Caramelized chocolate. Chocolate caramel and what not to do to get it right the first time Handmade truffles with dried cherries
When heated for a long time, foods containing sugar acquire a caramel aroma. In cooking, this technique is widely used for caramelizing vegetables and fruits.
Caramelized chocolate has a bright taste, and this is especially pronounced when processed. French confectioners and chocolatiers have long noticed how chocolate transforms after heat treatment; caramelized bars are very popular, but you can prepare a similar delicacy at home.
Why and how to caramelize white chocolate
Caramelized white chocolate is so popular with those with a sweet tooth that it can easily be classified as a new food trend. Confectioners more than 10 years ago appreciated the simplicity and effectiveness of the method - too sweet and inexpressive white chocolate literally blossoms with a new aroma and taste. Now the product, which can be called chocolate at a stretch, is used in mousses, custard, filling for sweets and cakes, sauce for ice cream and other delicious desserts.
Today you can buy caramel chocolate, but in the past chefs had to cook it in the oven. After about an hour, during which the mass was stirred periodically, the chocolate became golden brown and fragrant. White varieties contain cocoa butter, milk powder and sugar. When heated for long periods of time, the lactose and proteins create a flavor compound not found in regular chocolate bars.
How to caramelize white chocolate yourself
Heat-treated white chocolate tastes like boiled condensed milk or toffee from childhood, but it has a different texture, which is what interested confectioners. Try pouring caramelized chocolate over a cake or custard pies and you will appreciate its benefits.
Caramelization recipe
You will need white chocolate in bars or drops, a baking tray with pastry paper, an oven, a pinch of salt and some free time.
- Preheat the oven to 120-130C.
- Break the chocolate bar. Place the pieces or drops on a baking sheet covered with paper.
- Place in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove and stir with a firm spatula. The mass will be stubborn at first, but you still need to knead it thoroughly. Flatten and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.
- Take out the baking sheet. The surface of the chocolate should become rougher and darker. Mash until creamy. Level with a spatula and place back in the oven.
- After 10 minutes, repeat the procedure.
- When the chocolate is ready, it will turn brownish. Add a pinch of salt and stir.
White chocolate on a baking sheet.
If the mixture becomes too dense as a result of overheating, you will have to knead it using an immersion blender or food processor. After stirring, the chocolate will soften.
Use the caramelized mixture immediately or cool it if necessary. A white coating forms on the cooled surface, but this is a normal consequence of crystallization - the quality of the product will not be affected. Can be stored for several months at room temperature.
Choose white chocolate that contains at least 30% cocoa butter, or add a tablespoon of cocoa butter (odorless and tasteless vegetable oil) to the bar at the beginning of preparation. The taste of caramelized chocolate directly depends on the quality of the “raw materials” - the better the bar, the tastier and more aromatic the caramel. Do not use aerated chocolate or bars with fillings or toppings.
Caramelized oranges in chocolate
“Orange in Chocolate” candies are a very tasty dessert, but its preparation takes time. If you try caramelized oranges half-covered in dark chocolate, you can bet this dessert will become a holiday favorite. Rich in aroma and taste, chocolate slices will become even tastier if you add some spices, such as vanilla and star anise.
To prepare this original, delicious and healthy dessert, it will take about two and a half hours and:
- Oranges - 5 regular or 7-8 red
- 250 g dark chocolate
- Granulated sugar - 600 g
- Vanilla bean or 10 gram packet of vanilla sugar
- Water - 300 ml
- Spices to taste - cloves, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, etc.
Oranges.
Preparation:
- Wash the oranges and cut them into slices along with the peel. The thickness is about 5 mm - thicker slices will be bitter, and the middle may fall out of thin ones.
- To remove the bitter taste, cook the oranges for about three minutes.
- Place the oranges on a paper towel and pat dry.
- Make syrup from sugar and water. While the sugar is dissolving, add vanilla, ginger and other spices.
- Place orange slices in layers in a wide saucepan.
- Pour in hot syrup and cook over very low heat for about 2 hours. Carefully turn the slices several times during cooking. If the syrup boils down, add a little water.
- When the crust becomes translucent, remove from heat. By this time, there will be almost no syrup left in the pan, so at the end of cooking you need to make sure that the oranges do not burn.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil. Remove the oranges with a slotted spoon, drain and place on a baking sheet.
