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I know, right? Sounds awesome. Here's what's up:

For Christmas I got one of those do-it-yourself molds for making ice shot glasses. My idea is pretty simple: Melt chocolate and pour it into the molds and make chocolate shot glasses. I'm thinking maybe try doing some sort of fruit-flavored liquor (as the shot) with it as well.

Any suggestions on how to get started? My instincts tell me that straight melted chocolate that is then frozen / chilled wouldn't set well and the fats would their separate ways and not be good. Should I cut it with cream or milk? I'm most certain a double-boiler for melting is the best way to go and I was considering using semi-sweet baker's chocolate.

Levi Hackwith
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4 Answers4

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In order to get the chocolate to harden correctly, still look shiny, and have that nice snap when it is broken, you need to temper your chocolate. There are many methods for doing this, but the seeding method on this site is most people's preference:

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/155/Tempering-Chocolate

After that you tempered chocolate, follow this process:

  • Ensure molds are 100% dry
  • Fill molds completely with melted chocolate.
  • Tap the molds on the table or tap them with a spoon for a few seconds to get rid of the air bubbles.
  • Invert the molds over your bowl of chocolate and let them drain out, leaving a chocolate coating in the mold.
  • Place the molds face down over a sheet of parchment paper (or something like that) to let them drain out a little more.
  • Put them right side up again and let them dry for 20-30 minutes.
  • (optional) place the molds in the fridge for 10 minutes (will make demolding eaiser)
  • Invert the molds over a sheet of parchment paper. If necessary, tap gently or carefully twist the mold to get the pieces to release.

EDIT: First, if you are going with this technique, use real chocolate (the only fat should be cocoa butter). Second, if you can, use a high cocoa butter chocolate.

Computerish
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Straight baker's chocolate should harden just fine I'd think. We make almond bark and it hardens right back to it's original hardness. Melt your chocolate in a double boiler, then pour into the molds (I'm guessing you're okay, but you might need to cover with cooking spray), then I'd probably just pop it right into the freezer. Remove when fully hardened and enjoy...

talon8
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    I agree that this should work just fine. If you want to get fancy, you might also want to try tempering your chocolate. Tempering will give a nice shine to your shot glasses, and the melting point will be higher. Thus, they can be held for longer without your hands getting sticky with chocolate. If you search for "tempering chocolate" on this site you will find lots of information. – Henrik Söderlund Jan 14 '11 at 08:55
  • I *don't* agree with this. Yes, it will harden in the fridge/freezer, but it will melt again at room temperature and that is kind of the point here. Tempering it will raise the melting point and prevent it from collapsing on the tray. – Aaronut Jan 15 '11 at 19:09
  • Actually, this *could* work. If you melt the chocolate very carefully to 88 F for dark chocolate and don't let it get any hotter, then the chocolate will still be in temper. This technique is called incomplete melting and is sometimes used when only a tiny amount of chocolate is needed. But please don't use a cooking spray on the molds. Polish them with cotton and/or buy a real chocolate mold if it doesn't release properly. – Computerish Jan 17 '11 at 15:28
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There are chocolate shot glass molds that work much better than the ice molds. I have the same mold you link to and it makes the shot glasses way to thick. It is like taking a shot and then eating a bar of chocolate. I would recommend trying to find another mold.

What also works is to take actual shot glasses and chill them. Take them out of the freezer and use a small paint brush to brush the inside edges with melted chocolate and put back in the freezer. This doesn't work as well as a plastic mold because it is hard to unstick chocolate from glass as opposed to plastic.

Chris Haren
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You might look for 'chocolate coating'. It has other fats in it (typically cooconut oil) so it'll set up at warmer temperatures. It won't have the same mouthfeel as real chocolate, though, because it doesn't melt at body temperature, so you'll have to decide if it's worth the trade-off.

It's often found in cake decorating stores, or some craft stores that have candy-making supplies.

(note -- it's not the same as 'coating chocolate', aka 'couverture', which is a high cocoa butter chocolate)

Joe
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  • I would really discourage anyone from using coating chocolate. It isn't real chocolate and your guests will be able to tell that they are eating something cheap even if they have no idea what coating chocolate is. Just my opinion, though. – Computerish Jan 14 '11 at 14:32
  • Agreed with computerish. Coating chocolate is vile. –  Jan 14 '11 at 23:42
  • Agreed, it's not ideal ... but I suck at tempering, so it'll make shot glasses that won't melt as you hold them. – Joe Jan 15 '11 at 03:28
  • I don't like the flavour of this stuff, but FYI, it's usually sold here under the name "compound chocolate". – Aaronut Jan 15 '11 at 19:10
  • And also under the name "Chocolate Candy Coating". Just look for the Wilton logo and throw it in the trash. :-P – Computerish Jan 17 '11 at 15:25