White Chocolate Halloween Ghost Pops

I've posted so many great Chocolate Halloween recipes and links to recipes this season, but I couldn't help posting one more. This recipe comes from Martha Stewart. It's simple and the perfect activity for Halloween. Great to do with children, too!

WHITE CHOCOLATE GHOST POPS
Makes about 15

Ingredients
12 ounces white chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli or Guittard white baking bars)
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Lollipop sticks
Mini chocolate chips

Directions
1. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside.
2. Melt white chocolate in a heat-proof bowl over simmering water; stir occasionally. Remove bowl; mix in oil. Drop 1 tablespoon of mixture onto prepared baking sheet. Use the back of a teaspoon to quickly spread into a ghost. Place a lollipop stick at the base, spinning to coat. Add chocolate chip eyes. Refrigerate ghosts 5 minutes, then peel off.

Photo: Marthastewart.com

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween: Vegan(!) Pumpkin Truffles, Two Ways

If it isn’t completely obvious from the rest of this blog, I’m definitely not a vegan. I love milk chocolate. I use butter AND cream in my cupcake recipes. My chocolate mousse recipe involves cream and eggs. But some folks are vegan, and they deserve tasty chocolate treats as well, don’t they? Pumpkin truffles are a tasty treat, especially for Halloween, and as I contemplated different approaches, I realized that this was a perfect candidate for a vegan recipe. Thanks to some research and experimentation, I am pleased to present this Halloween treat: Vegan Pumpkin Truffles (two ways).

The first step is to make the ganache, which uses pumpkin puree as a base instead of cream to keep this creation vegan.

Ganache Ingredients

15 ounces canned pumpkin puree

½ cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoons nutmeg

½ teaspoon allspice

½ teaspoon ginger

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Pinch salt

12 ounces chopped vegan semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate

First, round up all the ingredients except the chocolate.

Next, combine these ingredients over low heat.

What you’re doing here is making pumpkin butter. While it isn’t difficult, it is time consuming, as you need to slowly reduce it to half its original volume by cooking off liquid without burning or hardening it. I suggest having a snack nearby so that you don’t eat all the pumpkin during the process.

After about 35-40 minutes of patiently stirring every few minutes, the pumpkin butter will be ready for ganache assembly.

Looks a little gross, no? Adding chocolate will help. In the interest of experimentation, I mixed half of the warm pumpkin butter with a bittersweet chocolate (Scharffen Berger 70% Cocoa Bittersweet).

After doing that, I mixed the other half of the warm pumpkin butter with a semisweet chocolate (El Rey Mijao 61% Cocoa).

I let each mixture cool for about an hour, and then rolled them into small balls for truffle-making.

The bittersweet ganache is on the left; the semisweet ganache is on the right. While they look pretty similar, the semisweet is much sweeter and softer than the bittersweet. Given the slightly lower cocoa percentage and the higher sugar percentage, this was completely logical, but presented me with a problem: I had this idea about moving away from a chocolate coverture and towards a powdered one. One using ingredients like these, plus some brown sugar:

The semi-sweet ganche simply wasn’t solid enough for this, so I started out by powder-covering the bittersweet ganache balls in a mix of 3 tablespoons of brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of unsweetened natural cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and ½ teaspoon of nutmeg.

Beautiful! The powdered outside increased the intensity of the pumpkin flavor of the ganache inside.

To finish off the semisweet ganache balls, I melted some El Rey Gran Saman 70% cocoa chocolate and dipped away to arrive at this result.

More traditional truffles, with more chocolate flavor and just a little less spice.

I hereby declare both vegan pumpkin truffle creations a completely delicious success. And a completely delicious way for vegans to enjoy pumpkin AND chocolate.

National Candy Corn Day: Chocolate Candy Corn Truffles

I love candy corn. O.K. it's very sweet, but I only have it a few times a year. So knock me over with a feather if there isn't a National Candy Corn Day! October 30. I shouldn't be surprised. It's an American Halloween tradition.

