Chocolates

Yes, 'tis the season for chocolates!!  So for posterity, I've decided to document a little more this time.  Especially for my mother who likes to record every last detail from year to year, so we can improve from the year before.  Each time she takes notes...and I mean DETAILED notes.  She would say, "well, it looks like we started at 10am last year, and it's 9:30, so we're making great time".  She records who brought what, how many we made of each kind, what time we started and stopped, and what we should do different the next year.  I even took a picture of her reading her notes that she takes so seriously.  Seriously love her!  I love the picture too, because of the huge diet coke in the background.  Me and Stacy had to get our morning caffeine before we started (mom's a little disgusted).

So, before the chocolate making begins, we each have a list of things to make and bring with us.  This year, me and Stacy each made 2 batches of fondant (non-flavored), my mom made a batch of the chocolate fondant.  Then I made a triple batch of crunch (toffee, they just always call it crunch in Canada, so does my mom, so we do too!)  Stacy had to make a double batch of nougat, and my mom made the regular caramels, and the black licorice caramels.  Then we all bring what we have of the flavoring, toppings, nuts, etc.  My mom brings the milk and dark chocolate.

We start on a Thursday afternoon.  We combine all the plain fondant so all the chocolates will be the same consistency.  Then we divide them up and add the flavors.  After that, we use a teaspoon to measure the fondant and roll them into balls.  We then take the full pans to the garage to chill over night  We do some of the prep work for the next day (getting boxes ready, cutting up caramels, tempering chocolate, chopping coconut,etc.).  Then we go out to dinner with my dad and watch a movie, then off to sleep to rest for the busy day ahead.

Day 2 begings with a Diet Coke run at the Maverick for me and Stacy while my mom pours over her notes, to make sure we didn't miss anything.  Then its dipping, dipping, dipping!  Yielding over 1800 hand dipped chocolates.  Here are the varieties:

 

Caramels

Almond

Chocolate

Mint

Almond Joy

Nougat

Nut Cluster

Black Licorice Caramel

Snowball

Half Dip

 

 

AND....the finished product! (after that much work, they're not easy to part with)