Coffee Creams

Delightful coffee flavored chocolate covered creams. These sweet treats are perfect for the coffee lover in your life. Laurice: host, director, editor, executive producer Gilly: assistant host, director of photography, lighting, cat wrangler Fashion Jewelry provided by: Gems by Gilly Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GemsbyGilly/ Email: [email protected] Pieces worn: Snow Storm Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Laurice: https://twitter.com/LauricesKitchen and https://www.facebook.com/LauricesKitchen/ Gilly: https://twitter.com/LauricesKitche1 Coffee Creams Ingredients: 2 cups, 460g, white granulated sugar ½ cup, 118ml, water, filtered ¼ cup, 59ml half and half, or light cream 1 tablespoon, 15ml, instant espresso crystals 1 tablespoon, 15ml, light corn syrup ½ teaspoon 3ml, vanilla 16 ozs, 453g, semi sweet chocolate morsels, such as Ghiardelli 3 tablespoons, 35g, shortening In a medium heat proof glass bowl, add the chocolate chips and shortening and set aside. In a 3-quart saucepan with a heavy bottom, combine the sugar, water, cream, coffee crystals, and corn syrup and set over medium heat stirring continuously. When the mixture begins to boil, carefully clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Cook until the mixture reaches 234º to 236ºF, 112º to 113ºC, stirring continuously. The mixture should boil evenly over the entire surface. This should take about 15 – 20 minutes. The last few degrees will go very quickly, so pay attention. Once the sugar reaches temp, turn off the burner and let the mixture cool without stirring to 110ºF, 40ºC. This will take close to an hour. Remove the thermometer and add the vanilla. Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until it becomes thick and resembles peanut butter both in texture and color. This may take in excess of 20 minutes of constant stirring, so have backup ready to step in and stir if necessary. Quickly scoop candy, by teaspoonful, and shape into balls placing them on a parchment covered baking sheet. Allow the candies to set fully. They should look dry. Re-roll them if they set out of shape. Place the candies in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, place the bowl of chocolate and shortening over a small saucepan with about an inch of water in the bottom, simmering slowly, not boiling. Heat gently until everything is melted and smooth. Drop cold coffee creams, one at a time, in the chocolate. Use a dipping fork to gently lift them out and allow the excess chocolate to drip off. Place the creams on a clean parchment lined pan. If the uncoated creams start to soften, return them to fridge to firm up. Enrobed creams can be refrigerated for 30 minutes to set the chocolate before cupping. This recipe makes about 45 ¾-inch coffee creams.