Daring Bakers August 2011: Chocolate Candy

I really contemplated not doing Daring Bakers this month. With work trips to Boston and San Francisco, a triathlon to compete in and a conference in Philadelphia, I certainly had reason to skip.

Then I saw the challenge. It involved chocolate.

The August 2011 Daring Bakers’ Challenge was hosted by Lisa of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drive and Mandy of What the Fruitcake?. These two sugar mavens challenged us to make sinfully delicious candies! This was a special challenge for the Daring Bakers because the good folks at http://www.chocoley.com offered an amazing prize for the winner of the most creative and delicious candy!

We had to make two things. We were supposed to temper our couverture, but I didn’t bother because 1. I have no spare time and 2. The people who would be eating the result would devour it before looking at it.

So go ahead. Report me to the Daring Bakers Police. But first, check out what I made. The first one is uber-fancy, utilizing exceptionally expensive saffron alongside high-quality chocolate.

Saffron-Maple Truffles - Ingredients

¾ cup cream

25 saffron threads

¼ cup maple syrup

10 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate (Scharffen Berger 70% cacao), divided

Mix cream and saffron over low heat, bring to and hold at a simmer for five minutes. Remove from heat, allow to steep for 15 minutes. Repeat twice; strain out saffron threads. The cream will have a light orange hue from the saffron.

Combine cream and maple syrup, heat to a simmer. Pour over six ounces of the chopped chocolate, stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is uniform to create a ganache. Allow to cool for 1-2 hours, then form the ganache into ½ inch diameter balls.

Melt remaining chocolate over low heat, then remove from heat and dip the ganache balls into the melted chocolate individually, removing with a fork and tapping the fork to remove excess chocolate. Place on wax paper, allow to sit for 1-2 hours or until chocolate is dry.

Then move onto the next recipe. Because Lisa and Mandy apparently don’t realize how much business travel can take out of you. My brain was fried, so I went with a standby combination: lime and salt.

Salted Lime Marzipan Chocolates - Ingredients

10 ounces marzipan

Zest from 3 limes

Juice from 3 limes

1 1/2 tablespoons coarse sea salt

3 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate (Scharffen Berger 70% cacao)

Mix the first four ingredients thoroughly, form into ½ inch diameter balls. Freeze.

Melt chocolate over low heat, then remove from heat and dip the marzipan balls into the melted chocolate individually, removing with a fork and tapping the fork to remove excess chocolate. Place on wax paper, allow to sit for 1-2 hours or until chocolate is dry.

And there are my damn chocolate candies. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go try to relocate my life. I’m told that most of it is here in DC. Fascinating.

Have you made chocolate candies before? What kind?