I am following through on the lesson I learned last week, which was to have more fun in the kitchen and start practicing recipes. I no longer have to wait for an event to try something new; it is actually less stressful for me to practice first so I don't have to 'get it perfect the first time'. Practice makes perfect, and practicing is super fun and yummy.
Over the past few months I have been collecting flavour extracts. I've been adding flavour drops to hot chocolate (orange and peppermint work great for that) or coffee (almond is tasty addition) or use them in baked goods (lemon made these cupcakes zing). I love working with flavour extracts and want to find more reasons to use them.
I have been toying with the idea of making a big batch of chocolate creams/patties around Christmas time, and last night I found myself practicing. I didn't want to make a whole batch (30 or more) so I took a cue from the internet and altered the recipe so it was closer to a single serving. Cutting a recipe down is super easy when there are only a few ingredients (and no eggs!) and I got to use my love of basic math to work it out. My kind of fun.
So I took a peppermint patty recipe I found through yoyomax12 (love her!), and adapted it to a smaller portion.
Bite Size Chocolate Patties (Practice Edition):
4.5 tbs icing sugar
1/2 tsp corn syrup (I used golden)
1/2 tsp water
1/2 tsp veg oil
drops of flavour extract of choice
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
I wanted to make three flavours, so first I mixed the icing sugar, corn syrup, water, and veg oil, into a blob. Next I separated my big blob into three smaller blobs and added flavour to each (one orange, one peppermint, one almond). Then I divided each flavoured blob into 3 bite sized patties. They were really sticky so I put them in the fridge to harden for about an hour. Then I dipped them in dark chocolate and put them back in the fridge to harden.
Things I learned by practicing with a small batch:
1. The patties get really melty in the chocolate. If I make a big batch I will try to dip faster.
2. The original recipe called for light corn syrup (the clear kind) but I found I could use golden and the patties still came out white.
3. I didn't pay close enough attention after dipping and lost track of which flavour was which. If I make a big batch I will have to be more organized. I also thought about colouring each patty according to flavour (green for peppermint, orange for orange, light yellow for almond).
4. These were really quick and easy to make - so I now have a new 'single serving' treat I can turn to during moments of craving (...and yes, 9 bite size pieces could be a single serving!).
5. The patty part of this recipe could be any flavour. I am looking forward to picking up more extracts to build my collection of options.
6. Dark chocolate is fantastic.
Over the past few months I have been collecting flavour extracts. I've been adding flavour drops to hot chocolate (orange and peppermint work great for that) or coffee (almond is tasty addition) or use them in baked goods (lemon made these cupcakes zing). I love working with flavour extracts and want to find more reasons to use them.
I have been toying with the idea of making a big batch of chocolate creams/patties around Christmas time, and last night I found myself practicing. I didn't want to make a whole batch (30 or more) so I took a cue from the internet and altered the recipe so it was closer to a single serving. Cutting a recipe down is super easy when there are only a few ingredients (and no eggs!) and I got to use my love of basic math to work it out. My kind of fun.
So I took a peppermint patty recipe I found through yoyomax12 (love her!), and adapted it to a smaller portion.
Bite Size Chocolate Patties (Practice Edition):
4.5 tbs icing sugar
1/2 tsp corn syrup (I used golden)
1/2 tsp water
1/2 tsp veg oil
drops of flavour extract of choice
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
I wanted to make three flavours, so first I mixed the icing sugar, corn syrup, water, and veg oil, into a blob. Next I separated my big blob into three smaller blobs and added flavour to each (one orange, one peppermint, one almond). Then I divided each flavoured blob into 3 bite sized patties. They were really sticky so I put them in the fridge to harden for about an hour. Then I dipped them in dark chocolate and put them back in the fridge to harden.
Things I learned by practicing with a small batch:
1. The patties get really melty in the chocolate. If I make a big batch I will try to dip faster.
2. The original recipe called for light corn syrup (the clear kind) but I found I could use golden and the patties still came out white.
3. I didn't pay close enough attention after dipping and lost track of which flavour was which. If I make a big batch I will have to be more organized. I also thought about colouring each patty according to flavour (green for peppermint, orange for orange, light yellow for almond).
4. These were really quick and easy to make - so I now have a new 'single serving' treat I can turn to during moments of craving (...and yes, 9 bite size pieces could be a single serving!).
5. The patty part of this recipe could be any flavour. I am looking forward to picking up more extracts to build my collection of options.
6. Dark chocolate is fantastic.
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Life at your house always sounds delicious.
ReplyDeleteThanks Marilyn! I was raised to live a delicious life, so I'm having a good time! :)
DeleteThis is fun. When I write formulas I write them in small bits so I can taste and fix and play and eat and try it all over again. Fun stuff.
ReplyDeleteLong last two couponing were very good but I am pooped now. Will be back again soon to catch up on the rest of your posts. But first I'll send you a quick email.
Cheers and boogie boogie.
Writing formulas is fun. Working with small amounts is such a good idea. I love it! :)
DeleteIt's all I do when I write food. This helps with my cost and gives me more ingredients to keep playing with, since I don't blow my wad all at once.
DeleteAwesome!
DeleteThis looks so fun... probably not something I could do with the kids though, huh? With all the dipping in hot chocolate and whatnot. Maybe I could let them do the flavouring blobs.
ReplyDeleteI find dipping in chocolate finicky so maybe not kid friendly. But adding flavour is fun. This is just a small batch, so I only used a tiny amount of flavouring. When I first buy an extract I don't remove the freshness seal, I instead use a push pin to poke a tiny hole in the seal so only a drop can come out at a time. Works great for adding to hot chocolate, etc. too.
Delete