| Making your
own sweets is actually quite fun - children have
a great time with this too. They are also nice
gifts if placed in petit four cases in a pretty box or packet. You can intersperse bought sweets such as sugared almonds between for more variety.
Mixed
Chocolates 
Ingredients:
Plain
Chocolate
Any
or all of the following:
Nuts
of your choice (hazel, walnut, pecan, almond,
brazil)
Marzipan
Dates
Dessicated
coconut
Cocoa
Icing
sugar
Crystalised
angelica
Glace
cherries
Flaked
almonds
It's
very simple! Melt the chocolate and then dip
things in it - nuts, marzipan balls, dates - and
then place them on a sheet of grease-proof paper
to set. Decorate with angelica, glace cherries
(can be made to look like holly) and flaked
almonds before the chocolate sets and then you
can sprinkle with cocoa, coconut or icing sugar.
Dates
can be destoned and stuffed with marzipan for a
non-chocolate treat.
Place
in petit four cases and enjoy!
Chocolate
Rum Truffles 
Ingredients:
Some
left over cake, crumbled - about 2 cups
2
tablespoons of Apricot jam
2
tablespoons of rum (or rum flavouring)
1
teaspoon of cocoa
50g./2oz
(half a large bar) of plain chocolate, melted
Coating
of choice - cocoa, chopped nuts, coconut etc.
Mix
everything together and then squeeze into balls
(about 5 cm. diameter) and roll in the coating.
Place in petit four cases.
Little
Chocolate logs 
1
chocolate cake prepared in a large square tin so
it will not be too deep (see our recipe)
marzipan
plain
chocolate
icing
sugar for dusting
glace
cherries and crystallised angelica for decoration
or children might prefer chocolate beans or other
sweets (pictured logs have pecan nut topping).
Cut
the cake into small rectangles ( 10 cm. X 4 cm.
and 2 or 3 cm. deep). Cut thin pieces of marzipan
and place on top of the cakes. Pour melted
chocolate over the top of each log, decorate to
your hearts content and then dust with the icing
sugar (snow!).
Sweet treats and gifts elsewhere on the web:
Solstice Chocolate Refrigerator Christmas Cake from the Among the Trees blog.
Homemade chocolate tree decorations from the Modern Housewife blog.
Chocolate Gingerbread you can bake in jars for gifts from the Tasty Herbalist.
|