Nothing says Halloween like candy corn!  Shaped like real pieces of corn, candy corn is as fun as it is tasty.  In addition to the original candy corn or yellow, orange and white, there are different varieties, including Indian candy corn which is brown where the original candy corn is yellow, adding a hint of chocolate  (it's only a hint and a bit waxy, and it's not real chocolate, but I don't care at Halloween).

The National Confectioners Association estimates that 20 million pounds (9,000 tons) of candy corn are sold annually. The top branded retailer of candy corn, Brach's, sells enough candy corn each year to circle the earth 4.25 times if the kernels were laid end to end. Too much information?

Candy corn was created in the 1880s by the Philadelphia based Wunderlee Candy Company and, by 1900, was being produced by the Goelitz Candy Company (now Jelly Belly), which has continuously produced it for more than a century. Candy corn is shaped like a kernel of corn, a design that made it popular with farmers when it first came out, but it was the fact that it had three colors - a really innovative idea at the time - that made it popular.

Originally, candy corn was made of sugar, corn syrup, fondant and marshmallow, among other things, and the hot mixture was poured into cornstarch molds, where it set up. The recipe changed slightly over time and there are probably a few variations in recipes between candy companies, but the use of a mixture of sugar, corn syrup, gelatin and vanilla (as well as honey, in some brands) is the standard.

Candy makers use a process called corn starch molding. Corn starch is used to fill a tray, creating candy corn shaped indentations. Candy corns are built from the top to the bottom in three waves of color. First, the indentation is partially filled with white syrup. Next, when the white is partially set, they add the the orange syrup. The creation is then finished up by adding the yellow syrup and then cooled. The candy starts fusing together while it cools. After cooling the candies, the trays are dumped out, the corn starch is sifted away, and the candy corn is ready.

There are a lot of Chocolate Candycorn recipes out there for Halloween:

Elizabeth LaBau has a recipe for Chocolate Candy Corn Bark. You have to love sugar for this one.

Bake at 350 has Last-Minute Chocolate Candy Corn Cookies    Yum!

And, from Sunset Magazine: Chocolate Candy Corn Truffles. I've adapted this recipe a bit, but not much. Simple to make and delicious. Perfect for Halloween!

CHOCOLATE CANDY CORN TRUFFLES

Dark chocolate and bitter orange offset the sweetness of candy corn in these fun but fancy truffles.  
Prep and Cook Time: 30 minutes, plus at least 2 1/2 hours to chill. 
Notes: You'll need 64 fluted 1-in. paper candy cups for this recipe.
Makes 64 'square' truffles. Be sure you have friends!

Ingredients
18 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup whipping cream
1 1/2 tablespoons Grand Marnier
1/4 cup Scottish or dark orange marmalade
1/4 cup unsweetened DARK cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
64 candy corns (about 3 oz.)

Preparation
1. Line an 8- by 8-inch baking pan with a 12- by 17-inch sheet of foil or waxed paper.
2. In a large heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of hot water, use a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon to stir together chocolate, cream, Grand Marnier, and marmalade until chocolate is melted. Scrape chocolate mixture into prepared pan, smoothing top.
3. Chill until firm, at least 2 1/2 hours or (covered with plastic wrap) up to 1 week.
4. Put cocoa powder in a shallow bowl. Remove chocolate mixture from pan. With a long, sharp knife, cut chocolate mixture into 64 squares, each about 3/4 in. wide. Roll squares in cocoa powder to coat; place 1 square in each paper cup.
5. Gently press a candy corn into the top of each truffle. Store between sheets of waxed paper in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Olive and Sinclair: 75% Cocoa Bar via Blogger Chocolate Exchange

Something very awesome showed up in my mailbox yesterday afternoon.

Alright, well, that was awesome, but few people get as excited about The Economist as I do, and it usually has very little to do with chocolate. This, however, has everything to do with chocolate.

After I sent Heather some Teuscher super-dark chocolate to sample, she kindly sent me some chocolate from her neck of the woods (Nashville), along with a cute homemade card. I love checking out boutique and bean-to-bar chocolatiers, and these bars by Olive and Sinclair certainly fit the bill. I started off with the 75% cocoa pure chocolate bar.

