhaps throughout the year.