- Preheat the oven to 100°C and dry the circles for 20 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the oranges cool. The first part of the dessert is ready - caramelized oranges are very tasty, but they will be even better with chocolate.
- Melt the chopped dark chocolate in a water bath or in the microwave.
- Line a tray, cutting board or plates with cling film to prevent the chocolate-covered oranges from sticking to the surface.
- Dip orange slices halfway into chocolate and place on cling film.
- The caramelized orange will be ready when the chocolate has set properly. It is advisable to leave the dessert tray at room temperature for several hours or put it in the refrigerator to speed up the process.
This rarely happens, but if the chocolate oranges are not eaten the same day, put the leftovers in a jar or container with a tight lid and store in a cool place.
Oranges in chocolate.
Caramelized white chocolate mousse
This light French dessert melts in your mouth, leaving a wonderful aftertaste and a good mood. Even ladies who strictly count calories can afford this dessert without much remorse - mousses contain more air than fats and carbohydrates.
It is believed that the creator of chocolate mousse was the French artist Toulouse-Lautrec, inspired by the spectacle of billowing skirts at the Moulin Rouge. The Count would have approved of our white chocolate and gelatin dessert.
Compound:
- 150 g white chocolate
- 4 egg yolks
- 70-100 g powdered sugar
- 200 ml 30% cream or 100 g milk + 100 mg cream
- Vanilla (bean or sugar)
- A pinch of salt
- 15 g gelatin
- 250 mg whipped cream
Preparation:
- Fill the gelatin with water.
- Boil the cream, add vanilla and a pinch of salt.
- Beat the yolks with sugar until white foam and mix with the cooled cream.
- Cook over low heat, stirring constantly. The cream should thicken without boiling. Cool, it is advisable to keep the cream in the refrigerator for several hours.
- Break the chocolate, place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment and caramelize in an oven preheated to 130°C. The process will take about 20 minutes, during which time the mass needs to be mixed several times.
- Mix slightly cooled chocolate with cream and gelatin.
- Beat with a blender.
- Add whipped cream, mix gently with a spoon and place in bowls.
- Place in the refrigerator for about an hour.
Tasty and uncomplicated chocolate mousse is loved by adults and children, and the new caramel flavor will be a surprise for those with a sweet tooth.
It would seem, why do we need recipes for chocolates if these sweets are presented in abundance on the shelves? Of course, the stores are now a real paradise for those with a sweet tooth - the assortment of confectionery products will take more than a dozen pages. But are homemade chocolates comparable to store-bought ones? Firstly, you prepare them only from proven ingredients, and secondly, you make dishes with love, which undoubtedly affects the taste.
Recipes for homemade chocolates with cocoa
Candies "Chocolate balls"
Ingredients:
- Vanilla crackers – 300 g
- Milk – 250 g
- Butter – 200 g
- Walnuts – 100 g
- – 100 g
- Powdered sugar – 50 g
- Sugar – 250 g
Preparation:
Mix cocoa powder with sugar, pour in hot milk and cook until the sugar dissolves. Pass the vanilla crackers through a meat grinder, pour the hot milk mixture over them, mix thoroughly and cool. Add softened butter, mix well until smooth. Make balls and roll them in a mixture of chopped walnuts, powdered sugar and cocoa. Place the chocolate candies with cocoa prepared according to this recipe in the refrigerator or freezer for 1 hour to harden.
Homemade chocolate candies “Sweet Tooth”
Ingredients:
- Dried apricots -100 g
- Raisins – 100 g
- Dried figs – 100 g
- Walnuts – 100 g
- Sweet almonds – 100 g
- Lemon – 2 pcs.
- Honey – 200 g
- Cocoa powder – 100 g
Preparation:
Mince dried apricots, raisins, figs, walnuts or sweet almonds and lemons. Add enough candied honey to the resulting mass to obtain the consistency of a stiff dough. Form balls and roll them in cocoa powder or powdered sugar. Let the homemade chocolates with cocoa prepared according to this recipe dry at room temperature for 3-4 hours and refrigerate.
