Valentine hack: Homemade chocolate roses are easier than you might think

What a lovely idea -- great for older kids who get a kick out of using the stove. From Leah:

My students do a fundraiser every year for Valentine's Day by making candy roses and selling them. It's actually a pretty easy project: you buy candy-making chocolate (we've had it in milk, dark and white), sticks, and the molds. (As I said, we do roses, but I bet craft stores sell molds in other shapes, like hearts.)

You melt the chocolate in a double boiler (or we actually just use a Pyrex in a pot of water on a hot plate). Pour in mold, insert stick. Put in mold in freezer for a few minutes to set.

Because our kids sell them, we buy packets of "wrapping". But depending on the distribution, you could leave them as is, or you could just use a sandwich bag, colored cellophane, or something else easy to cover the top.

We call them "candy rose grams" and attach a business-card size note to each one.  (one-hole punch the card stock and tie it with ribbon)

More: Best of Parent Hacks: Valentine's Day

Comments

[Will]

Not a bad idea, but avoid the freezer. It'll ruin the temper of the chocolate and will not only lead to a grainy texture, but also will cause the chocolate to be more prone to melting prematurely.

[Annette]

I agree with Will: chocolate should never be put in the freezer. And the thought of school candy grams reminds me of how much I hated Valentines' day in high School!

[Hayley]

Ah, but Will, Leah specifically mentions using candy-making "chocolate", not the real thing. The candymelts, as they're known around here, are mostly veg fats & wax & don't need to be tempered. Hence the easy factor!

[Tiffany]

Well, I definitely know what the teachers will be getting this year. Fantastic! Thanks, Leah.

[Aruni]

I think anything chocolate (even if it has been frozen for a little bit) is great...except if you are on a diet. :-)

Our kid's school actually encourages bringing things other than candy.

[Jennifer Emick]

There's an easier way to do this..you can but two hershey's kisses end to end, wrap in red cellophane, and attach to a florist's wire stem with florist's tape. The result is a pretty convincing rosebud.

If you want to use real chocolate for a project but keep the temper, melt the chocolate on the low setting (on waxed paper) of a heating pad - the sort you get from the drugstore. This keeps the temperature low while still melting the chocolate.