Making chocolates or sweets

calvincamel

kayl wrote: »

Dead simple recipe for macaroons - sounds vile, but tastes delicious!
Mash 1 medium potato while still warm.
When cold, mix in 1 kg icing sugar
Roll into small balls, dip in melted chocolates, and then roll in coconut

Sounds vile, yes, but most sweets are made with starch, so I suppose it makes sense. I can't wait to try this! Many thanks to you and all the great recipe posters. As someone who hates Christmas greed and commercial gluttony, the idea of making my own pressies for a few nearest and dearest has suddenly made me go all soft and gooey and Christmassy.
:j

calvincamel

annie123 wrote: »

Sorry if this is daft but......isn't the taste of cheese odd in truffle/sweetie things?

Yes, it sounds weird but it works. Think of traditional baked cheesecake, or even the modern non-baked creamy cheesecake.
Funny the way some things sound... yeuch. Like putting chocolate in chilli/chile/chille con carne. The South Americans do it, sort of, by adding raw cocoa - it's AMAZING.
Or jalapeno peppers stuffed with cream cheese.

{Oh dear. Food. He's gone off on one now.....}

calvincamel

Kazipoo wrote: »

Ok, not so many pictures, but have taken a few...

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4237356&l=bd2a7dd6b1&id=649230718

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4237357&l=24b1f8731d&id=649230718

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4237357&l=24b1f8731d&id=649230718

That's just stunning. You've inspired me now. Shame it's past the witching hour, better get some rest and think about making sweeties. First on the list is Chilli & Holly (Yerba Mate) Truffles, which I saw on 'Grow Your Own Drugs' tonight. Full of chocolate and caffeine!

shopndrop

SeaBee wrote: »

I decided to do lots of edible gifts this year too. For my colleagues I have made: Christmas Pudding truffles a la Nigella, Baileys Fudge, Lemon Truffles, Chocolate Shards and Mini Christmas Cakes.

Pinched a few wrapping ideas from this thread. Gave them today and they have been very well received.

Some pics below

They look fantastic. Where did you find the recipe for the lemon truffles please? I have only ever tried making sweets this week and did some treacle toffee which I was really pleased with.

Kazipoo

annie123 wrote: »

Sorry if this is daft but......isn't the taste of cheese odd in truffle/sweetie things?

I didn't think these would work either, but since they are soooooo cheap to make, I thought, what the heck.... I did differing mixtures, for example, first I halved the mixture, then to one half added white chocolate and the other milk chocolate. Then I halved them again, one I kept plain white chocolate and the other I added strawberry flavouring to (which tastes like hubba bubba according to the kids :rolleyes:). The other half was half milk chocolate and half with rum flavouring.

One thing I would add, I did this mixture with normal granulated sugar, but it was quite crunchy..... caster sugar might be a better bet, or even trying it with icing sugar, although I'm not so sure about whether you would keep the amounts the same??

I prefer the baileys truffles made with digestive biscuits myself, however, I had sooooo many compliments about the cheese ones.... people thought I had actually bought them from a shop!!!

Kazipoo

I've just had a thought... what about mixing the two?? Doing small balls of the cheese ones (flavoured with milk chocolate or baileys) wrapped in the ones made with digestives?? That way you get a crunchy outer with a soft inner!! I might try that to see if it works!

ChrissieT_2

Lakeland do clear cellophane bags. I sent hm truffles for the teachers today. Six or seven looked great with a bit of ribbon. Lakeland have £5 off orders placed by today on orders of £25, and the bags cost less than a fiver for, I think, 50. Discount code is PD231

SeaBee

shopndrop wrote: »

They look fantastic. Where did you find the recipe for the lemon truffles please? I have only ever tried making sweets this week and did some treacle toffee which I was really pleased with.

Thank you it was definitely worth the effort.

The recipe for lemon truffles came from TES website (it was a Christmas activity to do with students) Have put it below as you have to be a member to get access:

Lemon truffles



Ingredients



200g white chocolate

60ml cream

30g butter

1tsp finely grated lemon rind

25g sponge cake crumbs

Grated white chocolate or coconut for coating

Sweet cases



Method

1. Line a baking tray with foil and place 30 sweet cases on the foil
2. Place chocolate in a bowl
3. Grate lemon rind
4. Combine the cream and butter in a saucepan and stir over a low heat until the butter
has melted.
5. Bring to the boil and remove from the heat
6. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted
7. Stir in the cake crumbs and lemon rind
8. Cool in the fridge for 30 minutes stirring occasionally
9. Roll teaspoons of the mixture into ball shapes to fit the sweet cases
10. Roll in grated chocolate or coconut.
11. Place in the cases and leave to set

Have to say the first attempt was a disaster - the cream and chocolate mixture was still hot when I put the cake crumbs in and all the oil just separated out leaving a gloopy mess in the middle.

When I tried again I melted the chocolate over hot water, melted the butter and poured it into the cream, then allowed both to cool before mixing together and adding the cake crumbs. The oil still came out - but nowhere near as bad, and as you stirred it (I did mine every 5 minutes) it got incorporated back in.

Also, don't allow it to cool completely before shaping into balls (I did and it was hard to scrape lumps out to shape) I got about 20 out of the mixture

Hope this helps

nic2075

Hi, ive just made some more choc fudge and some bounty balls (coconut ice that was a bit wet, so rolled into balls and coated in chocolate.) I know the fudge freezes well but has anyone tried to freeze coconut ice? I was going to try this a couple of weeks ago but I used it all for dd's xmas fayre. I dont want to waste it by trying and not sure if it will help prolong the life of it anyway.
These are hopefully going to be popped into a cello cone with ribbon for the 2 grannies and aunties from the children.

elysia2003

elysia2003 wrote: »

Hiya, sorry to bother you. I've just made my first batch of peanut brittle using this recipe pasted from this thread.

What have I done wrong? It was bubbling away nicely for 10 mins and was a lovely clear toffee colour - until i put the second lot of ingredients in - then it became a sludgy mess! I'm hoping it will taste better than it looks.

I found out what I did wrong. In the cupboard the label fell of the jar so I put in baking powder instead of bicarb.

I'm going to try again tonight - with the correct ingredients this time! :rotfl: