Recipe from Bake me I'm Yours....Chocolate: Stars of Wonder



Bake me I'm yours....is a series of books which stand out for two reasons: the expertise of its authors and its cute covers. The books are smallish and very attractive with their polka dots spine, their little imitation rubbons, they scream "buy me". I first came across the collection with Sarah's Sweet Bite Size Bake.

The formula is the same for each book. About a third is dedicated to "How to" chapters and nitty-gritty sections, a lot of expert information to help  the readers to progress.

For example, in Chocolate by Tracey Mann, a page is dedicated to chocolate moulds, should we use plastic or silicone shapes?

Each piece of advice is then summed up on a banner at the bottom of the recipe pages.

Take Tempting Truffles, which I am off to make next, the bottom banner states the pages for basic tool kits, tempering and ganache.

Tracey Mann is a highly successful Cake Designer, her chocolate creations are stunning, I would not say they are simple but simple enough for average bakers to give it a go. Reading through her book, I was transported in a kind of Bake Off situation. For the recipe which is reproduce below you will need to know how to temper chocolate and how to make simple chocolate bites.

As the world and its wife know, I am not the best of bakers, following a recipe seems to be beyond my natural abilities however I feel confident that with this book, I could create that sexy birthday cake. Because of its layout it forces you to focus on each element and isn't that the secret of making beautiful creations. The devil is the details.

Stars of Wonder

These sparkly chocolate bites will make perfect treats for the stars in your life this Christmas. Serve on a platter at a party or tie together with ribbon as a classy gift.

you will need
(for nine bites) …
one batch of chocolate bites, 6cm (23⁄8in) in diameter
250g (9oz) white chocolate paste
25g (1oz) dark couverture chocolate
large star cutter
disco white hologram edible cake glitter
red dusting spray

1 Prepare a batch of chocolate covered bites. Evenly roll out 250g (9oz) of white chocolate paste onto icing sugar and use the large star cutter to cut out nine star shapes.

2 Spray some of the white chocolate paste stars with the red dusting spray and dust the remainder with the disco white hologram edible cake glitter.

3 Temper 25g (1oz) of dark couverture chocolate and place in a disposable piping bag. Pipe a small dot of tempered chocolate onto the top of the chocolate bites and position a star on top. Pipe another dot of tempered chocolate onto this star and arrange the second star in a contrasting pattern, lternating between red and gold stars for interest.

For tasty stocking fillers, tie a stack of three biscuits together with an organza ribbon Chocolate Bites

These mouth-watering chocolate bites are so simple to make and don’t even require any baking.

They can either be made as indulgent cookies for yourself or to give as gifts –
simply use a variety of cookie cutters to vary the size of your bite.

ingredients (for nine small bites or four larger bites) …
12 digestive biscuits (Graham crackers)
250g (9oz) white, milk or dark chocolate
55g (2oz) butter
60ml (4 tbsp) drinking chocolate
30ml (2 tbsp) golden syrup
18cm (7in) tin
Round, metal cookie cutters

Do not let the chocolate set completely, or it will be diffi cult to cut out the
individual bites

1 Melt the butter and golden syrup together in a pan over a low heat.
Add the drinking chocolate.

2 Crush 12 digestive biscuits in a bag with a rolling pin. Add the melted mixture to the crushed biscuits. Push the mixture into the tin until it is flat and chill for approximately 20 minutes.

3 Temper 250g (9oz) of the chocolate of your choice, pour onto the mixture and spread into an even layer using a palette knife. Tap the tin to remove any air bubbles and leave for approximately 10 minutes at room temperature until the mixture is partially set.

4 Before the chocolate has gone completely hard use the round metal cutters to cut out the bites. Leave to harden before decorating as desired.

Thank you to FWMedia for authorising the publication of the recipe, photo and for sending 3 copies to readers and myself