Working with chocolate molds

How would you like to make your own peanut butter cups or mint cups. It is so super easy, you won't even believe it.

I know what you are thinking, what does this have to do with cakes. Well let me show you this darling cake done by Elaine Macgregor. Watch for the pink heart cake. I love this idea for a mother's day cake.

To get started you will need candy molds. Try to find molds in the shape of peanut butter cups or molds deep enough you can put filling in the centers. You can also buy actual bon-bon type molds. You will also need a microwave-safe glass bowl, chocolate, vegetable oil or shortening, a good bristled paint brush, peanut butter (for peanut butter cups), butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, meringue powder, mint flavoring of your choice (peppermint will give a peppermint patty flavor, spearmint, wintergreen).

For Peanut Butter Cups:
In a saucepan, melt 1 cup of peanut butter and 1 stick of butter on low heat or in a double boiler. Just completely melt the peanut butter and butter, you don't want the mixture too hot. Once melted, remove from heat and add powdered sugar until the mixture forms a soft fudge consistency. Set aside.

In a microwave-safe glass bowl, melt your chocolate on 50% power in short intrevels (15-20 seconds at a time) until completely melted. If the mixture seems too thick, add a little bit of vegetable oil or shortening to thin it slightly. You should be able to spoon the chocolate into the cups, and brush the chocolate up on the sides of the cup with the paint brush. *Note: If the chocolate hardens in your brush, place it in the warm chocolate to remelt it. Once you have spooned chocolate into each cup and brushed the sides with the chocolate, let it harden. Once the chocolate has hardened take a small amount of the peanut butter fudge mixture and roll it into a ball small enough to fit inside the cup. Place the ball in the cup. Gently flatten the ball slightly with the tip of your finger. Once all the cups have been filled cover each with more chocolate. Let these harden. Once hardened you can remove them from the cups by ever so gently twisting the tray first one direction and then the other. Remember to do this gently.

For Vanilla flavored Cups:

In a mixing bowl, cream a stick of softened butter until it reaches a velvety consistency. Add a teaspoon of vanilla and a teaspoon of meringue powder. Now add enough powdered sugar to make an icing stiff enough to roll into a ball. Set aside.

Repeat the steps above for lining your cup molds with chocolate. Now, instead of the peanut butter balls, add the vanilla flavored balls. Flatten the balls with the tip of your finger, and cover the vanilla balls the same way as the peanut butter. Let them harden and remove them from the cups.

For Mint Flavored Cups
Follow the instructions for the Vanilla flavored balls, except omitting the vanilla flavoring and adding the Mint flavoring. You can add more flavoring for a mintier flavor but you will also need to add a little more powdered sugar.

You can also add other flavors: strawberry, orange, and raspberry YUM.

If you have the bon-bon tray you can fill them this way as well. Another idea is to melt caramel and cool enough to roll into a small ball and put the caramel ball into a bon-bon. Just try to make sure it isn't so hot it melts the chocolate.

Another option is to mix a little shredded coconut to some chocolate and spoon over the tops of vanilla bon-bons that are some on wax paper. Or take some of your melted chocolate and add some unsalted spanish peanuts and spoon over caramel bon-bons or vanilla bon-bons on wax paper. Add quarter of a maraschino cherry to your vanilla bon-bons.

Wrap in fancy foil wrappers from your local party supply store and viola, you have your own homemade chocolates. Let your imagination run wild!