A Homemade Box of Chocolates

Published Feb 09, 2011 10:00 AM

A Homemade Box of Chocolates

Instead of giving your loved one the usual store-bought sampler this Valentine’s Day, show your affection with a beautiful assortment of handmade chocolate candies.

Alice Medrich’s House Truffles

Alice Medrich, the unofficial First Lady of Chocolate, shares her recipe for ultra-smooth, ultra-rich chocolate truffles. See the recipe for Alice Medrich’s House Truffles »

Chocolate Amaretti Truffles

Amaretto, coffee, and crushed almond cookies flavor rich dark chocolate truffles in an adaptation of Julia Child’s recipe from her classic cookbook, The Way to Cook.

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cordials

Invertase, a liquid enzyme that’s found in small bottles at most candy-making supply stores, is used in these candies to liquefy the luscious fondant filling. Once you’ve made the cordials, it will take about ten days for the filling to liquefy. We based this recipe on one found in Peter Greweling’s Chocolates and Confections (Wiley, 2010). For more Valentine’s Day recipes, check out our guide. Get the recipe for Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cordials »

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Nougat Squares

These decadent candies taste best with a pinch of sea salt sprinkled on top.

Brigadeiros

Fudgy Brazilian chocolate balls rolled in chocolate sprinkles look fancier than they are–there’s no baking required here. See the recipe for Brigadeiros »

Hazelnut and Apricot Rochers

Hazelnut liqueur adds an extra-sweet, nutty flavor to chopped hazelnuts, dried apricots, and semi-sweet chocolate.

Vanilla Cream Fudge

We based this recipe on one that appears in Peter Greweling’s Chocolates and Confections (Wiley, 2010). Get the recipe for Vanilla Cream Fudge »

Nutty Chocolate Bark with Cardamom and Coffee

A flavorful combination of cardamom, dried mulberries, tart cherries, almonds, pistachios, and coffee beans tops dark chocolate in a crunchy, gorgeously layered bark adapted from Louisa Shafia’s The New Persian Kitchen. See the recipe for Nutty Chocolate Bark with Cardamom and Coffee »

White Chocolate-Mint Truffles

These white chocolate truffles will stand out beautifully in a box of otherwise dark-colored candies. See the recipe for White Chocolate-Mint Truffles »

Cardamom-Laced Milk Chocolate Truffles

We based this recipe on one that appears in Peter Greweling’s Chocolates and Confections (Wiley, 2010). Feel free to improvise with the coating, using other kinds of ground spices, nuts, or chili powder.

Chocolate Marshmallows

We use Dutch-process cocoa powder here because it’s mild and won’t overwhelm the sweetness of the marshmallows. Get the recipe for Chocolate Marshmallows »

Chocolate Truffles

Adding rolled oats that have first been ground in the food processor helps hold these chocolate balls together while giving them an earthy note. Get the recipe for Chocolate Truffles »

Peppermint Patties

The crisp, cool edge of peppermint is always a refreshing combination with chocolate–just don’t box these in an assortment of chocolate candies or the peppermint flavor will invade the others. See the recipe for Peppermint Patties »

Chocolate Coconut Balls

These pretty little balls are filled with coconut and cream, and dusted in cinnamon, cocoa, and sugar. See the recipe for Chocolate Coconut Balls »

Bourbon Balls

These truffles are spiked with bourbon and subtly textured with chopped pecans and vanilla wafers. See the recipe for Bourbon Balls »

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