I like to make chocolate covered strawberrys for my girlfriend from time to time. This past valentines day I decided I wanted to spice things up a bit and put coffee in the chocolate. I tried a myriad of different ideas but in the end this is what I came up with. for failed attempts see last step. This is my first instructable. Let me know how you like it.

Step 1: Ingredients and Tools

Ingredients:

chocolate chips (or any other chocolate really dark is best)
Instant coffee (I prefer decaf because their is plenty of caffeine in the chocolate already)

Tools:

mortar and pestle
microwave safe bowl
dish for holding processed coffee powder
large spoon and smaller spoon
wax paper

Step 2: Grind the Instant Coffee

The Instant coffee will not dissolve into the chocolate so it needs to be as fine as we can make it. To do this I used my mortar and pestle. If you use your mortar and pestle for fire chemicals like I do make sure to thoroughly clean it out before hand.

Step 3: Melt the Chocolate

I like to use the microwave to melt my chocolate its nice and fast. You just have to be careful to not burn it. Using half the bag of chocolate chips in my microwave, I put it in for one minute take it out stir it and then for 30 seconds and stir it good and then for 10 seconds.

Step 4: Stir in the Coffee Powder

For half a bag of chocolate chips put in about 1/2 a tablespoon of our coffee powder. Taste it and then add more to your desired strength. I used about 3/4 a tablespoon for mine. Remember it is easier to add more coffee then to have to melt more chocolate.

Step 5: Use the Chocolate

Now you can use the chocolate for dipping strawberrys in, make mounds of chocolate for consumption, or whatever you want. This time I made little piles of chocolate to eat as is. Take a cookie sheet and lay out the wax paper over the top. Then using the two spoons scoop out and scrape off the chocolate into little piles and place in the fridge for a couple hours.

Step 6: Clean Up

I suggest cleaning up quick while its still melted because it makes it easier. I find that the dishwasher just doesn't do the job unless immediately ran after putting it in. Besides its finger-licking good:)

Step 7: Failed Attempts

Right of the bat I learned NEVER put water in the melted chocolate. I tried to put straight up grounds in the coffee but that made it grainy. Then I tried non ground up instant coffee but it was still too grainy. I tried to get the coffee to dissolve in vegetable oil and then add that but it would not dissolve. So I finally thought to grind it up and I tried grinding both the grounds and the instant coffee. The grounds did grind down some but the instant won out hands down.