Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and my son has given me a list of his classmate’s names last Friday, so that I would prepare something for them, like a bag of sweets with cute cards and whatnot. Obviously we would also give something to the teacher.
When I didn’t know Steemit half year ago, I was busy with my home bakery, and on Valentine’s Day we’d have special offer of chocolate covered apples, which I wanted to make for the teacher.
But of course, all those colored chocolate buttons we used have dairy in them, so I went to grab raw cocoa butter yesterday, and I made a trial half hour ago, and came up with this one 😁
I didn’t check whether I still have complete food colors in the pantry, I would have come up with better hair color, say yellow, just like what my bakery would produce, but ah well 😁 At least Cupid is vegan AF (no, not aquafaba 😂😂😂😂).
These weren’t vegan – the ones on this picture.
Sent a picture to my husband at work telling him that am sad it’s not yellow hair but orange/copper instead, he said it’s cute, it’s Irish Cupid 😁
I already grabbed goodies for the students and also a box of chocolate for the teacher, yesterday. If am not too lazy going out this eve, I think I will make another (with yellow hair) vegan Cupid.
For now though, here is how I made this delish vegan chocolate covered apple 😊
Ingredients
- apples of your choice
- 1 bag (250 g) raw cocoa butter chips, this wasn’t cheap, mine cost $12, another brand was $14
- enough icing sugar
- vegetable shortening, as needed – if needed
- white corn syrup, as needed
- food color, gel, Wilton brand is vegan friendly
- edible pen marker
- fondant/homemade modelling chocolate (storebought would have dairy mostly)
- water, if needed
- edible paper
Additions
- candy stick (I used skewer, it was a trial afterall excuses 😂)
- bowls for melting and mixing, spoon for stirring
- parchment paper
- piping bag and nozzle
How To 1
- line a parchment paper on a plate, set aside
- wash clean and pat dry apple, pull out the stem, discard
- push in skewer as shown
- melt cocoa butter in 30 seconds interval, they easily melt compare to chocolate chips, chocolate bars, chocolate buttons FYI. Stir in icing sugar
- stir in rose food color, lighter or darker result is depending how much food color you add into the cocoa butter, should it seize a little, stir in vegetable shortening, as much as it’s needed, only if needed
- dip apple in colored cocoa butter, place on the plate with parchment paper, chill in the fridge until it set
How To 2 – Making Hair
While waiting for apple in the fridge, let’s make cupid’s hair, which is also made of chocolate. Before vegan, cupid’s hair was ganache actually, just tinted yellow 😊
Now for vegan version of the hair:
- melt enough cocoa butter, tint with (as mine was orange food color) food color, and add water a drop or two, it will seize, then stir in enough vegetable shortening. Stir in icing sugar as needed
- spoon mixture into prepared piping bag
- take out apple from fridge and pipe “ganache” all over the top apple, a little to the side, and tons on the back, creating hair-like
Decorating
- with round cookie cutter/puncher/or even a round nozzle, cut two white fondant, as eyes (or chocolate modelling – see below), draw eyes with edible pen. Attach eyes with melted chocolate (left over from dipping apple or the dark chocolate on picture)
- draw wings on edible paper and cut with scissor. Attach wings with melted chocolate (from dipping apple or dark chocolate on picture)
- color a little fondant to make two balls (I tried to tint mine as much as I could to match the color of the apples). Attach these balls on the front sides of the apple as pictured.
- press a skewer on fondant to make indentation
- melt more cocoa butter, stir in icing sugar, tint with red food color, then stir in enough corn syrup until mixture become a mass ==> this is your modeling chocolate, so basically to make modeling chocolate, you just have to add corn syrup into melted chocolate. Rest a bit to harden a little, then shape into heart and end of arrow, let harden a bit then push them into each end of skewer. Attach this “arrow” on fondant “hands” as shown
- draw a smile and eye brows with edible pen and your Cupid is ready 😊
Delicious Cupid
Equipment
- edible paper
- candy stick (I used skewer, it was a trial afterall excuses 😂)
- bowls for melting and mixing, spoon for stirring
- Parchment paper
- piping bag and nozzle
Ingredients
- apples of your choice
- 1 bag 250 g raw cocoa butter chips, this wasn’t cheap, mine cost $12, another brand was $14
- enough icing sugar
- vegetable shortening as needed – if needed
- white corn syrup as needed
- food color gel, Wilton brand is vegan friendly
- edible pen marker
- fondant/homemade modelling chocolate storebought would have dairy mostly
- water if needed
Instructions
- line a parchment paper on a plate, set aside
- wash clean and pat dry apple, pull out the stem, discard
- push in skewer as shown
- melt cocoa butter in 30 seconds interval, they easily melt compare to chocolate chips, chocolate bars, chocolate buttons FYI. Stir in icing sugar
- stir in rose food color, lighter or darker result is depending how much food color you add into the cocoa butter, should it seize a little, stir in vegetable shortening, as much as it’s needed, only if needed
- dip apple in colored cocoa butter, place on the plate with parchment paper, chill in the fridge until it set
Hair
- While waiting for apple in the fridge, let’s make cupid’s hair, which is also made of chocolate. Before vegan, cupid’s hair was ganache actually, just tinted yellow 😊
- Now for vegan version of the hair:
- melt enough cocoa butter, tint with (as mine was orange food color) food color, and add water a drop or two, it will seize, then stir in enough vegetable shortening. Stir in icing sugar as needed
- spoon mixture into prepared piping bag
- take out apple from fridge and pipe “ganache” all over the top apple, a little to the side, and tons on the back, creating hair-like
Decorating
- with round cookie cutter/puncher/or even a round nozzle, cut two white fondant, as eyes (or chocolate modelling – see below), draw eyes with edible pen. Attach eyes with melted chocolate (left over from dipping apple or the dark chocolate on picture)
- draw wings on edible paper and cut with scissor. Attach wings with melted chocolate (from dipping apple or dark chocolate on picture)
- color a little fondant to make two balls (I tried to tint mine as much as I could to match the color of the apples). Attach these balls on the front sides of the apple as pictured.
- press a skewer on fondant to make indentation
- melt more cocoa butter, stir in icing sugar, tint with red food color, then stir in enough corn syrup until mixture become a mass ==> this is your modeling chocolate, so basically to make modeling chocolate, you just have to add corn syrup into melted chocolate. Rest a bit to harden a little, then shape into heart and end of arrow, let harden a bit then push them into each end of skewer. Attach this “arrow” on fondant “hands” as shown
- draw a smile and eye brows with edible pen and your Cupid is ready
