Chocolate Basket directions

[Jann in TX]

Supplies:

Pretzel sticks

2 bags Wilton Milk Chocolate candy melts (14 oz each)

1/2 cup corn syrup

 

6 in cake pan or small container to mold base with

Waxed paper or parchment paper

M&M’s (one 6 in bag needs 12 oz)

Cellophane and ribbon (optional)

 

Prepare clay: (also called modeling chocolate)

 

Melt ONE bag of candy melts (directions on bag)

Be careful not to get any water near melted chocolate--they do not mix!

Gently stir in 1/2 c corn syrup--just until evenly mixed. Do not beat.

(Mixture will look oily and a bit grainy).

Cover and let set overnight.

 

Prepare pretzels and base:

 

Melt second bag of candy melts

Pour enough into your base mold (6 in cake pan) to made a depth of 1/4 in.

Set mold in freezer to harden (5-10 minutes).

It is ready when it dumps easily out of mold.

 

Dip pretzels into remaining chocolate (about 1 inch needs to be covered).

Set on waxed paper to harden-- you can put in freezer for a minute if needed.

 

Conditioning clay:

 

After sitting overnight the clay will be hard. You may also notice some paraffin may have separated (you can scoop this off and discard).

Use an old sturdy spoon to ‘dig’ out a small chunk of clay. Knead with your hands until the clay is smooth. Repeat until all clay has been conditioned. If clay gets too soft you may refrigerate for a few minutes (but do not store clay in refrigerator or freezer).

 

Making the basket:

 

Use small balls of clay to attach an EVEN number of pretzels to base (see pictures). For a 6 in basket I use 12 pretzels.

 

Make a ‘snake’ about 18 inches long with a diameter slightly larger than a pencil.

 

Weave the ‘snake’ in and out of pretzels. Pinch off any excess and smooth the join (Always join on the inside).

 

Repeat with 2 additional ‘snakes’, alternating starting positions, for a total of 3 rows.

 

Cut off pretzels (I use scissors) even with top row. Blow away any crumbs.

 

Make 2 ‘snakes’ and let them sit side-by-side for a minute to rest.

Braid together to make a rope.

 

Lay the rope over the top row-- Pinch off excess and join ends the best you can--this seam can be covered with an embellishment.

 

Embellish:

I usually embellish with a rose made from the candy clay and some leaves made by painting the BACK of real rose leaves with melted chocolate, letting them set in the freezer for a minute to harden, then peeling the leaves away. Attach embellishments with dabs of melted chocolate.

 

An alternate embellishment would be to roll out some candy clay between 2 sheets of waxed paper or parchment paper to about 1/4 inch. Use cookie cutter or knife to cut out a ‘holly leaf’ shape. Score ‘veins’ on leaves. Place 2 leaves end-to-end on the basket seam. Attach 2-3 red M&Ms for ‘berries’.

 

Fill:

 

Fill basket with M&Ms or similar candy and share!

If I will give as gifts I wrap in clear or iridescent cellophane (see picture).

 

Store:

 

Store baskets in air-tight container if they need to be saved for more than 1-2 days.

[Becca211]

Thank you so much! That is great!

[Hen]

lovely! I was going to warn against using a balloon for the mold- my mother did that when I was in college- we were scraping bits of chocolate off random spots in the kitchen for years! :lol: