You and your kids can make your own homemade chocolate lollipops, hand-dipped candies, and edible cards using a melted bar of high-quality chocolate.

Ingredients

• Large high-quality chocolate bars
• Assorted toppings for coating

• Assorted treats for dipping
• Icing pens (small tubes of icing available at baking shops and grocery stores)

Instructions

1. CHOCOLATE LOLLIPOPS: a) Simply place the bar in a resealable plastic bag and microwave one minute at a time on high power until just barely melted. You can also melt the chocolate by placing the bag in a pot of simmering water. For white chocolate, only use the water method. Note: Before your kids start working with the chocolate, be sure the bag isn't too hot for them to hold. b) Cover a cookie sheet with a piece of wax paper and lay down a lollipop stick, popsicle stick or half of a straw. c) Snip a small hole in a corner of the resealable plastic bag. With the chocolate, draw a heart shape around the top part of the stick or straw and then fill it in. d) If your kids have trouble making the heart shape, just have them form a circle. Continue until the chocolate is used up. You can decorate the still-warm lollipops with shredded coconut, nuts or sprinkles.

2. EDIBLE VALENTINE'S DAY CARDS: Children can "draw" messages on these chocolate "cards" with a colorful icing. Many valentines prefer dark chocolate, but your messages will show up better on white chocolate. a) Simply place the bar in a resealable plastic bag and microwave one minute at a time on high power until just barely melted. You can also melt the chocolate by placing the bag in a pot of simmering water. For white chocolate, only use the water method. Note: Before your kids start working with the chocolate, be sure the bag isn't too hot for them to hold. b) Snip a small hole in the corner of the resealable bag. On a cookie sheet covered with waxed paper, squeeze the warm chocolate out of the bag, making a 3- x 5-inch rectangle or a large heart. Smooth the surface with a knife dipped in warm water and refrigerate or freeze the chocolate until it hardens. c) Meanwhile, whisk together 1 egg white and 1 1/2 cups of sifted confectioners' flour to make the "paint." Divide the mix

3. HAND-DIPPED CANDIES: a) Microwave the chocolate in a bowl, then dip any of the following items to make chocolate candies: cookies, dried fruit, granola bars, pretzels, peanuts, caramels or cherries. To avoid messy hands, you may want to try dipping some of them with skewers or toothpicks. Place the chocolate candies on a cookie sheet that has been covered with wax paper and refrigerate or freeze until they harden.

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Find more about:

• Candy |
• Chocolate General |
• Valentine's Day

Related Categories:

• Sweet Treats |
• Candy