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Dark Chocolates With Orange & Ginger Centre

10 min +
10

Have you ever tried making your own handmade chocolates? Well, fear not! This is the simplest way to make the prettiest gift for any special occasion – Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, you name it. This method uses a microwave to melt the chocolate and doesn’t involve tempering.

These dark chocolates with orange and ginger taste divine as they combine the bitterness of the cacao chocolate shell with a sharp, fresh, orange and ginger centre. What’s more, the combination of the crisp outer shell made with Food Thoughts Luxury Chocolate Chips (70% dark) and the soft oozy centre creates a great surprise. They just pop in the mouth. And once you’ve tried one, you won’t be able to stop. So, if making these as a gift, make sure you make more than your need to give away – or come up with a plan to stop eating them!

What is more exciting is that you can be as creative as you want with these dark chocolates with orange. Swap the orange and ginger with strawberry jam, mint, caramel or hazelnut praline. Or sprinkle Food Thoughts Roasted Nibs in the case before you pure the chocolate shell mix or even add nuts such as crashed pistachios or salted almonds. Share your ideas on social media and tag us – we love seeing your creations.

You will need

Method

Preparation: Put your mould in the freezer for 5 minutes. Prepare your work area by putting a large baking tray (lined with greaseproof paper) on the work surface with a wire cooling rack sitting over top (this will be used to catch the excess chocolate). Have a spatula with a straight edge or cake edge tool to hand (if you don't have these - use a ruler). Make sure there is a flat space available in your freezer.

Make the Chocolate Shells: Put the Dark Chocolate Chips in a microwaveable jug or bowl. Melt in the microwave in 30 second increments until all are melted and smooth. Do not over cook - instead remove when there are still small pieces of chocolate unmelted and stir until these are fully incorporated. Fill your mould with melted chocolate so each compartment is about half full. Shake and roll the mould so that the chocolate covers all the insides. Place the mould upside down on the cooling rack to allow excess chocolate to drip out. After a couple of minutes you are ready to turn them the right way up.

Run a straight edged tool, spatula (or ruler) across the top to scrape the excess chocolate from the top of the tray. Put the mould in the freezer for about 2-3 minutes until the chocolate is set.

Remove the chocolate shells from the freezer. If you find that some of the sides are not coated properly then simply add a little more chocolate to patch it up (you could use your finger for this). Fill the shells with half a teaspoon of orange marmalade and 2 pieces of ginger. Press the filling into the shell so there is no trapped air and leave some space on the top (2mm). Wipe away any drips of filling from the edges of the chocolate and put the mould back in the freezer for 5 minutes.

If your melted chocolate in the jug has solidified (which it probably will have!) then this can be put back into the microwave to be remelted. You can also collect the drips from the baking tray and add this to the same jug to avoid waste.

Remove the mould from the freezer and pour the melted chocolate over the tops to seal. Use the scraping device, once again, to remove excess. Return the chocolates to the freezer. Once the tops have set, pop the chocolates out of the mould and store them in the fridge.

If you wish to decorate your chocolates then use a little melted dark cacao chocolate to adhere your decorative finish (eg dehydrated orange segments or glitter) to the top of the chocolate. Keep the chocolates in the fridge if the weather is too hot.