Chocolate Nirvana | Home-made Chocolates & Chocolate-coated Biscuits

We had some friends over for tea on the weekend and I was running out of ideas on what to serve them. I was so bored of the usual chai-biscuit thingy and quickly came up with an idea of chai-biscoot with a chocolate-y twist 🙂

I recently picked up the art of home-made chocolates and ever since, tend to have some dark chocolate compound handy in my refrigerator. I decided to make some chocolates and some choco-pies. For the choco-pies, I used the Marie digestive cookies from the market.

Ingredients:

• Dark Chocolate compound – 500 gms (Brand – Amul / Morde) (I used the dark chocolate compound. You could even use white chocolate / milk chocolate variants)
• Nuts / Raisins (optional) – as required
• Marie Digestive Biscuits – 10 nos
• Plastic Chocolate moulds in various shapes (They’re easily available at most local supermarkets)
• Colour Chocolate wrapping paper

Method – Home-made Chocolates:

• Take the chocolate slab out of the refrigerator 1 hour before melting.
• Break the chocolate compound into small pieces (about 1/2″ pieces) and place in a microwaveable bowl. You could also melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
• Put the bowl in the microwave oven and melt. As a guide, melt 125 gms dark chocolate compound on high power for 1 minute and white or milk chocolate on medium power for 2-3 minutes.
• Stir the chocolate with a whisk and let stand for half a minute, then stir again if necessary. Return to the microwave for another 30 seconds if required.
• Add the nuts or raisins if you have chosen to make the chocolates along with them. Stir well.
• Drop the chocolate mixture into the moulds.
• Pat the moulds lightly on your kitchen counter to even out the chocolate in the moulds, else you will have an uneven finish on the underside of each chocolate once they have set.
• Keep the moulds in the freezer and allow to set for 15 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator.
• Un-mould and wrap in coloured chocolate paper. Store in a jar in a cool, dry place. Does not require refrigeration once it is set, unless you live in a very hot, humid place.

Melting Chocolate in a Double-boiler:

• Take the chocolate slab out of the refrigerator 1 hour before melting.
• Break the chocolate compound into small pieces (about 1/2″ pieces)
• Put the chocolate in a heat proof glass or metal bowl (borosil or stainless steel bowl) that can sit over a sauce pan. This makes a double boiler.
• Fill the saucepan with 1″ high water and put on the stove to boil. When water boils, reduce heat to minimum.
• Place the bowl of chocolate on the simmering water, taking care not to let the base of the bowl of chocolate to come in contact with the hot water.
• Do not stir. Once the chocolate starts to melt, stir very gently with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon.
• When the chocolate is almost melted, switch off the stove. Remove bowl from the saucepan.
• Gently stir again till fully melted and glossy.

Method – Choco-pies:

• Get the molten chocolate ready as described in the one of the two methods above.
• Drop a biscuit into the molten chocolate. Using two spoons, carefully ensure to coat the cookie well on all sides.
• With the help of the spoons, lift the cookie from the molten chocolate and place on a dish covered with aluminium wrapping foil.
• Repeat with each cookie.
• Place the dish in the refrigerator (normal compartment, not the freezer) and allow to set for 5-10 minutes.
• Once it has set, remove from refrigerator, wrap in coloured paper and store in the normal compartment of the refrigerator.

Voila! Sinful chocolates and choco-pies ready at home! Well, so what more can you ask for to attain Chocolate Nirvana?!! 😀