Ice Cube Tray.... Chocolates!?

This past mothers day I wanted to do something special. I wanted to make something that would blow all the previous mothers day gifts out of the water. So i decided to make chocolates from scratch. But there were many problems with doing that. I had very little experience making chocolate, and i didn't have any of the equipment that i needed. It turns out that with a little ingenuity, and a little research, you can make something amazing. The chocolates were even better the second time around, especially with that delicious almond filling.

> Dark or milk Chocolate
> A Stove
> Large pot
> Small pot
> Chef's Knife
> Large Cutting Board
> Fillings (Jam, Almonds, Raisins)
> A plan on paper

Put a good amount of water into the large pot, and put it on high heat. While you are waiting for it to boil: Cut the bars piece by piece into small chunks or even smaller using the chef's knife. Be careful... When the water comes to a boil, bring it down to a simmer.

This is what the finished chocolate looks like. After you finish, scoop it into the small pot with your hands. Now we are going to substitute two pots for a double boiler (something i didn't know existed before). With the chocolate in the small pot, slowly dip the bottom into the simmering water in the larger pot. Using a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon, mix the melting chocolate for about 30 seconds. Then remove it from the water, and stir it some more. It should be a mixture of lumps and melted chocolate. Then put it back into the water for a few seconds and remove it again. Stir vigorously until it is completely smooth.

Now we have melted chocolate, ready to go in the ice cube mold. So get the mold ready next to the stove, and using the spoon or spatula to help, pour the chocolate in a stream into the mold. You want to pour it until it just reaches the top of the mold. Then let it sit and your done.

The only difference with these is you drop the filling (chopped almonds) into the pouring chocolate when the mold is half full. Then you  pour the rest of the way. Simple. Pour halfway, drop in the almonds , pour the rest of the way.

I like to throw mine in the freezer for a while to get them to dry faster. Then they are nice and easy to pop out of the mold later. Then i let them sit on a plate at room temperature for a while to dry completely. Then you're done!!

Profit!!!!