Christmas chocolate OVERLOAD: Saffron-honey dark chocolates and Blackberry-cassis dark chocolates

Ah, the chocolate craze this Christmas started a few weeks back with ginger carrot dark chocolates and peppermint ganache and continued with no break in the storm through Christmas.  So. Much. Chocolate.

Left to right (bottom to top):

Peppermint candy cane dark chocolate

Blackberry creme de cassis dark chocolate

Caramel chai dark chocolate

Saffron honey dark chocolate

And they all came packaged in these little treat boxes:

Yes!  That's my "company" logo on it.  Okay, I don't really have a company, or really a business in which I make money at all.  But I do make desserts for other people.  I do have real clients and orders, so I wanted to have a name and logo.  I have to say, I'm pretty proud of my business name and logo, which is a play off my last name, pronounced like the feminine pronoun, "she."  Clever, no?

Anyways, back to the chocolate.  As I said before, So. Much. Chocolate.  There were so many people who I had to gift boxes to, in addition to my parents' co-workers, for whom they'd ordered chocolates from me.  The chocolates came out deliciously.  My personal favorites were the saffron-honey dark chocolates--the ones on the far right:

The saffron-honey ganache was just to die for.  I seriously had to restrain myself from eating it all before it made it into the candies.  The combination of saffron and dark chocolate was so rich and decadent, with the incredible fragrance of the saffron and the bitterness of the dark chocolate.  I've honestly found a new favorite chocolate flavor combination.

The other chocolates were hits as well.  (More so, especially, since saffron-chocolate is a bit "out there.")  The peppermint candy cane chocolate used the peppermint ganache recipe here for filling.  In the blackberry-cassis candies was blackberry jam and strong cassis liquor-flavored ganache, for an extra robust berry kick.  The caramel-chai chocolates were filled with soft lemon caramel and Darjeeling/cardamom flavored ganache.  (Quite reminiscent, in fact, of the chai sandwich cookies I posted about a few days ago.)

I am super relieved that Christmas is over, and I can give the chocolate work a rest for a while!  Up next is buttercream and cupcake overload for a birthday party this coming weekend.

Okay, I am off to figure out a way to make champagne pancakes for New Years!  Enjoy the chocolates, everyone.  The recipes for the blackberry-cassis and saffron-honey chocolates are included below.

Happy New Years!

Read on for recipes...

Blackberry-Cassis Dark Chocolates

The recipe for the filling ganache is included below.  For directions on molding the candies, please use the recipe here.

6 oz. dark chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 Tbspn butter

3 Tbpsn creme de cassis liquor

Blackberry jam

1. Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl.  Set aside.

2. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine cream and butter.  Stir and bring to just barely a boil.

3. Remove the cream mixture from heat and pour over the prepared dark chocolate in bowl.  Allow to sit for two to three minutes, then stir until the chocolate melts into the cream.

4. Stir in the creme de cassis liquor.  Allow the ganache to set in the fridge overnight before use.

5. When filling the chocolate molds, pipe a bit of blackberry jam and then fill with the cassis ganache.

Saffron-Honey Dark Chocolates

The recipe for the filling ganache is included below.  For directions on molding the candies, please use the recipe here.

6 oz. dark chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 Tbspn honey

A generous pinch of saffron threads (~10-15)

1 Tbspn butter

2 Tbspn Godiva chocolate liquor

1. Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl.  Set aside.

2. In a saucepan, combine the cream, honey, and saffron threads.  Stir and bring to a near-boil, remove from heat, cover, and let steep for ten minutes.

3. Return the cream, honey, and saffron to heat and add the butter.  Bring to just barely a boil.  Make sure the honey is completely dissolved.

4. Remove the cream mixture from heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer over the prepared dark chocolate.  (to remove saffron threads, but if you don't mind the threads, skip the strainer.  I did.)  Allow to sit for two to three minutes, then stir until the chocolate melts into the cream.

5. Stir in the Godiva chocolate liquor.  Allow the ganache to set in the fridge overnight before use.

Enjoy!