Strawberry Balsamic Chocolates and Valentine’s Day Round-Up

Instead of buying a box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day, how about making a few of your own? These Strawberry Balsamic Chocolates have a dark chocolate shell filled with a creamy strawberry balsamic chocolate ganache.

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I used these molds to make the chocolates into a decorative square shape. I poured the melted dark chocolate into the molds, then flipped them over and tapped out the excess so there was just a coating around the edges (I created quite the mess doing this). I refrigerated the mold for a few minutes to harden, then filled the squares with the strawberry balsamic ganache. After another short refrigeration, I topped the ganache with more melted chocolate, pushing an offset spatula across the top to smooth. I refrigerated the chocolates for a little longer before popping them out of the molds.

After adding the melted chocolate to the mold, make sure to tap the mold against the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. I forgot for this batch and noticed a few bubbles after removing the squares from the molds.

If you don’t have any special molds available, you can refrigerate the prepared ganache until it starts to solidify but is still soft enough to handle. Use a melon baller or small scoop to make balls from the ganache. Use a fork to coat them in melted dark chocolate and allow the excess to drip off before transferring them to a parchment lined baking sheet. Allow to set before serving.

Baking My Way has a great detailed guide on how to temper chocolate.

Here are some more ideas to celebrate Valentine’s Day:

Strawberry Balsamic Chocolates
Adapted from Baking My Way

Strawberry Balsamic Ganache:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces dark chocolate
Pinch salt
1/4 cup strawberry jam
2 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Chocolate coating:
12 ounces dark chocolate chips

 

To make the ganache: In a small saucepan, bring the cream and butter to a boil. Remove from heat and add the 8 ounces dark chocolate. Let sit for 30 seconds before stirring until smooth. Stir in the salt, strawberry jam, and balsamic vinegar. Transfer to a bowl and let sit until room temperature.

Use a double boiler or microwave in 20 second increments to melt the 12 ounces dark chocolate until smooth. Pour into the desired mold, tapping against the counter to remove air bubbles. Make sure all the edges are covered, then flip the mold over and allow the excess chocolate to drip out, scraping the top with an offset spatula to remove any extra. Refrigerate for about 10 minutes to set.

Fill the chocolate-lined molds with the room-temperature strawberry balsamic ganache. Be careful not to overfill. Leave enough room to cover with chocolate. Refrigerate the mold for another 15 minutes. Re-melt the dark chocolate until smooth. Cover the ganache-filled mold. Tap the mold gently to remove air bubbles and scrape across the top with an offset spatula to remove extra chocolate. Refrigerate for 10 minutes to set before popping the chocolates of out the mold. Repeat with remaining chocolate and filling. Store the chocolates in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Let sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving.