Chocolate Cups

Chocolate cups lets you serve candies, mousses, and ganache in a delicious, edible container! You can do so much more with them. Here I'm giving the easy way to make edible chocolate cups, & you might start making them on a regular basis. 

Ingredients

Chopped dark chocolate 

Small paper cups, preferably the harder/sturdier ones

Small clean paint brush (optional)

Method

For this recipe, you will have to temper your chocolate. Tempered chocolate will taste better.

I recommend that you do not simply use melted (untempered) chocolate, as it gets soft at warm temperatures & tends to run down.

So begin by tempering your chocolate by following these directions.

For Tempering The Chocolate

Kitchen utensils required-

Double boiler, or a saucepan and heat proof bowl to fit snugly on top of the open saucepan

Rubber spatula

Method

Coarsely chop the amount of chocolate your recipe specifies

Place ⅔ of the chocolate in a double boiler over gently simmering water. Ensure the water does not touch the bottom of the double boiler or your chocolate may overheat and lose its shine and smoothness.

Melt the chocolate for just about 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove the chocolate from the heat & stir in the remaining chocolate; stir with a spatula from time to time.

Keep stirring the melted chocolate until it cools down, & return to the heat stirring gently until the chocolate is fully melted.

Once the chocolate is smooth & shiny, it is ready to be used for chocolate curls, as coating or for making chocolate cups.

Maintaining the Temper - If you leave the double-boiler assembled but remove it from the heat, the warm water in the bottom is usually enough to keep the chocolate tempered until we’re finished dipping. If the chocolate starts hardening, you’ll need to repeat all the steps to bring it back into temper.

Chocolate Cups

There are two methods of making edible chocolate cups -

A) For the first, you will want to take a spoon & fill each cup half with chocolate. 

Swirl the cup so that the walls are evenly coated with chocolate.

Now invert it over the bowl of chocolate, letting the excess drip out. 

Once the extra chocolate is gone, you'll be left with a thin, even coating on the sides & bottom of your cup. 

B) The second method involves using a small, clean food-safe paintbrush. Fill a cup about a quarter with chocolate, then use the paintbrush to paint the chocolate up the sides of the cup to the top. 

Try to create an even layer, & inspect the cups as you finish them to make sure there are no weak, streaky areas.

Let the chocolate cups set completely, either at room temperature or in the refrigerator. You can now fill them with ganache, mousse, ice cream, or any other filling of your choice. They can be left open on top, or sealed with more chocolate on top of whatever filling you choose.

Tips

* Chocolate cups can be made up to a week in advance. Store, covered, in the refrigerator or freeze for up to a month. 

* Try and find sturdy paper or foil cases to make the chocolate moulds as they will be easier to paint with the melted chocolate. If they are thin or flimsy, you can use a few layered inside each other to make them stronger. 

* These chocolate cups would also be great made with milk or white chocolate.