Home-made chocolates

I used to make Easter eggs and chocolates with my family when I was little. We didn't do it every year, but I remember some great weekends when the weather was cool, sitting around the kitchen bench with a pot of melted chocolate and a set of bulldog clips, making endless trips to the freezer. To aid my trip down memory lane, I was keen to add this to my list of 101 things to do: #95 - Make chocolates/Easter eggs.

My sister-in-law joined me in making chocolates this afternoon. I'd thought about going all the way and making Easter eggs, but couldn't really be fussed fiddling around with finding bulldog clips etc. I bought some second-hand moulds and fillings, and we set to work.

For a guide to chocolate making, Home Style Chocolates is a great place to start. It also has a wide range of chocolate making supplies. We had six moulds to work with and five fillings: whisky, Irish creme, mint, orange, and caramel. I also had some blanched almonds and three packets of milk chocolate melts - we were ready for action!

I've got to say that making chocolates by hand is quite a time-consuming process. After a few hours, we didn't have all that much to show for our effort but we'd had heaps of fun. We might not be setting up a hand-made chocolate business any time soon, but our results are promising (and quite delicious). I think we will need to repeat this activity again before Easter.