Sunday, March 18, 2012

Dark Chocolate Shamrock Candies- Pinterest Fail!


So I was all excited to try and make these adorable Shamrock Treats I saw on Pinterest awhile back. They were reminiscent of my Christmas Pinterest Pretzel Bites and I thought they would be a perfect treat to serve at our St. Patrick's Day party this past weekend. I figured it would be so easy. I had the pretzels; I had the chocolate. All I needed was plain green M&M's. Easy right? So wrong.

 

I searched everywhere for those babies and they were no where to be found. The only thing I could find even remotely close to them was the below Mint M&M's. One problem, mint and pretzels don't really go together. So I improvised. And while my final product didn't end up like I had planned it was pretty darn cute and really delicious. Everyone loved them.


That is why I love Pinterest. You can start with someone's great idea and turn it into your own little twist of a version. This is a Pinspired treat that really did give me the inspiration to do something of my own, not just copy exactly what someone else did. So while it might have been a Pinterest fail due to my poor planning, it was a culinary success in my opinion.


Dark Chocolate Mint Shamrocks
  • Dark Chocolate Candies (I used Dove Promises from a Valentines clearance sale)
  • Mint M&M's or similar candies
  • Green Icing
1.) Bake dark chocolate candies at 200 degrees for 2-3 minutes on a baking tray covered in wax or parchment paper.


2.) While they were in the oven I made the M&M's into shamrock shaped groups of three to make it quicker and easier to place them on the chocolates while the chocolate was still warm.


3.) Press M&M's into the tops of the melted chocolate to resemble a shamrock. I mostly did "three leafed" ones as the "four leaf clovers" were a little tough to get the M&M's to stay on the chocolate without sliding off.


4.) Place tray in fridge or freezer to allow the candies to firm up.


5.) Peel hardened candies off the wax paper and use icing to add a little stem.


These are best stored in the fridge or freezer and eaten within 48 hours of making them. Enjoy!