Inside that sassy wrapper is a dark chocolate bar sourced entirely from the Dominican Republic. The aroma wasn’t that noticeable, so I had to take a bite to find out what this bar was all about.

The bar is quite soft for a dark chocolate, and melts very nicely. Clearly, high-quality cocoa butter is in play here. The chocolate is not very sweet, which allows the chocolate flavor to shine, but there is just enough sugar mixed in to cut the bitterness to make it enjoyable on its own. I sensed a woody taste with a bit of a cherry after flavor. I definitely like this bar, and will be on the lookout for shops that carry it. Thanks, Heather! Nice find over in Tennessee.

The Most Artistic Halloween Chocolates

The big night fast approaches!!!  And while I hate to have Palmer, Godiva and John & Kira's in the same blog - I gotta do what I gotta do.

Palmer is one of the few companies that actually came up with something NEW this Halloween.  Chocolate zombies:

Notice the coffin shaped base and the detailed creepy zombie!  For a buck you get a whole bag!  And there are multiple foil colors and designs - one zombie is actually holding a brain.  I give Palmer so much credit for crazy concepts and great execution (although it's damn hard to execute a zombie - bwah, ha, ha!).  The detail, the use of two colors of chocolate - bravo!  The taste - GROSS!  Can't have everything - cheap price, great design and great taste.  Two outta three ain't bad.

Palmer also has these screaming skullsl:

Look at the colors!  Look at the precision - green band-aid, creepy red eyeballs - still taste like Hell, but bravo, bravo for artistry!!!  And cheapness.

Godiva charges an arm and a leg (mention of severed limbs intentional) for its Halloween creations.  These cost $2.00 each:

This is a white chocolate tombstone with a caramel apple filling.  And it's only okay.  At some point I just need to give up on Godiva - overpriced, disappointing, so over rated.  Creative, yes.  Better than Palmer.  But not worth $2.00.

This is a Blood Orange Bat (bwah, ha, ha - BLOOD orange):

And as much as I hate to admit it, I like this one.  It has a rich, delicious orange taste - not that awful fake orange.  And the design and coloring is truly a work of art.  I have to say, this one is excellent.  Guess I won't be giving up on Godiva after all!

Now look at these beauties from John & Kira's:

Aren't they the cutest?  But they are small - about the size of a nickle.  And they are not cheap - about $3.00 each (yep the box is $36!)

Do you remember the Harry and David's pumpkin butter I reviewed?  These are filled with something very similar - it says it's pumpkin pie caramel, but it tastes just like pumpkin butter to me in a thin chocolate shell.  They are good, but I still think the best pumpkin chocolate confection is Knipschildt Chocolatier pumpkin truffles - sooo creamy and great.

Here's to the all the chocolate makers who take the time to design something fun and or beautiful!  And when it's delicious too - Happy Halloween to us!!

Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies: National Oatmeal Day

October 29 is National Oatmeal Day. I've posted Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookies several times. As with most chocolate chip cookie recipes, you can never have too many! Variety, after all, his the spice of life!

Epicurious has a great recipe for Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies. The steel cut oats (Scottish oats) give it a very chewy-crunchy flavor you'll love. If you don't have steel cut oats, you can use old fashioned oats, but you'll have a softer cookie. I use DARK cocoa powder for an even richer chocolate-y taste and dark chocolate (85% cacao bars, broken into small pieces) instead of chips, but you can use either.

Ingredients
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened DARK cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sweet butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla extract
2 tablespoons steel-cut oats
1/4 cup dark chocolate (75-85% cacao, broken into small pieces or dark chocolate chips

Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter large rimmed baking sheet. Sift first 4 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture and beat until moist clumps form. Mix in oats with spatula until evenly distributed (dough will be very firm). Add chocolate pieces or chips and knead gently to blend.

Using moistened palms, shape 1 generous tablespoon dough into ball. Place on prepared sheet; flatten to 2-inch round. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing rounds about 2 inches apart.