Chocolates with almonds
Ingredients:
- Butter – 100 g
- Powdered sugar – ½ cup
- Cocoa powder – 100 g
- Almonds – 50 g
Preparation:
Before preparing these chocolates, melt the butter in a saucepan, add powdered sugar and cocoa powder, mix thoroughly, and let cool. Form into balls, place chopped sweet almonds (or raisins) inside each ball, roll in powdered sugar, and let dry at room temperature. Place in the refrigerator for final hardening.
Candies "Almonds in chocolate"
Ingredients:
200 g almonds
100 g chocolate (bitter, milk - whichever you prefer)
4 tbsp. spoons of cocoa
1 tbsp. spoon of powdered sugar
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 100°C.
1. For this recipe for homemade chocolates, you need to pour almonds onto a baking sheet and dry in a preheated oven for
30–40 minutes.
2. Melt the chocolate in a water bath, do not stir!
3. Sift cocoa onto baking paper in a thick layer.
4. Dip almonds in chocolate, roll in cocoa.
5. Place almonds in a sieve and shake lightly to remove excess cocoa.
Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar.
How to make handmade chocolates: recipes with photos
Chocolate candies "Antoshka"
Ingredients:
- 1 can of condensed milk with cocoa or 1 can of regular condensed milk and 3 tablespoons of cocoa,
- 1 cup chopped walnuts,
- 2 tablespoons flour or breadcrumbs,
- a sheet of foil or thick parchment,
- some thick berry jam.
Preparation:
Place a closed tin of condensed milk in a saucepan, add water and cook over medium heat for 2 hours. If the water boils away, add so that the can is in the inlet. Then turn off the gas, wait until the jar cools down a little, and open the jar. Place the contents in a bowl. Add a glass of chopped nuts and stir. If it was condensed milk without cocoa, add 3 tablespoons of cocoa. Place a sheet of foil or parchment on a baking sheet and sprinkle it with breadcrumbs or flour. Use one teaspoon to scoop out the candy mixture and use the other to remove it onto a baking sheet. Place at a distance of 2 cm from one another. Place a jam berry on each flatbread. Dry the handmade chocolates prepared according to this recipe in the oven over medium heat for 15 minutes. Let them cool directly on the baking sheet, then carefully remove with a knife and place on a saucer.
Recipe for nut candy in tartlets with chocolate and coconut crumbs
Ingredients:
30 pieces of tartlets, a handful of hazelnuts and peanuts, 3 tbsp. l. sour cream, 2 tbsp. l. cocoa, 2 tbsp. l. sugar, 40 g butter
Preparation:
Products, the quantity of which is indicated in tablespoons, should be taken without a slide. Among the nuts you can take walnuts, cashews, and pistachios. However, hazelnuts and peanuts are the most common nuts for confectionery.
Lightly fry the nuts over moderate heat until the brown shell peels off. Without it, the dessert will turn out tastier and more aesthetically pleasing.
How to make chocolate icing for candies
For this recipe for making chocolate candies in a cezve, you need to measure out the ingredients for the chocolate glaze. You can use a different recipe if you have your own favorite in this matter. Options using milk, condensed milk, and ready-made chocolate are possible.
Set the cezve to minimum heat. Stir the contents periodically. When the mass becomes homogeneous and produces a couple of “bubbles”, remove the chocolate glaze from the heat and let it cool slightly. Place the tartlets on a flat dish.
Hazelnut nuts are large, so one nut per tartlet will be enough. But the peanuts are too small, so we put 3 of them.
Pour the cooled (but not frozen) glaze over the nuts in the tartlets. This way the waffle will not soften and will retain its shape. The glaze does not flow, but literally slides out of the spout of the cezve in small portions. Using the edge of a teaspoon, scoop up coconut crumbs and crush them on top of the chocolate mass. The chocolate glaze will harden in the tartlets in literally 20 minutes, but will remain soft.
Look at the photos of handmade chocolates made according to these recipes - the result obtained is not inferior in appearance and taste to purchased products:
Simple recipes for making chocolates at home
Candies “Prunes in chocolate”
Ingredients:
- Prunes (pitted) – 200 g
- Chocolate – 100 g
Preparation:
To prepare chocolate candies according to this simple recipe, wash the prunes, pour boiling water over them for 20 minutes, drain in a colander, and drain. Melt the chocolate in a water bath and pour into a cup. Prick the prunes with a fork and dip them into the melted chocolate, then place on parchment paper to set. Repeat the procedure several times if the chocolate layer does not lie evenly.
