This is a Swiss thing. Ever since I emigrated to the US about 16 years ago I've missed this indulgent little delicacy. The bitter chocolate shell is the perfect companion for the sweet, gooey, fluffy white interior, and the cookie it rests on offers a delicious crunchy counterpoint.
Once again tempted by Instructables' contests (who can resist the lure of an ipad or a zing?) I was inspired to reverse engineer my favorite childhood treat. Although they look nothing like the smooth commercial "Tetes choco" my home-made candy turned out even better than I remembered....
Once again tempted by Instructables' contests (who can resist the lure of an ipad or a zing?) I was inspired to reverse engineer my favorite childhood treat. Although they look nothing like the smooth commercial "Tetes choco" my home-made candy turned out even better than I remembered....
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Signing UpStep 1: Ingredients
Marshmallow filling ingredients:
1/2 cup agave syrup (alternate: light corn syrup)
2/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp water
1 small pinch citric acid (alternate: pinch of cream of tartar or 1/6 tsp of distilled vinegar)
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp sugar
2/3 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking powder & 1/4 tsp citric acid (optional -- for extra fluffiness)
Chocolate covering:
5 oz semi sweet baking chocolate
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp butter
Wafer cookies
You can of course make any thin cookie from scratch, but I chose to be lazy and I bought a box of Belgian wafers. They were delicious. I also tried these with Graham crackers, which worked too but the result wasn't quite as satisfying.
Notes on ingredients
There are a few hard to find ingredients here: xanthan gum will usually be sold in health food stores (no idea why, really, there's nothing particularly healthy -- or unhealthy -- about it). It is a thickening agent, and stabilizer and I use it also to make sunscreen lotion. Usually the gelatin is used to make marshmallows, but this recipe with xanthan gum makes a fluffier, stickier fluff better suited for chocolate heads. Plus it's kosher.
The usual acid used in candy-making is cream of tartar (found by the spices in grocery stores) but since I didn't have any and I DID have citric acid I used that instead. It worked equally well to prevent sugar crystals from forming in the syrup. Vinegar would be your third choice, because it is liquid, and the whole point of cooking syrup is to reduce its moisture content. Citric acid can be hard to find, but it will sometimes be sold as "sour salt" (in kosher sections of grocery stores) or "lemon salt." It is an ingredient of borsch, and I use it to make my home-made alka selzer, bath bombs, bath melts, and dishwasher detergent, amongst many other application. It's a cool chemical to have around. The purpose of the citric acid/baking soda mix in the second part of the marshmallow is to make it fluffier: when citric acid and baking soda come into contact with moisture they produce carbon dioxide: that's why your alka selzer will fizz. In this recipe it also gives a tiny hint of sour flavor which I like too.
1/2 cup agave syrup (alternate: light corn syrup)
2/3 cup sugar
3 tbsp water
1 small pinch citric acid (alternate: pinch of cream of tartar or 1/6 tsp of distilled vinegar)
2 egg whites
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp sugar
2/3 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking powder & 1/4 tsp citric acid (optional -- for extra fluffiness)
Chocolate covering:
5 oz semi sweet baking chocolate
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp butter
Wafer cookies
You can of course make any thin cookie from scratch, but I chose to be lazy and I bought a box of Belgian wafers. They were delicious. I also tried these with Graham crackers, which worked too but the result wasn't quite as satisfying.
Notes on ingredients
There are a few hard to find ingredients here: xanthan gum will usually be sold in health food stores (no idea why, really, there's nothing particularly healthy -- or unhealthy -- about it). It is a thickening agent, and stabilizer and I use it also to make sunscreen lotion. Usually the gelatin is used to make marshmallows, but this recipe with xanthan gum makes a fluffier, stickier fluff better suited for chocolate heads. Plus it's kosher.
The usual acid used in candy-making is cream of tartar (found by the spices in grocery stores) but since I didn't have any and I DID have citric acid I used that instead. It worked equally well to prevent sugar crystals from forming in the syrup. Vinegar would be your third choice, because it is liquid, and the whole point of cooking syrup is to reduce its moisture content. Citric acid can be hard to find, but it will sometimes be sold as "sour salt" (in kosher sections of grocery stores) or "lemon salt." It is an ingredient of borsch, and I use it to make my home-made alka selzer, bath bombs, bath melts, and dishwasher detergent, amongst many other application. It's a cool chemical to have around. The purpose of the citric acid/baking soda mix in the second part of the marshmallow is to make it fluffier: when citric acid and baking soda come into contact with moisture they produce carbon dioxide: that's why your alka selzer will fizz. In this recipe it also gives a tiny hint of sour flavor which I like too.
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TheJenx
says:
Sep 9, 2011. 2:06 PMReply
Oh hey, these look kind of like moon pies. They sound delicious though! Is it possible to use meringue powder instead of egg whites? Just paranoid about raw eggs.
33
cowscankill
says:
Apr 30, 2011. 8:40 AMReply
Whoa, those look awesome. Wish I had more ingredients in my house!
15
yota
says:
Mar 13, 2011. 6:01 PMReplyI've just discovered these sweets the other day, and now I'm super-excited to try your recipe!
55
belsey (author)
in reply to Mar 14, 2011. 2:07 PMReplyLet me know how it turns out!
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