Bake cookies until center is slightly firm and top is cracked, about 14 minutes. Cool on sheet.

Celebrate National Oatmeal Day!

Photo: Epicurious

Blogger Chocolate Sharing and Teuscher Deal for DC Folks

I write a lot on here about Teuscher, despite the fact that there is no store in DC. Every time I get myself to a city with a Teuscher shop, I lament this unfair state of the world to whoever happens to be the chocolate consultant working that day. Evidently, I have done this so many times that at least one staff member in Boston remembers me based on this rant. Their chocolate is so good, though, that it's worth traveling long distances to obtain.

I mentioned the Teuscher 99% bar to another blogger who loves super-dark chocolate, and sent her some to try.

Not only did she love it, but she had the brilliant idea of combining it with coconut. You must read about it.

But how, how to get your hands on some Teuscher chocolate if you are in DC? Well, you could try to be friends with me. Or, you could get in touch with the Teuscher shop in Philadelphia, which is offering special shipping rates to DC-area residents in light of the lamentable lack of a Teuscher storefront here. Simply call or email Rachel Goldberg (215-546-7600 and rachel at teuscherphiladelphia dot com) and let her know that you heard about the special shipping rates from the District Chocoholic blog. I hear they have pumpkin truffles in stock for Halloween, but they may be in short supply, so call soon.

Now if that isn't just the best way to start a weekend, I don't know what is.

Chocolate Covered Menu: Nutella & Marshmallow Fluff Sandwich

Today is National Chocolate Day and what better way to celebrate than a round-up of the two hour Chocolate Twitter  #fnichat this past Monday. If you're on Twitter, you can search back to see some of the questions, answers and discussions... or even better, anyone can go to Cooking with Caitlin where there's a Chocolate Covered Menu from that Chat. You can follow Cooking with Caitlyn @cookingwcaitlyn.  Really three wonderful women!

I was thrilled to participate in the Twitter Chocolate Chat. I learned a lot and made a lot of new chocolate friends.  Other participants: @savvyhost, our host @cozifamily, and a couple of chocolate-dipped aficionados besides me:  @condoblues, @saucydipper, @fujimama, and @lonelygourmet.

If you don't Twitter, this may all seem like gobbledy-gook, but the Cooking with Caitlin site and some of the comments on it will keep you amused and drive you to chocolate.

In addition, the Chocolate Post today has several links  and photos to past chocolate recipes. Here's the recipe for  a really decadent dessert from Cooking with Caitlin. I've adapted it a bit. This recipe is easy and quick and includes ingredients in my pantry!

Nutella and Marshmallow Fluff Sandwich

Yield: 2 Whole Sandwiches
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients
1/2 Cup Nutella
1/2 Cup Marshmallow Fluff
4 Slices Brioche or Challah
3 Large Eggs

Instructions
1. For each sandwich, spread one side of the bread with a generous amount of Nutella spread  (or your own homemade hazelnut chocolate spread). Spread the other side with marshmallow fluff (again, a generous amount).
2. Once both sides are completely smeared, press the two sides together to create your sandwich.
3. Turn your burner to high heat and place a non-stick skillet on top.
4. In a bowl, add three eggs and whisk them together with a fork. Dunk the sandwich into the eggs, scrape off any extra mixture and place one side in the skillet.

5. After a few minutes, using your spatula, lift the sandwich to see if the side facing down is golden and crispy. When it is, flip and cook the other side of your sandwich. Because the sandwich is so hot, the marshmallow and chocolate will blend together.

6. When the second side is golden brown and crispy, the sandwich is finished and ready to eat!

Photo and Recipe: Cooking with Caitlin with permission

Vosges Bars: Red Fire

I've been neglecting reviews of the chocolates I picked up in Chicago almost three months ago. Just so much exciting stuff going on in DC - a Malgieri demo, my own baking, and just great chocolate happenings. Luckily, that didn't make the Vosges treats I picked up any less delicious. The last few treats will be reviewed in the next week or so, be sure to check in.