Candies with walnuts in chocolate
Ingredients:
- Walnuts – 300 g
- Cookies – 100 g
- Honey -100 g
- Orange – 1 pc.
- White wine (grape) – 20 g
- Chocolate – 50 g
Preparation:
To make these chocolates at home, mix honey with ground walnuts, add grated orange zest, add orange juice and wine. Add the ground biscuits and mix thoroughly. Form small balls, roll them in grated chocolate, dry for 2-3 hours.
Candies "Grillage in chocolate"
Ingredients:
- Walnuts – 1 kg
- Ghee butter – 50 g
- Sawed sugar – 1 kg
Chocolate glaze
Preparation:
To make your own chocolate candies, dissolve sawn sugar in a thick-walled saucepan, add finely chopped walnuts and melted butter, mix thoroughly. Place the mixture on a greased baking sheet, roll out to a thickness of 7-10 mm, cut into pieces. Cover the cooled semi-finished products with chocolate glaze.
Recipe for making chocolates on a stick
Chocolates on a stick
Ingredients:
For the recipe for chocolate lollipops, you will need 2 chocolate bars (you can use 1 milk and 1 white), lollipop sticks, foil, and ribbons (optional).
Preparation:
Melt the chocolate in a steam bath. When it melts, cool. Next, pour into molds and refrigerate. After an hour, remove from the refrigerator and insert sticks - one into each candy.
As you can see in the photo, preparing chocolate candies according to these recipes is not at all difficult, but they look very appetizing:
Recipes for making Truffle chocolate candies at home
Handmade truffles with dried cherries
Number of servings: 8
Cooking time: preparation of ingredients (8–12 hours); actual preparation – 2 hours +
You will need:
- 250 g of excellent quality chocolate (with at least 75% cocoa content)
- 250 ml cream with a fat content of at least 35%
- 50 g butter
- 35 dried cherries
- 75 ml French cognac
- almonds, pistachios and cherries for decoration
- 4 tbsp. l. cocoa
Glaze:
- 150 g chocolate
Cooking method:
Preliminary:
1. To make chocolate candies according to this recipe, pour cognac over part of the cherries (23 berries), cover with cling film and leave for at least 12 hours to soak.
2. Chop the chocolate very finely and place in a bowl. Pour the cream into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour boiling cream over the chocolate and stir well until the chocolate has completely dissolved. Add butter and cool. Cover the mixture with cling film and refrigerate for 8 hours.
On the day of submission:
3. Remove the preparations from the refrigerator. It is better to take it out in parts so that the mass does not have time to melt.
4. If there is any liquid left in the cherries, drain the berries in a colander and then dry with paper towels.
5. Roll the frozen chocolate mass into balls the size of a walnut. Place a cherry in the center of each ball. To ensure the candies are the same size, use the same spoon when you pinch off the mass.
6. Place the finished truffles on plates covered with parchment or on a silicone mat and put them in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
7. Decorations: finely chop a few dried cherries, almonds and pistachios. Be sure to remove the dark skins from the nuts first.
8. Glaze: melt the chocolate in a water bath and cool - it should not be hot, otherwise the truffles will start to melt. Place the truffles on skewers and dip into the glaze. Transfer to a wire rack (excess glaze will drip off) and garnish with cherries and nuts.
9. Leave until the chocolate sets. This amount of icing should be enough for 20 candies. Roll the remaining chocolate mixture in cocoa. Candies with different textures look amazing in one box!
10. Place the candies in parchment-lined containers and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
11. Truffle chocolate candies prepared according to this recipe in 30 minutes. Remove from refrigerator before serving.
Sweets “Sharman” – chocolate truffles with cedar condensed milk
Ingredients:
- 200 g walnuts;
- 200 g dates;
- 100 g figs;
- 50 g cocoa beans;
- 2 tablespoons ;
- 4–5 tablespoons of honey;
- 100 g poppy seeds for sprinkling;
- 2–3 tablespoons of dried apricot syrup;
- 100 g cedar cake;
- lemon zest.
