AA Gifts & Baskets Idea Blog

Archive for the ‘Chocolate & Candy’ Category

Making a Christmas candy wreath is a fun way to create a holiday décor item or a holiday gift. You only need a few supplies and your imagination. Let’s get started making a Christmas candy wreath that you’ll be proud to display.

First, you’ll need a wire wreath form. You can select from several different sizes. They are available at craft stores. You may want to start out with a smaller, rather than larger form as your first wreath may take a bit longer to make.

You’ll need a supply of candies. Hard candies are the best to work with for this project as they don’t melt or smash. Keep all the candies wrapped. That’s very important as the wrappers are what’s are going to secure the candy to the wreath. Using peppermint pinwheel type candies is ideal. They are round, the right size, and easy to handle. Plus, they are not too expensive.  You’re going to need several bags of candy, so buy a bit more than you think you need so you don’t run out. For a small wreath, two bags of pinwheels might cover it, but get three to be sure.

When you have your wreath form and your candy laid out, you’re ready to start. You’ll need a hot glue gun to do this quickly. The wreath form will usually have a center wire that is meant for wrapping things over and under. While you can’t exactly thread hard candy like ribbon, you can layer it. So lay down the first candy on the center bar of the wreath form and glue it down. Now, the next candy that’s going to go down on the wreath should be layered on top and to the side of the first candy. Glue it down. As you begin to add candies, move the design outward towards the edges of the wreath. You’re starting to build layers. If you stack candies on top of each other, you’ll have a flat finished piece. You want it to look dimensional, so stagger and layer.

Continue going all around the wreath until you have added all the candy. You should make sure that there are no bald spots. If you find that you have awkward gaps, just add another candy.

Now comes the embellishment. You can add a big red bow made of flocked velvet or sprigs of mistletoe or any other little items you have around. A small bird ornament or even a Christmas ornament will work well. The fun is trying to make it a little bit more appealing.

You can wrap one of these edible candy arrangements up as a gift, give it as is, or keep it for yourself. You can enjoy it for a season and then actually eat the candy. The reason for keeping each piece of candy in its wrapper is so that when it comes time to eat the candy, it’s still intact. If you’ve used a hot glue gun, you can easily remove the wrapper and eat the candy. Don’t try it with glue that may run into the candy and cause it to be inedible.

Have fun with your Christmas candy wreath making activity. Kids can help, but be sure that if there are small candies involved that could pose choking hazards that an adult supervises.

Related Articles:

• Edible Candy Craft Ideas
• Candy Cane Cupcakes
• Candy Inventions

If you’ve ever bitten into a decadent, molten, sweet and gooey truffle, you know how rich this favorite gourmet chocolate treat is. You may have thought you could only get them in specialty shops or at a fancy restaurant. But the truth is that you can make truffles at home very easily. In fact, it’s even simpler than some cookie recipes. You’ll start making them all the time and experimenting with flavors. You’ll give them as gifts and start dreaming about different toppings and versions.

Consider packing your truffles into Chinese takeout-type boxes that you can get in a craft store. They stand up straight and the sides will be stiff enough to ensure that they don’t get smashed on the way to the recipient. Anyone would love to receive these delicious dessert gifts!

Here are some recipes to try. You will laugh at how easy it is to make a treat that looks and tastes over-the-top gourmet.

Ghirardelli® Dark Chocolate Truffles (from allrecipes.com)

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Ready In: 2 Hours 45 Minutes

Servings: 30

"These impressive candies are so easy to make, and are a stunning addition to a dessert tray."

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup heavy cream

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 cups Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips

1/3 cup Ghirardelli Unsweetened Cocoa

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Add the butter and stir until melted. Add the chocolate chips. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and pour into a shallow bowl.

2. Cool, cover, and refrigerate the mixture until firm, at least 2 hours.

3. Using a melon baller or small spoon, roll the mixture into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in the cocoa or nuts. Enjoy immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Chocolate Truffle Recipe (from famousfrenchdesserts.com)

Truffes au Chocolat… Divine Pleasure Source!!! This is the basic recipe; you will find all variations at the end of the recipe.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients (for about 1.5 pounds):

1 cup Crème Fraîche (or heavy cream)

14 oz. Dark Chocolate (use very high quality, 70% cocoa, chocolate - or very high quality unsweetened baking chocolate)

8 oz. Additional Dark Chocolate

1 1/2 cups Cocoa Powder (the highest quality you can find)

3 tbsp. Butter (optional)

How to Make It:

Batter (Ganache):

1. Break chocolate into small pieces and put in a large bowl.

2. Bring cream slowly to a light boil.

3. Pour boiling cream over chocolate and keep stirring until all the chocolate has melted and the batter is homogenous.

4. If you want to add butter, do so now, before the batter cools, and thickens.

This batter is called ganache and is the base for all French truffle recipes!

When the ganache is warm, it is very creamy. You can thicken it

1. by whisking it (the oxygen causes it to thicken) or

2. by putting it in the refrigerator.

