Sunday 16 June 2013

WSC Chocolates with a peppermint filling

I don't bake with chocolate and mint.  Which is odd.  As a child, one of my favourite biscuits was a choc mint slice - a chocolate biscuit, covered by a layer of mint cream all covered in chocolate.  And my favourite ice cream was choc mint.  I was pleased when my mum put peppermint crisp on a pavolva.  And I loved Red Tulip after dinner mints (like these).  The thin chocolates in a dark paper sleeve were the height of elegance.

After dinner mints brings to mind memories of watching the World of Sport on Sundays with my dad and giggling at the silly in-show advertising of Ballyntine chocolate mints.  They never took themselves too seriously.  But I digress because I really wanted to tell you about making my own peppermint filled chocolates.  I think I used to call these peppermint creams.

I don't know where or why my love of mint dwindled as I grew older.  I don't eat a lot of mint flavoured foods now.  But occasionally I have a nostalgic yearning for it.  This month Victoria of A Kick at the Pantry Door has chosen mint for We Should Cocoa (the event founded by Choclette and Chele).  It presented me with an ideal opportunity to try some peppermint filled chocolates.

After making the lime cheesecake filled eggs at Easter I was interested to try other filled chocolates.  In fact there is a list of some of the ideas I found at the bottom of this post.  The recipe for peppermint filling was surprisingly easy.  It used pantry staples.  The only thing I had to buy was peppermint flavouring.

Then there was the matter of moulds.  I didn't want to use my Easter egg moulds out of season.  Sylvia and I went down the street in search of chocolate moulds.  There were none to be found.  Instead we ate lentil and silverbeet soup (me) and vegemite and cheese pasties (Sylvia) at Zaatar and returned home with milk, a bead making set (which were made up for her dollies) and a new green ice block mould.  (Katie Carrot suggests buying chocolate moulds at Cake Deco in the city so I must look there.)

I wasn't sure how the ice block moulds would go.  I made a few chocolates in my old heart shaped mould and a few in the new green one.  They were good but I found the filling incredibly sweet.  Of course it tasted better for being dyed green.  Fortunately I was able to get some test tasting by my brother and his girlfriend who dropped in to say hello and stayed for pizza.

Paul and Sarah were impressed that I had made chocolates and thought they tasted lovely.  In fact this was far easier than baking.  And now that I have bought peppermint essence I might even find further uses for it in the kitchen!  Green mint scented playdough anyone?  After all, Sylvia was smitten with the chocolates - even if half of it melted in her hands!

I thought it was a good day to post these chocolates because it is Bloomsday today.  Though these chocolates have nothing to do with Ulysses, they can claim an Irish affiliation just by the wearing of the green.  And I suspect Leopold Bloom would not have said not to one of these wee chocolates.

More chocolate fillings ideas:

Peppermint-filled chocolates
Adapted from The Gluten and Dairy Free Bakehouse
makes about 25 (depending on your moulds)

160g icing sugar
1 tbsp oil
1-2 tbsp soy milk
few drops peppermint essence
few drops green food dye
200 - 250g dark chocolate

Melt about half the chocolate and using a spoon (or a food paint brush if you have one) cover the inside of the mould with chocolate.  Set in the freezer.

Meanwhile make the filling by mixing icing sugar, oil, milk, peppermint essence and food dye to a mixture that is just soft enough to drop off the spoon in lumps.  It should be quite thick and hard to stir but will set to a smooth mixture when left for a few minutes.

Remove the chocolate coated mould from the freezer.  Fill most of each casing with filling, leaving a little space for the chocolate bottom.  Melt most of remaining chocolate and spoon chocolate over the bottom of each filled chocolate to seal the filling in.  Return to the freezer.

When set, push out of the mould gently.  The recipe said to keep in the fridge, though I think these are ok at room termperature for some time.  Best eaten at room temperature.

On the stereo:
Brick Walls and Barricades: Kasey Chambers

31 comments:

  1. I'm the same I love minty chocolates and ice cream, but very very rarely use it in my baking.
    The chocs and the pizza look delicious!
    Love the dark chocolate you used for the cases.

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    1. Thanks Katie - mint in ice cream and chocolate is so lovely but neither is something I make much for myself

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  2. Chocolate mint is still one of my favourite flavour combinations... and I, too, use ice cube molds to make my chocolates. Your heart ones look like ours.. I think we got our from ikea. In our purge and storage quest for our move, Rob decided to keep the heart trays to take with us, hehe. :)

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    1. Thanks Janet - the ice cube moulds are similar to the ones I bought for the easter eggs - and I can see why Rob would save the heart ones to take - they are light and so cute - I have got a lot of use out of mine

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  3. I haven't made peppermint creams in years. Yours look so perfect from the moulds. I've never quite figured out how to get the chocolate to cover the moulds without filling them up. I shall just have to try it. Great entry Johanna, thank you :)

    I have minty phases and then don't touch it for ages, but I would very much welcome one of your mint chocolates now.

