Have you ever looked for an elegant dessert to present at an important party? How often have you searched and searched for a simple, yet expensive looking gift to give to a special friend? Have you ever had to prepare for a wedding, but wondered what you could do to make the wedding stand out above all the rest?
Well, now you can make your own chocolate bags. Gourmet chocolate bags are sold for as much as $30 per bag, empty and plain! Some of the finest chefs offer chocolate bags as a dessert container or fine chocolate gift. Now YOU can put your guests, friends, and co-workers at awe with this simple, yet elegant idea!
Supplies Needed:
* Chocolate Chips
* Glass Bowl
* Stirring Spoon
* Rubber Spatula
* Scissors
* Tape
* Coffee been bag (found at the grocery stores when purchasing beans) with plastic (preferred) or wax paper lining
* Refrigerator or freezer (optional)
Pour your chocolate chips in the glass Bowl. Put the bowl in a microwave and heat for 3 minutes on high, stirring every 20-25 seconds. Heat until chocolate chips have completely melted and the chocolate is smooth.
Take the coffee been bag and cut to desired height - about 4" high. The taller the bag, the more difficult it is to make the chocolate bag.
Once cut, take two pieces of scotch tape and tape the lining to the outside of the coffee bag. This will keep the lining from sliding from the weight of the chocolate, and will help keep the bag open a little.
Next, scoop some chocolate onto the rubber spatula. Take the spatula and coat the inside bottom of the bag with chocolate, taking care to fill in the corners as much as possible. Next, coat all four sides of the bag, all the way to the top. Again, take care to get chocolate in the corners of the bag. This will help the outside of the bag look smooth (no gaps or bubbles) and will let the bag be leak-proof if you choose to fill it with mousse or ice cream which may melt.
Once this first coat is applied, you may either let the bag sit at room temperature for several minutes until it hardens, or put it in the freezer (about 5-10 minutes).
Once hard, take the chocolate bag and apply another coat of chocolate. However, this time, put the bag up to a light. The purpose of this is to see if there is any light coming through the chocolate. If you can see light coming through the chocolate, that area either has no chocolate ( a hole), or is so thin that it may break once you tear the paper off the chocolate. Wherever you see a light spot, coat with chocolate. Also, add a second layer of chocolate to the base of the bag to make it sturdy. When done, let it cool again until hard.
Finally, carefully tear the coffee bag from around the chocolate. Viola! A fine, gourmet chocolate bag!
**If you would like to make the chocolate bag even more impressive, you may melt other varieties of chocolate (white, dark, colored, etc) chips. Add a couple tablespoons of melted shortening to the chocolate to thin the mixture. Then, drizzle the chocolate lightly over the outside of the bag to give it a gourmet drizzle effect.
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