Chocolate Covered Raspberry Treats

These chocolate-covered raspberries have an amazing sweet-tart flavor and are perfectly juicy when you pop them in your mouth over and over again! Don’t be shy to just dig in! Here’s the recipe:

Prep Time: 10mins                               Cooking Time: 20mins                         Makes: 30 servings

Ingredients

Raspberries

• 30 large ripe raspberries from about 6oz
• ¾ lbs semi-sweet chocolate
• 1 lb fondant recipe follows
• pink food coloring
• chocolate thermometer for tempering (optional)

Fondant

• ¼ cup water (2oz)
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 cup Coconut Sugar
• candy thermometer

Instructions

Fondant

1 In a 4-quart saucepan, combine the water, honey, and Coconut Sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then wash down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush (prevents sugar crystals forming).

2 Cook the syrup, without stirring until the thermometer reaches 238°F. Pour the syrup into the bowl of a large stand mixer, but do not scrape down the sides and bottom of the saucepan. Insert the candy thermometer, and let the syrup cool, undisturbed, until it reaches 120°F.

3 Then start mixing the fondant on medium-low speed using the paddle attachment. After 10 minutes it should have a thick, sticky dough texture. If the fondant starts to get dry and crumbly when mixing, lightly wet your hands and gather the fondant into a ball. Dust a work surface with powdered sugar and knead the fondant like bread dough until the texture has smoothed out.

Raspberries

1 Cover several baking sheets with parchment paper and fill the bottom pan of a double boiler with water, and bring to a simmer. Place the fondant in the top pan of the double boiler and place it over the simmering water. Heat the fondant, stirring frequently, until it is liquid. Add a candy thermometer and continue to heat the fondant until it reaches 160°F.

2 Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 1-2 drops of pink food coloring and a drop or two of raspberry flavoring. Drop a raspberry into the fondant, and press it down with dipping tools until it is submerged. Scoop it out of the fondant and let the excess drip back into the bowl. Set it down on the covered baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining. Let the raspberries sit at room temperature for 10 minutes, until the fondant is completely set and hard.

3 To temper, the chocolate, remove at least a quarter of the chocolate and set it aside. Chope the remaining ¾ into small pieces, and place it in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the chopped chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring after every 30 seconds; until smooth and at the temperature of 115°F.

4 Add the reserved block of chocolate, stirring it in until it melts and cools. When it reaches 90°F, smear a bit onto a piece of parchment. If it starts to set within a few minutes, your chocolate is in temper.

5 When you’re ready to dip, pick up a fondant-covered raspberry with your fingers, and dip the bottom into the chocolate so that it comes about a quarter up the candy. Let the excess drip off, then place back on the baking sheet and then repeat with the remaining. Refrigerate the trays for just a few minutes to set the chocolate.

6 Use a dipping tool to dip the raspberries completely in the chocolate and then let chocolate set at room temperature. Store the chocolate-covered raspberries in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will last about 5 days but have the best texture within the first 3 days of making them.