Three-Chocolate Bites

Easter is nearly upon us and those of you who have observed Lent will be looking for a satisfying reward for your sacrifices – while others will simply be delighted to tuck into these subtly superlative chocolate creations. The three layers of different chocolates in these Three-Chocolate Bites – dark, milk and white – make for a wonderful combination that appeals to lovers of all three kinds. The almonds lighten up both the texture and the flavour and because they’re full of good oils and fats, they make me think I’m eating something healthy 😉

And Easter makes me think of chocolate Easter eggs and other Easter chocolates in all those lovely shapes we traditionally see, such as chickens, rabbits, bells, and lambs. For my first batch of Easter treats I only had Champagne cork moulds so I am rewarding myself with really big bites of three chocolates! Also, my Champagne cork moulds are hard plastic, which makes it all the harder to release them. For my second batch I used brand new silicone “cannelé” moulds, in the shape of a traditional French cake from Bordeaux plus an old silicone heart-shaped ice cube tray and boy, was it easier to remove my finished bites! So if you have silicone moulds you’ll be a happy bunny – and maybe even a Happy Easter Bunny 😉

And if you’ve got a silicone Christmas mould of some sort – a wreath, a bell, a Santa Claus or Father Christmas face – you can make these delicious treats as fantastic homemade Christmas gifts for the foodies in your life 😉

I also got inspired at the hypermarket the other day and created a variation on this recipe by using caramel chocolate instead of the milk chocolate. I looooooove caramel and I can’t wait to dive into one of these tempting bites!

Three-Chocolate Bites
I first had these gorgeous chocolates at my local Thermomix demonstrator team meeting in France and fell in love with them at first bite. The recipe originally appeared in the Vorwerk Thermomix France quarterly owners’ magazine. Makes 30 to 48 bite-sized chocolates, depending on the size of your mould – and your bite!

Ingredients
210 g Thermomix icing sugar, divided 70 g + 70 g + 70 g
390 g whole almonds, divided 130 g  + 130 g + 130 g
150 g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids, broken in pieces
150 g milk chocolate, broken in pieces
150 g white chocolate, broken in pieces
a good pinch of salt for each type of chocolate

Equipment
Chocolate moulds, preferably silicone, such as corks, Easter eggs, chicks, bunnies, bells, etc.

Method

Before you start, make the icing sugar: Weigh 210 g sugar into TM bowl and grind 30 seconds/Speed 10. Tip out and set aside, or leave in one TM bowl and use your second for the rest of the recipe.

1. Weigh 130 g of almonds into your TM bowl and chop 30 seconds/Speed 10. Scrape sides of bowl with spatula.
2. Add 70 g of icing sugar and a good pinch of salt and mix 10 seconds/Speed 10. Scrape down.
3. Add the dark chocolate pieces and chop 5 seconds/Speed 10, then melt 3 minutes/60° C/Speed 1. Fill your moulds 1/3 full with this dark chocolate mixture and place in the refrigerator to set. Wash and dry your bowl.
4. Repeat the operation with the milk chocolate: Weigh 130 g of almonds into your TM bowl and chop 30 seconds/Speed 10.
5. Add 70 g of icing sugar and a good pinch of salt and mix 10 seconds/Speed 10.
6. Add the milk chocolate pieces and chop 5 seconds/Speed 10, then melt 3 minutes/60° C/Speed 1. Fill your moulds to the 2/3 full mark, adding the milk chocolate mixture on top of the dark chocolate and place in the refrigerator to set. Wash and dry your bowl.
7. Now repeat the operation with the white chocolate: Weigh 130 g of almonds into your TM bowl and chop 30 seconds/Speed 10.
8. Add 70 g of icing sugar and a good pinch of salt and mix 10 seconds/Speed 10.
9. Add the white chocolate pieces and chop 5 seconds/Speed 10, then melt 3 minutes/60° C/Speed 1. Make a third layer in your moulds by adding the white chocolate mixture on top of the milk chocolate and return to the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours to fully set.

Serve with coffee, port, or a sweet red wine such as a Maury. Be careful, these lovely Thermomix creations are very, very hard to resist!

Bon appétit !

Madame Thermomix’s tips:

1. The original recipe calls for melting each chocolate mixture at 50° C but I found the chocolate much easier to work with when melted at 60° C so I have modified the recipe in this way.
2. It is sincerely easier to get your chocolate mixtures into the moulds using a piping bag or just a simple plastic bag with a hole or a slit in it. Just don’t make the hole too big 😉
3. Don’t overfill your moulds with the dark chocolate or you won’t have room for the other layers. Make more, smaller chocolates and spread the joy!
4. I’m sure you’ve seen this trick on TV and it really works: give your mould several good taps on the bench to get even layers of chocolate. Go on, give it a whack!
5. Be sure to remove the blade when you wash your bowl so you don’t mix your chocolates from one layer to another.
6. Vary the flavours of your next batch – believe me, there will be many next batches! – with other nuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, peanuts, etc. Use your imagination and share your favourite combination with us by leaving a comment.
7. Vary the flavours again by using different cooking chocolates such as caramel. I’m drooling just writing this and can’t wait to taste the batch that’s in the fridge setting. Patience is a virtue as they say…

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