Chocolate Candy Creams for Valentine’s Day

I absolutely love Valentine’s Day! It’s the perfect excuse to indulge in all sorts of sweet treats, especially chocolate. There’s something about the rich, creamy texture of chocolate that just melts in your mouth and makes your taste buds dance with joy. That’s why this year, I decided to make some homemade chocolate candy creams for my loved ones.

Since my boyfriend and I celebrated Valentine’s yesterday by going to the Great Lakes Science Museum, I spent today making us some tasty chocolates while he played his video games. All in all, it’s been a pretty great way to spend this snowy Valentine’s Day, I must say.

And if you’re out of fun date ideas, doing something together that you can both enjoy, such as making candies, is always a good alternative to dinner and a movie.

Making the Candies

When it comes to making homemade chocolate candy creams for Valentine’s Day, the right ingredients can make all the difference. Here are the key ingredients that I use to make my delicious chocolate candy creams.

• Sugar: Sweetens the cream filling.
• Whole milk: Adds creaminess and richness to the filling.
• Heavy cream: Adds additional creaminess and richness to the filling.
• Cream of tartar: Helps to stabilize the filling and prevent the sugar from crystallizing.
• Vanilla extract: Adds flavor to the filling.
• Butter: Adds richness and helps to emulsify the ingredients in the filling.
• Chocolate chips: Used to coat the molds and form the outer layer of the candy.
• Candy melts: Used to coat the molds and form the outer layer of the candy. The pink color adds visual appeal to the candy.

The Easiest Valentines’ Day DIY Candies

Making your own chocolate candy creams may seem intimidating, but it’s actually quite simple. All you need is a few basic ingredients, a little bit of patience, and a lot of love. The end result is a deliciously smooth and creamy candy that’s perfect for sharing with your sweetheart.

1. In a saucepan, combine sugar, milk, cream, butter, and vanilla extract over medium heat. Stir until dissolved, then add cream of tartar.
2. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are incorporated. Clip on a candy thermometer and do not stir or remove from heat until the thermometer reads 236°F, which takes about 15 minutes.
3. Remove the cream from heat and pour it onto a cookie sheet on a cooling rack. Let it cool until it’s just warm and easy to work with a spatula or wooden scraper.
4. Work the mixture until it’s smooth and thick.
5. Roll the mixture into balls and let them set while you prepare the molds with chocolate.
6. Use a candy brush to cover the sides of the molds with chocolate. Place in a cold place to harden up.
7. Once hardened, press a cream ball into the center and cover it with the remaining chocolate. Tap gently on the table to get rid of any air bubbles.
8. Place back into your fridge and let cool completely before removing. Store at room temperature.
9. Enjoy sharing the delicious chocolate candy creams with your loved ones!

Let’s Jump Into It

Begin by combining sugar, butter, milk, heavy cream, and vanilla extract in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Slowly add the cream of tartar and stir with a wooden spoon until dissolved. Cook without stirring until the mixture reaches 236°F. The cream should bubble and double in size.

Once the mixture reaches 236°F, remove the saucepan from heat. If you have a marble surface, that’s great – use it to cool and work your cream. But if you don’t, a cookie sheet on a cooling rack will do just fine.

Allow the cream to cool until it’s lukewarm, and then use a wooden spoon to scrape it up and roll it into balls. Leave the balls in a cool place while you prepare your chocolate molds.

Here’s a quick trick for a mess-free way to melt your chocolate: microwave it directly in the piping bags! Use 30-second intervals to microwave your chocolate, and gently squeeze the contents every 30 seconds until it’s completely melted.

Here’s where you can get creative. If you plan on making a solid-colored candy, fill the mold halfway. If you want to decorate your candies, you’ll need to go one layer at a time. Since I want some white swirls on the tops of my chocolates, I need to let that layer set before adding another one.

If you’re going the solid color route, use a candy brush to cover the inside of the mold.

Then set aside to cool.

Once your chocolate shells have cooled slightly, you can start adding your cream centers.

Use the remaining chocolate in your piping bag to fill in the space around the cream centers. Repeat as necessary depending on how creative you want to get.

Then sit back and enjoy a romantic evening with your significant other. Love is in the air!