- Hey guys!
Today, I wanted to share with you a really beautiful
idea for Valentine's Day,
a chocolate box using candy molds.
Now, at first, this might look really intimidating,
but I am here to tell you it's easier than you may think.
And the results are so fantastic!
If you have a microwave and a freezer,
you can basically do this project.
And a few candy molds, but not to worry,
I'm gonna leave you links in the description
for all the molds I'm using here,
and the nice part is, they're relatively affordable.
So, let me show ya how to do it.
I like to use three different types of chocolate because
I think that it adds great visual interest and then
also, it gives you three different flavors, as well.
So, we're gonna be working with white chocolate,
dark chocolate, and milk chocolate.
But, if you have a preference, you certainly could use
just one for all of this.
And then, next, you're gonna select a variety
of candy molds, so, for something like this,
I do like to have three different sized chocolates
that I'm gonna put into my box, because it gives you
a lotta look for not a lotta effort.
And finally, we're gonna also work with one'a these
3-D molds to make our chocolate box.
When I saw this, I thought, wow, that is really fantastic!
There's some little tips and tricks that I'll show you when
we get into it, but it's really not as hard as it looks.
And then, the next thing you're gonna need
for this project is a microwave.
Now, you could do this over the stovetop with
a double boiler and make sure you're tempering
the chocolate and all of that, but I find, for what
we're making, the microwave really does work just as well.
You'll also need just a few microwave safe bowls
or what I like to do is just use these Pyrex pitchers
because they go in the microwave and they have
the little spout so that as you pour the chocolate,
it makes it so much easier.
And then, finally, one or two plastic pastry bags
that you could get in the grocery store,
and that we're gonna use as we do some of the more
detailed work of the chocolate box.
But, really, this is all you need.
I know it sounds like a ton of stuff, but, (laughs)
it's not that bad and hopefully you have most
of these things on hand.
Okay, so, to being, we're gonna start with the smallest
mold, these little hearts.
So, all you're gonna do is take out your milk chocolate,
cut it into probably like bite-sized pieces.
It'll just help it melt more evenly that way
if they're all the same size.
Put it into your Pyrex pitcher, then we're gonna
pop it into the microwave in 30 second increments,
and you wanna do that just so you can check it
and stir it around with a fork.
It'll also just help it melt at a more even pace, that way.
And then we are just going to pour it into the mold
and my one tip for you that I found, learning to do this,
is that it's better to kind of underfill it,
then overfill it, because if you overfill it, you're gonna
end up with a little seam once you flip these molds out.
And if you underfill it, it's gonna get you a really nice,
clean finish, so, just experiment with it.
But, I would definitely say under rather than overfill.
And then all you're gonna do is pop this in the freezer
for about five minutes, and then you'll see,
you can just pop them out and you will have
a beautiful little milk chocolate heart!
Now, we're gonna kick things up a little bit
and do something a little more decorative.
And, for this, I really love these silicone molds
because they're very pliable, so if you have a chocolate
that's a little bit thicker, this can be a great way to go.
So, for this, we're gonna use all three chocolates,
so we can have nice variety when we go to put
our box together.
So, we're gonna add one with a little bit of melted
milk chocolate.
You can do a few hearts like that.
Then we're gonna do some with some dark chocolate.
And then we're gonna do some with some white chocolate.
And then we're gonna put this in the freezer
for about five minutes.
And then, once it's done, you'll see you can just pop
those chocolates outta the mold and you will have another
beautiful chocolate to add to your chocolate box!
Okay, so for our third type of chocolate, I'm gonna show
you how to do a multi-chocolate swirl!
This is a fun thing to do because it looks so decorative
and it also is so flavorful, too!
So, what we're gonna do is we're gonna take
our white chocolate that's been melted.
And then you wanna add a little of the darker chocolate
into the lighter chocolate.
And just give it a little swirl with a skewer.
You don't wanna over do it, because if you mix too much,
you're gonna lose the swirling pattern.
And then, we're gonna us a larger plastic heart mold
and then just go ahead and pour in the chocolate
and let gravity do its thing.
You, actually, don't wanna go in there and start
to try to spread it out, you'll be able to do that
by just sort of moving the mold.