You want the ganache to be just thick enough to easily form the truffle balls…

Forming Truffles:

1. Using two spoons (or a baking sac) form even and round balls. Place them on parchment or wax paper.

2. Melt the rest of the chocolate in a bain-marie (double-boiler).

3. Dip each ball in the melted chocolate and then roll it in the cocoa powder.

Voilà!

What is a birthday candy cake? You may never have heard of this trend, but it’s a hot one. People love making and getting birthday candy cakes. And since they’re so easy to make, it’s no wonder why the trend continues to thrive.

A candy cake is simply a tiered “cake” shape that is really all made of candy instead of flour and butter. You build a set of tiers out of Styrofoam or other base material and then have fun getting creative with your candy decorations.

Want to try making a candy birthday cake for your next birthday party? It’s easy. You’ll need a few supplies. Get some Styrofoam. You can buy balls and cut them to have a flat side. Or you can buy squares, rectangles, or other slabs. Craft stores are great for having a range of Styrofoam options. Think of all the times you needed Styrofoam balls for your science project. Today’s kids have so much more of a range of choices in shapes and sizes than ever before. So you should have no trouble finding enough for three tiers.

Build your tiers when you get home. You’ll want to start with a cake plate. It can be a real plate if you are keeping the cake for a family member at home. But if you don’t want to give away your china, use a plastic plate. Paper will be too flimsy. Or go to Goodwill and get a festive cast-off plate and give that away with the cake.

Next, start cutting the Styrofoam to size. You’ll need one big layer the circumference of the bottom of the plate. Make it a wee bit smaller so that the candy won’t overlap the plate when added. Make a tier on top of that and then a final smaller one on top of that. Adhere with hot glue or Elmer’s white glue. When the tiers are dry, move on to the candy.

You’ll need several types of candy. Use whichever candy you like best, but bar candy will stick better to the form. Unevenly shaped hard candies will be harder to use. Although Hershey’s kisses would be awfully cute.

Start by assembling your lowest layer. You’re going to need glue dots for each candy bar or pins. You’re probably safest using glue dots as they won’t damage the candy. You’re going to leave all the candy wrapped, so make sure you don’t use glue that will seep through the wrapper. Pins are fine as long as you don’t stick them through the candy itself.

Work around the cake form placing candy so there is no white space showing. You can fill in with smaller hot balls or sour candies. Just make sure you don’t use any candy that’s not wrapped.

When you’ve made your way around the bottom tier, move up to the next tier. Then do the final third tier. The fun comes in the cake topper. Use something whimsical like a retro ornament or figurine. Or just use a silk flower or another big piece of candy.

If you’re using Hershey Kisses, go around the entire form of the cake using glue dots to secure the flat portions of the Kisses to the form. Just imagine the look on the recipient's face when they receive this edible candy arrangement!

The Aztecs were credited with the discovery of chocolate. The Olmec Indians of South and Central America, ancestors of the Aztecs, were the first known to use the fruit of the cacao tree. Mayans first created a beverage made by roasting and pounding the raw cacao beans with maize and Capsicum peppers and letting the mixture ferment. Cacao is the Mayan word meaning "God Food"

The Aztecs could not cultivate the cacao tree, as they existed at a much higher altitude where the climate was not suitable. They acquired the beans through trade - and war. The Aztecs used cacao beans for religious services, gifts and even as currency.

The Aztecs created their own beverage by roasting the beans and grounding them into a paste. They mixed them with water and maize flavored with chilies. It was called xocolatl (pronounced "shoco-latle").

In 1519 AD, Montezuma introduced Spanish explorer Hernan Cortéz, to the drink. Finding the name hard to pronounce, he called it Chocolat - which was later changed to Chocolate. Montezuma, who valued chocolate more than gold or silver, said of it, "The divine drink, which builds up resistance and fights fatigue. A cup of this precious drink permits a man to walk for a whole day without food."

Chocolate has long been thought to help improve libido and was given as an offering by the Aztecs to the God of Fertility. Casanova was known to take a cup of cocoa before bed as an aphrodisiac. Science has proven that there are valid reasons for these claims. The following elements support this theory:

• Phenyl ethylamine - is similar to an amphetamine, which raises blood pressure and blood glucose levels and gives a person a natural high.
• The amino acid, Tryptophan, also contained in chocolate is the same thing that is in turkey. It helps the body produce the B-vitamin Niacin, which in turn, produces a calming agent in the brain known to play a role in sleep. Consuming chocolate also produces endorphins.
• Endorphins are a group of substances formed within the body that naturally relieve pain. Their chemical structure is similar to morphine. They have an analgesic affect and are thought to play a part in controlling the body's response to stress and determining mood.
• Another chemical in chocolate, Ana amide, targets the same cell membrane receptors as the active ingredient in marijuana and hashish. Experiments have shown that this chemical plays important roles in the regulation of mood, memory, and appetite and pain perception.
• And lastly, chocolate contains caffeine. Most of us are aware of the affects of caffeine on our bodies. At moderate levels, caffeine can cause pleasant effects with improved attention and concentration.

So, the next time you're feeling stressed but don't want to make it worse by eating, consider a chocolate bar! It may very well be better than "an apple a day", and in any case, it certainly tastes better!