Caramel Filled Chocolates

Another of my food loves is chocolate. After taking a class last fall, I've made chocolates several times, and today after buying some new molds and caramel I tried filled chocolates for the first time. They're so easy if you have the right tools, and my family (including my brother who helped me) agreed that they're better than store bought!

Here is what you'll need:
Chocolate molds deep enough to add filling to
Squeeze-ums Caramel filling
Small squeeze bottle
Paintbrush that hasn't been used for painting before
Pot and metal bowl
And of course, chocolate wafers for melting!

If this is the first time you're using your molds, take a cotton ball and polish the insides of the molds with it; this is how you clean them and will make the chocolates really shiny! Don't put the molds in the microwave or dishwasher, or even wash with hot water, or they'll melt.
Fill the pot halfway with water and set to medium. Pour chocolate wafers into the metal bowl and set over the pot of water (simmering, not boiling). Stir the wafers; when they've begun to melt, turn the heat to low. When fully melted spoon into squeeze bottle using an ice cream scoop. A normal spoon will work as well but is much messier. Make sure the lid is tight and then squeeze enough chocolate into each mold to come about halfway up.

 

Using your paintbrush, brush up the sides of each mold, covering every surface up to the top. If this layer of chocolate is too thin, add more chocolate and brush the sides again. You want the layer to be thick enough that you can't see the plastic. Stick this in the fridge and continue melting chocolate; you'll need about the same amount as before if not more. If you still have chocolate in the bowl add as many wafers as you need and stir to prevent it becoming too hot and hardening.

Once the chocolate in the molds has lost its sheen and it hard to the touch, it's time for the caramel! Mush it around in the bag with your hands to warm it up for a few minutes before use. I used a small cutting board to push the caramel in the bag from the back towards the point, so as to not waste any, but if you have a putty knife that would work too. It has to be something firm and stiff, otherwise you won't be able to squeeze all of the wonderful caramel to the point! Cut the point off on an angle and twist the top of the bag like a piping bag, then you can start adding the caramel to the chocolate molds. You don't want this layer to be too high or there will be no more room for the next layer of chocolate. Using your fingers you can press the caramel down until it's flat and at your desired thickness.

This time you don't have to refrigerate between layers. Spoon some more melted chocolate into your squeeze bottle and fill the molds up to the top. To level the chocolate tap on the counter or table several times until even. If you overfilled the molds it will spill over but once hardened you can simply break off any excess, and with practise you can avoid this. Stick the trays back into the fridge for about 10 minutes. The chocolates are done when you upturn the tray over a plate and they fall out(sometimes with a bit encouragement, either tapping them, pushing on them or twisting the tray). If they don't come out easily just stick them back in the fridge for a few more minutes.

You will have no trouble enjoying these!

To store the caramel, push from the tip of the bag back towards the back, as far as you can, and tie off. Once the chocolate in the squeeze bottle hardens you can squish it a bit until the chocolate cracks, and pour it back into your bag of chocolate wafers. As for any chocolate left over in the metal bowl, that's fit to eat as is! Just don't burn your fingers.