Yeah, the ones you get in chocolate assortments are a pretty complicated thing to make.
If you want to simply dip fruit in chocolate for a dessert, it's much easier, but they won't keep any longer than the fruit will.
In general, chocolate for coating stuff neeeds to be tempered (slowly brought to a certain temperature, and then kept at that temperature for a certain time. If you don't do this, the chocolate will tend to go nasty looking after a while. A way around this is to use a chocolate coating compound, which is chocolate with other ingredients to keep it stable. If you're not buying high end chocolates in the store, that's what's was used. If you're going to make and eat, tempering is less of an issue.
If you want to use up mini-muffin papers, though, I've got a good recipe.
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup walnuts, very coarsely chopped (about 1 cm pieces)
- zest of a lemon, finely grated
- 1 cup chopped white chocolate
Melt the white chocolate with the zest in a double boiler. As soon as it's melted, turn off the heat, add the walnuts and fruit and mix well. Let cool until you can handle it comfortably, and drop a spoonful on each muffin wrapper. Let cool until solid.
I take these into work at Christmas, and people love them.
