So, I'm not usually a super crafty cute person but this was SO. MUCH. FUN. with great results so I had to share. Last night for Valentine's Day we made custom candy bars! I know, cookies are traditional for most people but this is so much more up my alley. I'm pretty sure by the time we were done each bar weighed a full pound. A pound of chocolate. And they were beautiful!
I picked up these chocolate molds last week at hobby lobby. I had a 40% off my purchase coupon so I think they were a deal! Of course they're reusable and hopefully we'll get a lot of uses out them! They're called bark molds and the instructions are for that carob-based fakey chocolate, but don't waste your time with it when the real stuff works so well! We used Ghirardelli chocolate chips, and one bag will do roughly two candybars. I had a ton of extra so we dipped strawberries when we were done, which was serendipitous the night before valentine's day, don't you think?
Anyway, then you assemble your candybar fillings. Some things you could use include but are in no way limited to gummy bears, nerds, m&ms, oreos, chessman cookies, pretzels, graham crackers, sour patch fruit, sixlets, mini marshmallows, nuts, dried fruits, sprinkles, or they even sell little metallic flakes in the cake decorating aisle of some stores. Super fun! Go wild! Bacon, potato chips... they're all fair game here and it's really fun to see what combinations people come up with. Just get everything out before you melt the chocolate, you want to be ready when it is!
I picked up these chocolate molds last week at hobby lobby. I had a 40% off my purchase coupon so I think they were a deal! Of course they're reusable and hopefully we'll get a lot of uses out them! They're called bark molds and the instructions are for that carob-based fakey chocolate, but don't waste your time with it when the real stuff works so well! We used Ghirardelli chocolate chips, and one bag will do roughly two candybars. I had a ton of extra so we dipped strawberries when we were done, which was serendipitous the night before valentine's day, don't you think?
Then, when you're ready, fill your molds! I used a measuring cup, taking care to get into all the corners. It would be disappointing to pop out your candybar and have a corner missing, right? You might have to eyeball this part, but it's not rocket science. When the mold is shy of full the fun part starts. Add your stuff!
Izzie was more about volume than Audrey was, and did a combination of chocolates - milk chocolate went in first, with dark on top. She then topped it all off with mini marshmallows in the shape of the letter "I". Justin put nuts into his before adding any chocolate at all so you'd see them through the top and it turned out really neat! Mine was dried fruit, nuts, caramel bits and mini marshmallows. Yummy! :-) Matt was all about the sixlets and m&ms, and it turned out very colorful and pretty.
After we topped off the chocolate bars and filled in any gaps or holes, we moved the trays to the back patio to harden up. The freezer would work, too, but you obviously want them to be level for a while and our freezer just wasn't up to the task. An hour or so later after the kids went to bed I had these:
I did use a chef's knife to do a little trimming here and there. And here they are on bottom - whether you leave things exposed or cover them completely it's up to you. I think they're both pretty cute.
Aren't they fabulous??? These are big, heavy bars, probably close to a pound a piece with all the candy in them so they feel pretty solid and make an impressive presentation.
So, finishing them off. I wrapped them in aluminum foil first, then cut 12x12 scrapbooking paper in half to make two wrappers out of each sheet. I probably could have made cuter wrappers but it was late and the house had been dark for a while, so I was on a "needs to be done" mode. You could make them cuter, I'm sure. :-) The best part though is I was able to write a little love letter inside each wrapper for each person so these yummy confections double as fabulous valentines!
Anyway, I'm so thrilled with how they turned out I can't wait to try it again. All our kids' BFFs have March birthdays and I'm pretty sure they'll be getting custom candybars for gifts. Maybe with white chocolate? I'd love to know if you have suggestions for them or if you give them a try! Happy Valentines Day!
After we topped off the chocolate bars and filled in any gaps or holes, we moved the trays to the back patio to harden up. The freezer would work, too, but you obviously want them to be level for a while and our freezer just wasn't up to the task. An hour or so later after the kids went to bed I had these:
I did use a chef's knife to do a little trimming here and there. And here they are on bottom - whether you leave things exposed or cover them completely it's up to you. I think they're both pretty cute.
Aren't they fabulous??? These are big, heavy bars, probably close to a pound a piece with all the candy in them so they feel pretty solid and make an impressive presentation.
So, finishing them off. I wrapped them in aluminum foil first, then cut 12x12 scrapbooking paper in half to make two wrappers out of each sheet. I probably could have made cuter wrappers but it was late and the house had been dark for a while, so I was on a "needs to be done" mode. You could make them cuter, I'm sure. :-) The best part though is I was able to write a little love letter inside each wrapper for each person so these yummy confections double as fabulous valentines!
Anyway, I'm so thrilled with how they turned out I can't wait to try it again. All our kids' BFFs have March birthdays and I'm pretty sure they'll be getting custom candybars for gifts. Maybe with white chocolate? I'd love to know if you have suggestions for them or if you give them a try! Happy Valentines Day!
4 comments:
Wow, I just had to comment and say how awesome these are. So cute! And they look fairly easy--and my kids would LOVE customizing their own candy bars. Totally darling. I love your wrappers, too. I will definitely have to see if I can find some candy molds like yours! Thanks for the idea. Your family is adorable, by the way. I hope you are all doing well!
Looks so fun! I've seen those molds at Hobby Lobby before and always thought they would be fun to do something with-we'll definitely have to try :)
You keep saying that you're not very crafty or cute or whatever but you are so wrong! These are adorable and such a fun memory with your kids. They will look back and think you were nothing but super fun! I for sure would be adding mini peanut butter or toffee chips. A dusting of sea salt would be delicious...
Do you know how happy it makes me to see your handwriting on those? First of all, I've always loved your handwriting because it is SO YOU. And so I had an "AW...I love her!" moment just looking at your candy bars.
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