Crispy Marshmallow Chocolates

Valentine Tutorial Number 6

   I'll be honest, these weren't planned as a tutorial. I was just making them, and as I was watching the chocolate, waiting for it to melt, I saw my camera. "Why not?" I thought, so I grabbed it and got started.

   This is such an easy thing it's unreal. But my boyfriend loves them and, frankly, I do too. And I know the above picture isn't too flattering, but that's only because it never occurred to me to flatten the backs while they were upside down. Like I said, I never planned this one as a tutorial. But it's 100% mine!

You Will Need:

• 200g Chocolate (cooking chocolate or brand-name)

• Mini marshmallows (or you can cut down big ones for larger chocolates)

• Cocoa Pops/ Rice Krispies

Method (See below for picture method):

1. Crack your chocolate apart and melt it. I used a saucepan filled with water, I put it on the stove top and put a heat proof bowl on top, in which I put the chocolate. I proceeded then to boil the water, and stir the chocolate until the heat from below melted it.

2. Then I took a small bowl of cocoa pops - there is no real measurement here, it's just a case of going with your gut, probably literally. The less cocoa pops, the smoother the chocolate will appear, but the more cocoa pops, the better the crunch - and probably the more chocolates you can make! I poured the cocoa pops in and stired them into the fully melted chocolate. I kept the chocolate on the heat from this point on, but turned the heat right down. This kept the chocolate from solidifying while I was spooning it out, but also kept it from spoiling.

3. Once it's all mixed in, take whatever you're using to mould your chocolates in. I used mini amo heart cupcake cases. They're like an inch big, so they're perfect, and this is exactly why I bought them a few years ago. You can use ordinary cake cases, however, or even proper moulds, whatever will give the chocolate shape and will allow it to be removed easily.

4. For the cases I used, I put one half of a heaped teaspoon of chocolate and cocoa pop mix down in the bottom of the case. I spread it flat and it came half way up the mould. Now for the purpose of pictures, I did this to several moulds first, but you would be better off completing one entire chocolate (step 4,5 and 6) before doing a second. It would help the marshmallow to melt a little better.

5. Take a mini marshmallow and put it in the middle of the chocolate and press it down a little, preferably so it's sitting halfway into the chocolate, then take another half heaped teaspoon of chocolate and cover it.

6. You can level the chocolate out once you've put the top layer on by taking a broad knife and pressing the side of it onto the chocolate, squashing it all down. This never occurred to me at the time, so I never did it, I left them all nice and cocoa poppy.

7. Once all of your chocolates are done, you have several choices, and each depends on the kind of chocolate used.

   To make chocolate, the mixture is tempered, which means it's made hot and cold and hot and cold and so on. The number of times it happens contributes to how quickly the chocolate, once completed, melts in the mouth. By melting chocolate, you're re-introducing tempering. Now, if you've chosen to use a proper chocolate bar, then I do not advise that you put your chocolates in the fridge. If you put them in the fridge then when they come out, especially in the summer, they will melt much quicker with little contact. Of course, this also depends on the specific bar you've chosen. If, for example, you chose galaxy chocolate, you have a problem. It's the best chocolate in the entire world, but it melts far too quickly in the mouth for it to withstand this. If you use a fast-melting chocolate, it will still work, but they may not last. Don't put these in the fridge.

   If, however, you used something like Dairy Milk - something much harder that takes a lot more to make it melt, it should be fine. Though I hate Dairy Milk so I won't use it :P

   To make mine, I used ordinary milk chocolate, but I used bars specially made for baking. This way, they melt slower and set better.

   The cocoa content also contributes to this. The darker the chocolate, the higher the cocoa content, and the stronger it is once set. Also, it's better for you and your skin, especially during your time of the month. But that's another aspect of it altogether.

   I used baking milk chocolate, and I let it set out on the side in my kitchen. Every other time I've made them, however, I have put them in the fridge and they've come out fine. But this was something I thought I would share with you before you possibly create problems for yourself.

8. Once they're set, wrap them in foil, or arrange them in your desired way. Or something. You can get chocolate transfer sheets which transfer pictures and patterns onto melted chocolate. If you get a sheet of this and cut it to size to fit the bottom of the mould, it will give a special finish. Also, hide them from Seeg or he'll eat them all. It doesn't matter where you are, he will find you. The same goes for M&M Peanuts. Seriously.

I hope you all found this useful, and if you did anything special with them, I'd love to see

how they came out! Good luck and have fun with them!