Gifting 101: Homemade Chocolate Lollipops
There are some days when I just don’t want to involve myself in the hassle of actually baking. All the dirty bowls & measuring cups, the millions of ingredients, the flour all over the counter tops, the butter that somehow always ends up in my hair, the stress. Don’t get me wrong, I love everything about baking, the good & the bad (except maybe the buttery hair), but there are some days when I like to take the simple road. The road that ends up at Chocolate Lollipop Town. (I wish that was a real place.)
I made these lollipops as a birthday present for The Boyf’s sister’s birthday. As a baker, I just can’t bring myself to pass up an opportunity to whip up something yummy, which especially applies on birthdays. Sometimes whipping up something yummy involves no baking or measuring, it just involves a little bit of time & thought.
In this instance, I wanted to keep things simple, but classy. We love being (or pretending to be) classy. & dark chocolate lollipops with assorted toppings are so damn classy. Dark chocolate? Classy. Chopped up chilli rubbed peanuts? Classy (& delicious!). Flaked almonds & cranberries? Classy. Chopped cashews & cranberries? Classy. Cranberries & chopped candied fruit? Classy. (Told you so.)
I ended up making more lollipops than I had planned, so we all got to test them out, I even made some extra white chocolate ones just for The Boyf (that’s why he loves me). The combination of the dark chocolate with the saltiness of the nuts & the sweetness of the fruit was delicious. Simple, no-bake, classy deliciousness.
Ingredients
- 400-500g of chocolate (I used dark chocolate & white chocolate)
- chopped salted cashews
- chopped chilli rubbed peanuts
- chopped cranberries
- chopped candied fruit
- flaked almonds
- lollipop sticks
Method
- Place a sheet of parchment paper on your work surface.
- To melt the chocolate, place the chocolate (do it in two batches if using different types) in a heat-proof glass bowl & put in the microwave on full power for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, take it out, stir it around with a spatula, & put it back in for another 30 seconds. Continue on like this until the chocolate is just melted.
- Remove from the microwave & stir with the spatula until the last remaining lumps melt in the heat.
- Scoop a tablespoon of the melted chocolate out on the parchment paper & place a lollipop stick in the centre, twisting it to fully coat it in chocolate.
- Sprinkle with whatever chopped toppings tickle your fancy!
- Repeat 16-18 more times (or until your chocolate runs out).