Valentines Day Series: Box of Chocolates | Blueberry Pancake

Round Two: Still a 'test' batch of sorts, but it was delicious so I wanted to share. The reason I say test, is due to the sweetness level. I find these to be slightly sweeter than I would like. The issue is that the powdered erythritol is used to thicken the inside up enough to have it set up in the molds. (Otherwise popping them out is a real issue - trust me)

This time around, we will be making the filling, then covering them with chocolate. I have tried this the other way around and out of a batch of 6 chocolates, only 2 came out of the mold un-squished. The filling is not solid enough to withstand the force I was putting behind getting them out of the molds.

I would still note that I do not yet have specific weights for the chocolate. I made a full batch from scratch, so I don't have comparison weights for your favorite bar/chips. You can create your own batch, or grab your favorite brand and melt as needed to fit your molds. I would recommend melting down more than you think you need as opposed to less. You can always let it harden and reuse it later if you don't need it all now -  re-melting chocolate half way through is quite annoying. haha

If you are interested in trying out the first recipe though, fret not - here she comes! (This filling made two little truffle sized chocolates for me, feel free to double the recipe for a bigger batch)

INGREDIENTS:

• Chocolate (Grab your favorite brand of sugar free, or you can make your own from scratch, which is what I did)
• 1tsp ChocZero Maple Syrup
• 2 Tbsp Powdered Erythritol 
• 1tsp Almond Butter
• 1tsp Softened Sweet Cream Butter (5g)
• 1/4tsp Blueberry Emulsion (or extract/One on One Flavors)
• 1tsp Water

PROCESS:

1. Mix Maple Syrup, Water, & Blueberry Emulsion with a whisk until the mixture comes together. Add in the Powdered Erythritol and whisk again. 
2. Add your Almond Butter & Sweet Cream Butter and mix again. 
3. Pour mixture into your molds, and pop into the refrigerator/freezer to firm up. We will be covering these with chocolate later. 
4. Once your fillings are set, you will want to start the chocolate melting process. To keep chocolate in temper, I find the microwave method to be the easiest. If you are using your favorite chocolate bar - melt it down by chopping into chunks and microwaving at 30% power for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in-between. Once you get it mostly melted with a few chunks left, stir your little heart out until it all melts down. Even if you think the chocolate isn't warm enough to melt the remaining chunks, I assure you that it is!
5. Now you will simply need to take one of the fillings out of your mold and cover with chocolate. I have found the best way to do this is with a fondue fork, but a regular fork will do as well. Grab a piece of wax paper and line a baking sheet. 
6. Place the 'filling ball' into the bowl of melted chocolate. Make sure the entire ball is covered, remove from the chocolate and place on the fondue fork over the bowl. Tap on the edge of the bowl with the fork a few times to shake off excess chocolate from the ball.
7. Carefully move the chocolate ball over to your wax paper and slide off the fondue fork with a toothpick.
8. Repeat with remaining balls of filling, allow to set, enjoy!