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Surprise Your Candy Lover With Chocolate Bag Of Goodies

Joan Drake Los Angeles Times Syndicate

Trying to persuade a chocoholic to be your valentine? It’s in the bag - at least when the bag is solid chocolate, filled with mousse and garnished with semisweet chocolate hearts.

Two parts of the triple-chocolate dessert can be made several days in advance and stored in the freezer. That leaves only the mousse to put together a couple hours before serving.

If you still don’t have time to do the full monty, just make the bags. Fill them with a favorite flavor of ice cream and buy a box of chocolate dessert decorations in the baking section of the supermarket.

You’ll need a couple of half-pound coffee bags to mold the chocolate. Most shops selling coffee beans will part with them for a very nominal price. Use a pair of pinking shears to cut off the tops, leaving a decorative edge.

Chocolate bags aren’t difficult to make, but are fragile and need a gentle hand when the paper is being removed. Keep your hands cool by rinsing them with cold water so the chocolate doesn’t melt.

The heart-shaped garnishes are also easy if you draw outlines to follow. An ounce of chocolate is enough to let you practice and still make plenty to garnish two servings. The hearts can be simple outlines, filled with lattice or made of solid chocolate.

Quality counts, so buy the best semisweet chocolate you can afford. Choose the bar form, not chips.

Semisweet Chocolate Bags

2 (1/2-pound) coffee bags with wax lining

4 ounces semisweet chocolate

Chocolate Mousse (recipe follows)

Chocolate Hearts (recipe follows)

Using pinking shears, cut tops off so bags are 3 inches tall. If necessary, use double-sided tape to secure wax lining to outside paper layer on all 4 sides. Set aside.

Melt chocolate in top of double boiler over barely simmering water. Stir until smooth.

Using pastry brush, paint entire inside surface of bags with melted chocolate. Wipe outer top edge of bag to remove any excess chocolate. Place bags in freezer at least 2 hours.

Rinse hands with cold water. Remove 1 bag at a time from freezer. Beginning with flap at bottom of bags, gently cut and tear paper away. Wrap chocolate bags loosely in plastic wrap and store in freezer up to 3 days.

To serve, remove chocolate bags from freezer. Spoon or pipe half of chocolate mousse into each bag. Garnish mousse and serving plates with chocolate hearts. Store in refrigerator up to 2 hours before serving.

Yield: 2 servings.

Chocolate Hearts

1 ounce semisweet chocolate

2 teaspoons powdered sugar

To make a piping bag, cut an 8-inch square out of parchment paper. Fold into a triangle; form a cone by crossing corners of long side of triangle over each other, leaving a closed point at the bottom. Tape to retain shape and set aside.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw 2 sets of different-sized (1/2- to 1-1/2-inch) hearts on paper. Set aside.

Melt chocolate in custard cup set in top of double boiler over barely simmering water. Remove from heat and blend in powdered sugar until smooth.

Spoon chocolate into piping bag. Fold down top to compress chocolate, then snip off tip so filling can be piped out in fine line.

Pipe chocolate over outlines. Freeze until firm, then carefully remove from paper. Wrap loosely in plastic wrap and store in freezer up to 3 days.

Yield: 1 to 2 dozen hearts.

Chocolate Mousse

4 ounces semisweet chocolate

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 cup whipping cream

Melt chocolate in top of double boiler over barely simmering water. Stir until smooth.

Cut butter into small pieces. Whisk into chocolate until melted. Stir in vanilla and sugar.

Remove pan from hot water. Let cool slightly while whipping cream until stiff. Stir about 1/2 cup whipped cream into chocolate, then fold mixture into remaining whipped cream. Refrigerate mixture about 1 hour.

Yield: About 1-3/4 cups.