Cellophane wrappers with twist ties (or cable ties)
Ingredients
12ouncesquality chocolatechopped fine
1/3cupabout 3 oz. carbonated sugar (I used unflavored Culinary Crystals, but flavored Pop Rocks candy will work, too!)
For the circuit board décor
1/2lb.Satin Ice green fondant
Circuit Board Stencil
Gold lustre dust
Art sponges and brushes
Clear extract or rum
4-inchheart cookie cutter
Instructions
Lollipops
Have the ungreased lollipop molds prepped with lollipop sticks and place them close to your work station to receive the melted chocolate. Place a disposable piping bag in a tall glass or plastic tumbler and fold the top of the bag back so that the glass holds the bag open.
Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl and heat in the microwave at 100% power at 30 second intervals until the mixture can be stirred smooth (about 1 minute). Stir in the carbonated sugar (expect some popping with this addition). Transfer the chocolate to the piping bag. Snip the end of the bag with scissors and pipe the chocolate into the lollipop cavities.
Place the lollipops in the freezer until set. Pop them out and decorate as desired. Allow the pops to come to room temperature before wrapping them.
For the circuit board decor
Please see blog post for the picture tutorial.
First, knead well 1/2 cup of the fondant until non-sticky and pliable. Knead in some confectioner's sugar if the fondant is too sticky.
Place a small amount of gold lustre dust on a plate and dilute to a thin watery paint consistency with drops of clear extract or vodka.
Roll the fondant between two pieces of parchment paper to 1/4-inch thickness. Let it stand until the surface dries a bit, about 2 minutes. Place the stencil on top.
You can use blue painter's tape to hold each side of the stencil down (a tip from pastry school!) just be sure the fondant's surface is completely dry before you add the tape. Use a sponge to dab the thinned paint over the stencil. Don't drag or wipe the sponge over the surface -dot,dot,dot it onto the surface. You should be able to see a light shimmer from the luster dust paint in the stencil’s crevices. Inspect the stencil thoroughly to make sure you didn't miss any spots.
The paint that doesn't get into the stencil's crevices will bead up on the plastic. Use a paper towel to wipe off the excess moisture.
Pour gold luster dust into a small bowl. Load a dry brush (large, 1-inch flat head or similar) with the dry powder Keep the brush flat as you brush the dry luster dust into the open stencil areas. The moisture added previously will help catch the luster dust in the grooves. Re-load brush with powder as needed. Let stand 2-3 minutes before using a paper towel to wipe off excess luster dust from the stencil.
Pull the stencil away very slowly to reveal the design. Let stand until completely dry, about 15 minutes. Use the heart cookie cutter to cut as many hearts as possible from the fondant. Brush the underside of the fondant with a little water and center the fondant hearts onto the pops.
Repeat process with remaining fondant and heart pops.
Place pops in cellophane bags and close with twist ties or cable ties.
Notes
These chocolate pops are not tempered, so I recommend storing them in the refrigerator for longevity. Overheated chocolate will bloom (become chalky white) on the outside. If your microwave is prone to over-heating, then add 2 tablespoons of vegetable shortening (Crisco) to the chocolate as you melt it. This will help keep the chocolate looking beautiful and doesn’t affect the flavor.