And you're gonna put that in the freezer
for about five minutes, let that set up,
and then you'll see when you release it
how beautiful all that swirling and detail is.
It's really a great idea to kind of mix and match
with all the different chocolates that we've made so far
to have something that's swirled.
It also looks really impressive 'cause people aren't
exactly sure how ya did it.
So, all of our chocolates are ready.
Now, it's time to tackle the chocolate box.
So, the first time I did this, I have to admit,
it was a little bit challenging.
But, now that I've got it down, I'm gonna show you
how to make it a little bit easier.
So, the thing I like about this design
is that it has a relief pattern to it.
So, you'll see, it has these really beautiful
garland of flowers.
So, for that, I thought it would be fun to use
two different types of chocolate so that we could really
see that relief be more pronounced.
However, you could use the same chocolate for all of this.
So, if you didn't wanna go through this step that
I'm gonna show you, just use one chocolate.
So, the first thing we wanna do is take
our white chocolate and put it in one of these
plastic microwaveable-safe pastry bags.
And then we're just gonna twist it.
And then put it in the microwave for 30 second increments
until it's melted.
And then we are gonna snip off just a little bit
of the plastic at the bottom to create a little piping hole.
So, we are gonna start with the bow, that's sort of
the easier one because it's bigger and just take your
little pastry bag and fill in that ribbon.
And then we're gonna do all that flower relief,
down below, as well.
And then once everything is nice and filled it,
and this does take a little bit of patience, but
I'm telling you, the results are worth it 'cause it does
look pretty dramatic.
Then go ahead and pop that in the freezer.
Once it sets up, we can take the whole mold and fill it
with the dark chocolate.
And then pour it right in the center of that heart mold.
And then, with your hands, just start tilting the mold
making sure that it's getting into all the different
areas of the heart.
Again, you don't wanna spread it with the spatula,
just let gravity do it's thing.
And then you're gonna put that in the freezer.
Okay, then this is the hardest part,
the bottom of this box.
Now, when I first got this mold, I was looking at it
trying to figure out how it works. (laughs)
It's not very intuitive at first, but this is the side
you wanna fill.
You wanna fill the side that's actually being poured
into the cavity, not the actual side that looks like a box.
So, we're gonna take some more dark chocolate...
and we are going to pour it, again, in the center
of the mold, making sure it's filling up the well.
And you can take your hands and just move that mold,
as needed, to make sure that it's all getting filled up.
And then you can pop that in the freezer until it's set.
So, now, all of our melting and molding is done.
And now, we can assemble this beautiful chocolate box.
(laughs)
So, you wanna take your mold, flip it over,
and then, kind of with your hand, go in there
and press it down.
You don't wanna press it too hard or you will crack it.
So, just do it very gently, and then when you release it,
you'll see your beautiful box!
Then, you can fill your box with all those beautiful
chocolates you made.
I like to start with the large ones, first.
Then put the medium sized ones.
And then add a few of those little tiny hearts.
And then, you'll see, you'll have a really great assortment.
So, now it's time for the top.
So, you're just gonna flip it over and this releases
pretty easily.
And then you can place it on top.
Now, if you were entertaining and you had a dinner
party for Valentine's Day, you could just put this
on a cake stand and present to the table after dinner
and people would be very impressed.
(chuckles)
Or, if you wanna give it as a gift, I like to take it
and put it in a large treat bag...
and then tie it with a big, red ribbon.
You do wanna keep it in the fridge, though,
until you're ready to gift it.
And there you have it!
A really fun and beautiful idea for Valentine's Day.
It's also a great way to show that you put a little time
and care into something by making this project yourself.
I hope you guys give this one a try and let me know
what you think and I'll also leave you with some of my
favorite recipes for Valentine's Day
if you need other recipes to round out the occasion.
Alright, you guys, I'll see you back here next week
for another delicious recipe!
Until then, bye!
♫ Loving you is easy you're amazing
♫ Please take a bite of my apple pie
♫ Oh love loving love loving you
♫ It's a piece of cake
♫ Oh yes yes it's true
♫ Because it's you ♫