Preparation:
To prepare chocolate candies at home according to this recipe, grind the walnuts in a mortar, food processor or meat grinder until they form coarse crumbs. Break some of the nuts into small pieces with your hands. Add chopped dates and figs. If the sweetness is not enough, add honey to taste, as well as cocoa butter and lemon zest. Grind the cocoa beans in a coffee grinder or high-speed blender to a flour and add to the candy dough. Knead thoroughly, form balls and roll them in poppy seeds. Using your finger, make indentations in the top of the candy.
Prepare the cream. Beat the cedar cake with dried apricot syrup in a blender or wooden spoon. Add honey to taste. Mix until thick condensed milk forms. Place the finished cream into the recesses of the candies.
Candies "Chocolate truffles"
Ingredients:
- A glass (with top) of granulated sugar,
- 5 tablespoons of cream (you can use milk or water),
- 4 tablespoons butter,
- 1 egg white,
- half a glass of cocoa,
- half a glass of dry milk;
For sprinkling:
- 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar.
- 1 tablespoon crushed roasted walnuts.
Preparation:
Pour cream into a saucepan and add sugar. Place the pan over low heat, stirring occasionally, heat to a boil, and boil for 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, turn off the gas. Add butter, cocoa (leave two tablespoons), and dry milk to the hot mixture. Mix everything well. Beat the protein into a strong foam and add it to the mixture. Grind the mixture for 10 minutes until smooth. To thicken the mixture, place it in a warm place for half an hour. Prepare the topping by mixing powdered sugar, walnuts and the rest of the cocoa. Cool the thickened mass in a cool place. Use a teaspoon to scoop out the mass and, helping with a knife, form candies (you can put pieces of nuts or jam cherries inside), rolling them in sprinkles. When all the candies are ready, put them in the cold (but not in the cold or in the refrigerator). The candies are ready tomorrow!
Here you can see photos for the homemade chocolate candy recipes suggested above:
Recipes for making sesame chocolates
And finally, learn how to make chocolates at home with the addition of sesame seeds.
Chocolates with sesame seeds
Ingredients:
- 300 g sugar
- 50 ml water
- 50 g cocoa powder
- 75 g butter
- 2 tbsp. spoons of baby formula (“Malyutka” or “Baby”)
- 2 tbsp. spoons of sesame
Chocolate candies with sesame recipe are prepared as follows:
1) Pour water into a stainless saucepan and add sugar. Place on medium heat. Stirring, bring to a boil, then cook for 5 minutes;
2) Add butter to the boiling syrup. Let the mixture simmer for 1 minute;
3) Add cocoa powder to the hot mixture and mix thoroughly;
4) Add the dry milk mixture;
5) Fry sesame seeds in a dry frying pan until golden brown, add to the candy mass;
6) Cover the saucepan with a lid or put it in a bag. When the mass has cooled, take a teaspoon of the mixture and form candies.
Look at the selection of photos for DIY chocolate candy recipes presented on this page:
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I would like to immediately point out the main mistakes when preparing such a simple dessert, but at the same time very capricious.
What NOT to do when cooking:
- There is no need to take the smallest dishes that you have, the volume seems to be small. No! Take a large bowl and cook in it so that the caramel is evenly distributed over the entire bottom.
- There is no need to spoon into this mixture. At all. Since there will be a sharp temperature difference (the caramel is a million degrees, but the spoon is warm) and everything will immediately crystallize. All the caramel will be on your spoon, and this is very unpleasant. Let's not climb!
- Do not add cold cream or cold butter. Everything is warm. Again, temperature differences play a role here.
- It is better not to store in glass, but in plastic containers, again due to temperatures.
- Do not put it in the refrigerator immediately, let it cool indoors.
And finally, what need to do: - The caramel must be strained. And you will immediately see how it immediately became more uniform.
Chocolate caramel recipe:
- 60 ml water
- 220 g sugar
- 200 g cream (for drips we take 130 g, for filling 100 g)
- 70 g butter
- 30 g cocoa
How to make chocolate caramel:
- Combine sugar and water in a saucepan. Place on medium heat and wait until all the sugar has melted. This will take 10-12 minutes. When the sugar has completely melted, increase the heat to maximum and wait until the mixture turns amber in color, closer to brown.
- Mix the butter and cream in a separate bowl and heat in the microwave, avoiding the butter from separating.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully add the cream mixture, stir with a spatula.
- Add cocoa and mix gently.
- Strain through a sieve into a plastic container, let cool and put in the refrigerator.