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    1. Thanks Choclette - I don't get too fussed about lumpy bottoms on my chocolate - though I did think there is probably a technique to smooth the bottoms with a spatula or something - and I would be quite happy to share my mint chocolates with you :-)

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  4. These look divine. I love chocolate and mint!

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  5. I'm still fond of peppermint chocolates, and yours look so lovely!

    If you're still looking for chocolate molds, you might try Savour chocolate and patisserie school, which is on the same street as Radical Grocery. I buy vegan-friendly dark chocolate there in bulk.

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    1. Thanks Cindy - that is useful to know about the Savour chocolate place - I have passed it but never thought to go in. And I still have fond memories of your choc mint ice cream - I did wonder if I could colour my chocolate with spinach like you but didn't have the energy to try it

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  6. How lovely that you've found a way to create happy chocolate mint recipes in Sylvia's childhood, too.

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    1. Thanks Hannah - I am sure sylvia will have a few fond chocolate mint memories - she was planning a doll's birthday party today and said they would have pavlova with peppermint crisp like my mum makes :-)

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  7. I have a serious hard on for choc-mint! I had no idea that making a gooey filling would be that easy... All the ones at the supermarket contain egg so I figured this was something I'd be missing out on for the rest of my life. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH RIGHT NOW.

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    1. Thanks Nat - I was surprised how easy the filling was - in fact I am now wondering what other flavours could be easily done this way - hope you get to eat your filled chocolates again

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  8. I'm the opposite in terms of chocolate mint - as a child it was 'ho hum' but now I love it. Mr Bite loves it too so it tends to be a reliable chocolate option! These look gorgeous and your new moulds clearly worked very well - which is good to know. Thanks for including my recipe in your links too!

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    1. Thanks Kari - I must revisit some of your mint chocolate recipes now that I have a renewed interest and finally have some peppermint essence in my kitchen

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  9. Isn't Mint Slice the best! And those Red Tulip After Dinner Mints were so grown up - the height of elegance! I aspired to having 70-esque dinner parties as a kid, ending the night with after dinner mints and coffee. These chocolates look fabulous! If you are ever after chocolate moulds, Cake Deco in Port Phillip Arcade has heaps of the plastic variety in all shapes and sizes - you just have to be patient enought to search through them for what you want.

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    1. Thanks Cakelaw - it is probably just as well that I don't buy chocolate biscuits often or I would find myself eating mint slices rather too often. I actually have been looking at the moulds at cake deco (and bought a couple) but couldn't find exactly what I had in my head but they do have a great range

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  10. Omg - how good are mint slice biscuits. I have to admit though.. I have gone off the whole packet biscuit idea in the last 5 years. Much nicer to make them and know what is in them! I made mint patties a few months back and I imagine they are a lot like these. You are making me hungry!!

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    1. Thanks Cass - I think it is just as well that I buy bought biscuits so rarely that I only look at the savoury biscuits in the biscuits aisle. I think mint patties are like the peppermint creams on the web that look quite firm but am not that sure - I really like the creamy peppermint filling but the peppermint creams recipe has condensed milk which sounds delicious

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  11. Your chocolates look lovely! Chocolate doesn't do much for me generally but I do adore the combination of chocolate and mint.

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    1. Thanks Mel - I think mint can give chocolate a lift because it is so light compared to the rich chocolate flavours - perhaps that is why it is a classic combo

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  12. Chocolate Peppermints! Oh my, you did a terrific job at making them, Johanna. Can't say I would even attempt it but I know someone who will real LOVE this recipe, my daughter. She is CRAZY for Peppermint Chocolates!!!

    Thank you so much for sharing...

    P.S. YOUR INVITED to the Picnic Game and it looks like you're bringing the letter C. Let me know if you still want it because it is in high demand. But, you were first to request it but your comment said you weren't sure. So please let me know as soon as you can. Thanks for playing Johanna.

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    1. Thanks Louise - hope your daughter loves them (and is doing well) I am fairly easy about which letter I have so am happy to have Q as per my email. Look forward to playing along

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  13. Hi! I've liked your blog for quite some time now, so I wanted to give you this: http://mammituokkonen.blogspot.fi/2013/06/q.html

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    1. Thanks for the award Malitsu - will let you know when I have done the Q&A - sounds like fun - and lovely to hear from you.

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  14. Johanna those littles chocolates look awesome. I'd love with my coffee right now.

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  15. These are really very beautiful, and I'm so impressed with how professional they look, whenever I try to use these silicone type moulds my chocolate always blooms :-( Thank you so much for entering We Should Cocoa, and I'm glad you have re-discovered chocolate and mint!

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  16. How cute are these!? They look really sophisticated!

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