✪ Chocolate Box ✪

I kept seeing silicone moulds for chocolates in Lakeland and really wanted them so I bought the mixed mould and started on my first box of chocolates- after the number moulds which I tried out for my Dad's birthday I really wanted some good recipes that were not just "melt chocolate and let it re-set".  .

So I looked around on the net for ideas and came up with these...

Peanut Butter Cups

 Painting my mould with melted good quality milk chocolate.  I am not a fan of dark chocolate so I went for the best quality milk.

For my first go I just guessed the amounts because I didn't want to make a lot of chocolates at one time.  This is peanut butter, icing sugar and a tiny bit of salt mixed up.

Next I squashed tiny amounts into the moulds

Then I covered them in more melted chocolate

 And popped them out once the chocolate was set

They look a bit duff but tasted great :) 

So I moved on to my next selection

Clotted cream fudge

 Sugar, syrup and clotted cream melting slowly

 Thickening nicely

And poured into molds (the ends ones I did in chocolate cups but the rest I left uncovered)

 Lovely creamy fudge

 This chocolate had a bloom this time not sure what was different :(

Loveheart fudge for your Valentine?

Next I made Maple Toffee

 This recipe asked for syrup but I used all mine in the recipe for clotted cream fudge :) So instead of going to the shop I used maple syrup hence it is now Maple Toffee :)

 Yummy caramel bubbling away

 Poured into the moulds and scraped - my Pampered Chef scraper is so handy for this!

 These came out so shiny and perfect from the moulds.

This is actually the first photo but someone thought they liked the look of these :) 

And finally I made Chocolate Maple Crunch (again no ordinary syrup so I used maple instead :) ) 

Drizzled in white chocolate

These could also be inside a chocolate cup.  What doesn't taste better wrapped in chocolate?

So here is the completed box of chocolates.  I am not sure they are worth the money - I did not work out how much this would cost but not that cheap.  Also very time consuming,  But well worth a go and I would do it again.  I found other recipes for soft-centred chocolates but the orange one I tried failed and tasted totally disgusting so they had to be binned.  (I used orange extract from Lakeland but it had a very alcoholic taste when mixed with white chocolate so I will practice those until I find a soft centre I am happy with )

My mark of approval is always "would I be happy to receive this?"  "YES!!"  I would love someone to make me a whole box of chocolates - or make me anything really!

Here are the recipes for the chocolates I made - although I did not make them to the recipe I guessed at the amounts for filling my moulds

Peanut Butter Cups
1 cup Peanut butter
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/4 tsp salt
12 oz choc

Melt choc, paint moulds, allow to harden while you mix peanut butter, icing sugar and salt.  Fill chocolate cups with peanut mixture, cover in more melted choc.  Allow to set before popping out of moulds - don't do this too soon the chocolate cracks very easily.

Clotted Cream Fudge
275g caster sugar
100g syrup
227g tub Clotted cream
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Place all ingredients in pan and heat gently, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Bring to boil, cover for 3 minutes, uncover, continue to boil until soft ball on thermometer.  Remove from heat.  Beat until thickens and more matt - could take up to 10 minutes.  Pour into moulds.

Maple Syrup Toffee

1 cup granulated sugar
1 3/4 cup double cream
1 cup syrup (I used maple)
1 cup condensed milk
1/3 cup butter
3 oz chocolate
1 tsp vanilla

Place syrup, sugar, butter, condensed milk and cream in pan and heat slowly over low heat.  Stir constantly until sugar dissolves.  Heat to 225℃ on thermometer.  Add chopped pieces of chocolate.  Heat until soft ball Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt.  Pour into moulds.

Maple Chocolate Crunch

225g digestives
115gbutter
30ml syrup (I used maple)
30g chocolate (plus more if you want these encased in chocolate)

Crush biscuits finely.  Place butter and syrup in pan and heat slowly.  Once melted add chocolate.  Once chocolate melted add biscuits.  Mix well.  Press into moulds (or moulds painted with chocolate)
Decorate with white chocolate.

Now I am away to watch my beloved Spartacus (first series second time round so I can watch the lovely Andy Whitfield - my hero... and eat homemade chocolates :)