One of the truffles from the Vosges Aztec collection that I enjoyed the most was the red fire, with the combination of chilie, cinnamon, and chocolate. Luckily for me, though I’d quickly consumed the truffles, my library of Vosges bars included a red fire bar.

I was hopeful that the effect would be similar to that from the truffle. The bar wasn’t sprinkled with spices like the truffle was, but it did tell me that I was a goddess.

Don’t you love it when your chocolate talks to you? I sure do. I also love it when dark chocolate manages to come across as creamy and flavorful, which is impressive for a chocolate with 55% cocoa solids. The intense chocolate flavor is the first taste, and is followed by a fiery cinnamon and then the ancho and chipotle chilies. The chocolate and the extras are well balanced, and isn’t overwhelmingly spicy like the Oaxaca bar was. Nice work, Vosges.

Chocolate Pistachio Apricots

I'm always looking for easy recipes that look and taste terrific! Sunset Magazine has been my guide for over 30 years. Dipping fruit in chocolate is easy, and the addition of chopped pistachio nuts gives this recipe a little something extra! I think these are just perfect for Halloween, too. Great for adults to nibble on while handing out candy!

Chocolate Pistachio Apricots

Ingredients
1/2 cup finely chopped pistachios
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
24 dried large apricots

Preparation
1. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Put pistachios in a shallow bowl.
2. Melt chocolate (see directions below). Remove from heat.
3. Holding apricots from one end, dip them 1 at a time into the chocolate, turning to coat about 3/4 of the apricot. Use a knife to scrape excess chocolate off the bottom back into bowl.
4. Hold apricot over bowl of pistachios and sprinkle the nuts over the chocolate.
5. Put apricot (nut side down) on baking sheet and repeat with remaining apricots.
6. Chill until chocolate is set, about 1 hour.
Store in an airtight container between sheets of waxed paper in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Melting chocolate: Be gentle. Fill a saucepan with 2 to 3 in. of water. Put finely chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl that will fit over pan (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water); set bowl aside. Bring water to a boil, turn off heat, then set bowl over pan. Use a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon to stir the chocolate frequently and encourage even melting. Once the chocolate is melted, stir well and use immediately.

Teenage Vampires and Werewolves, Oh My!

I don't pretend to understand middle aged women who are into teenage vampires.  I don't pretend to understand middle aged women who are in to middle aged vampires.  (I mean, do you know where those fangs have been?)  But, hey, to each her own.  Or to each her own undead.

I've never seen this show or read these books and I have no intention of doing so.  But I did want to try the candy.  (I'm telling you, pickin's were slim this year!)

This assortment had three different designs and flavors.  Peanut butter for the werewolf Jacob:

I like the howling wolf design, (but is that his tongue poking out?  Wha? You can't howl with your tongue poking out!  Try it if you don't believe me.), liked the taste the best of the three, but that's not saying much.  This is no Reese's peanut butter and no great chocolate.  Better than Palmer, but that's about it.  (And really, what chocolate is not better than Palmer?)

This is a chocolate truffle for Bella:

Bleech.  Crappy chocolate.  Not even the truffle part was good.

Caramel for the vampire Edward:

Like the design - very detailed - nice!

While this looks like a good caramel, it's not that flavorful.  These are just not that great.  Mediocre. Zzzzzz...

I got this prototype bar at Candy Expo - before the final packaging was done - cool, huh?  These are made by the New England Confectionery Company (yep, Necco).  I hate almost everything else they make (Necco wafers, Sweethearts) - so I shouldn't be surprised these don't rock my world:

Here's the final - the new Sky Bar with the Twilight design:

Got a little crushed on my travels:

This is repackaged in the individual servings for Halloween.  I like the flavors even less in the bar because there's more cheap chocolate.  I like having the variety of flavors in one bar, like the creative artwork, don't care for the taste.  Sorry, Necco.  But hopefully those vampire/werewolf lovers out there will sustain you - I like your creativity. 

But next up are the real artists in chocolate, the super creative chocolate makers!  Stay tuned!