Taken with my camera phone, so they actually look much yummier and less greenish in person...

I’ve been experimenting lately with making chocolates, specifically filled ones. One, because if you’re feeling all angsty (is my book doing okay? are people liking it? do people hate it? is anyone reviewing it on Amazon? is anyone actually buying it? what should I work on next? etc., etc., etc.), there’s nothing like chocolate to soothe the soul. And two, I have about a billion silicone molds in different shapes.

The heart shaped one, though, is perfect for making filled chocolates. It’s nice and deep. Seeing as how I’m a huge fan of Reese Peanut Butter Cups, I thought I’d try those. I found a number of recipes online, but here’s what I did (and it worked, so hey)…

First off, you need chocolate (obviously). I used some organic milk chocolate melting chocolate I got at Whole Foods, but Nestle or whatever you want to try will work. For the filling, mix peanut butter with some confectioner’s sugar and some crushed crackers/biscuits (like graham crackers…I didn’t have any on hand so I actually used some malted milk flavored biscuits) until the consistency is kind of grainy.

Melt the chocolate (however you want to…just don’t burn it…I do it in the microwave at half power, taking out to stir every 30 seconds or minute or so). Put a bit into the mold, just enough to make a base. Jiggle the mold to get rid of any air bubbles. Then pop that sucker into the fridge or freezer to set it. Not for long…just a few minutes. It doesn’t have to be completely solid, just solid enough so that whatever you fill the center with doesn’t sink through to the bottom.

Put a rounded spoonful of the peanut butter mixture into the center of the mold. Try not to let it touch the sides. You can also fill with other things (I’ve now also done maraschino cherries and nutella). Then spoon more melted chocolate over it and fill to the top (or at least enough to cover all of the filling. Jiggle the mold again to get it all flat and nice and not air-bubbly. Pop back into the fridge or freezer for a few minutes (or up to ten, provided you can wait that long). Remove chocolates from the mold and Woot! Chocolates!

SO good. Now I want to experiment with other fillings and flavors and types of chocolates…This may be a bad hobby to take up, at least for the waistline.