Today’s SCS CAS60 challenge was to use a sketch by Carly. You can see the details here. I wanted to make one more Easter card for my sale basket and I already had Mr Chocolate Bunny sitting on my desk so I put him to work. I really wanted to doo-dad this card up, but since it is supposed to be CLEAN & SIMPLE, I had to let it go!
Truthfully, this card doesn’t do a thing for me….I love the image, love the Nook & Pantry DP, love the PTI sentiment, but it is just lacking something…..oh well! I think I am in chocolate overload anyway after my attempt at making candy. Here are a few pix of the disaster (Pioneer Woman, I am not!):
Eggs beginning to be formed……
The chocolate melting, waiting for said eggs to come take a swim……..
And the final messy result………
Oh, it is painful to even look at them. This was the end of the batch, and I was running out of time and patience. Truthfully, once they hardened and I scraped off the sloppy edges, they didn’t look TOO bad…at least they do taste delicious! Even DH, who does not eat candy, liked the peanut butter ones. My issue was trying to coat the eggs….the warm chocolate softened up the eggs so much they were getting mushy, even though they had been refrigerated. The chocolate seemed too thick, and even after thinning, it was still a challenge. Since I have NEVER made these before, I guess some sort of trial & error is to be expected. Any hints from more experienced candy makers? I don’t plan to do this every month….more like once or twice a year, so I don’t need to be an expert, but something a little less frustrating than this would be nice! I guess I should just stick to making cards!
Oh my, They look yummy! Messy is always good. The card is great.
ReplyDeleteOoh, candy make I am not! I am definitely not one to give advice there! Your card is beautiful though! I love that old fashioned chocolate bunny image!
ReplyDeleteI'd eat anything chocolate, messy or not! Not exactly a clean and simple project, though.
ReplyDeleteThey're chocolate! Messy is important with chocolate. If not messy, then how could you justify licking your fingers?
ReplyDeleteI'm no Pioneer Woman either, but I wish that I were!! Just a suggestion/thought though. When I make chocolate covered candy I put the formed centers (your eggs here) in the frig whilst awaiting their chocolate swim. They won't soften that way as well and much easier to dip. Also, I always melt my chocolate in a double boiler and when it is just right dip away being sure to remove from heat. You can reheat it over hot water if it begins to thicken too much but if you continuously keep it hot it will get all yucky-poo. (Technical cooking language!)
LOVE your card! Now I'm hungry for Chocolate Easter Eggs. Sigh..........
Cute card-I would like to bite off one of their ears! (grin) No candy dipper here so can't help you but bet they are delicious.
ReplyDeleteThis card is tooooo cute, LeAnne! I love that Chocolate Bunny!!
ReplyDeleteYour candy looks yummy! When it comes to chocolate, all you need is chocolate!
I don't care what chocolate looks like, as long as it's chocolate, that's all that matters:) I'd come help ya eat 'em, for sure!!
ReplyDeleteThat's a cute little bunny card to add to the chocolate flavor too :D
I've never tried to make peanut butter eggs. My grandmom makes them....so I just eat hers, lol! It's probably better I don't try making them....I'd want to eat ALL of them (oink!).
ReplyDeleteLove that bunny card with the striped paper!
Thank you so much for your kind comments on my blog! I love your card, and the chocolate story was hysterical! I have a similar story about Linzer Heart cookies. I ended up being so frustrated I took a spatula to them and smashed them. It was horrible LOL. So glad I found your blog. I will be checking in...
ReplyDeleteI am definitely not a candy maker; but if you need a tester, I have lots of experience. Love your card! I love that choc bunny image & I never thought to just highlight his head. Great idea!
ReplyDeletehi LeAnne,
ReplyDeletewhat kind of chocolate did you use? I usually use the wafers from Michael's or my grocery store carries them in bulk. You can melt them in the microwave so they don't get super hot. Use a fork or a toothpick to hold them in the chocolate. Someone else suggested putting the pre-dipped eggs in the fridge until ready to dip - great idea! Hope all this helps! :)
By the way, cute card.
you can never have too much chocolate:) super cute, LeAnne!
ReplyDeleteChocolate peanut butter eggs??? WHO CARES about how they look? LOL I think the card is awesome, LeAnne!
ReplyDeleteYou do fabulous work!So cute!
ReplyDeleteAs for the chocolate dipping, I use 1/2 chocolate and 1/2 chocolate Almond bark and I drop in a 1/4 bar of parafin. It lets the choclate melt and dip smooth and allows it to harden a bit quicker. I also freeze my peanut butter balls and dip them the next day... almost instant "shell". I use a toothpick in each had one to spear and one to push off the dipped piece onto wax paper.