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Chocolate Letters

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Ingredients
 

  • Good melting chocolate (dark, milk, or white), about ¼ pound – more or less depending on how many letters you'd like to make

Instructions

  1. Lay a piece of wax or parchment paper on a large cutting board or counter. Heat chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments until completely melted. Pour into a zip-top bag. Let the chocolate sit for a few minutes to thicken or place in the refrigerator for a minute. You don't want it to be too runny.
  2. Snip a small piece off one of the bag's bottom corners. You can always cut the hole bigger, so start small. Pipe chocolate in the shape of any letters or numbers you desire. I re-piped over the letters a couple of times to make them thick enough that they wouldn't break too easily. Let harden on the counter or in the refrigerator.

Notes

If using untempered chocolate, it will need to be tempered to ensure it sets at room temperature. Here is a quick how-to for stovetop and microwave:
Stovetop tempering: Melt 6 to 8 ounces of chocolate over low heat in a double boiler. (You can adjust down as needed or to test.) Then turn the heat off and add about a quarter cup (no need to measure, just a small handful) of chopped chocolate and stir it in. This brings the temperature back down which is how it tempers. I turn the heat back on if I need to add more chocolate (like when I’m making my chocolate peanut butter eggs) or if the chocolate cools too much and starts to thicken. Repeat the process as needed.
When melting chocolate in the microwave (which I often do when making Oreo bark or salted almond bark, for example), you can use a similar process. Just heat in 20- to 30-second intervals, stirring as you go. When all chocolate is just barely melted, stir in some chopped chocolate and let it melt in the heat of the already warm chocolate, stirring to incorporate.
The chocolate should then be put in a cool place to set up properly. I put the baking sheet in the refrigerator or near a cool window (time of year allowing) to set and fully cool. At this point, the chocolate should be shiny and set at room temperature.
Helpful hint: I do put the letters in the fridge for a few minutes before placing on the cake so the chocolate is firmer yet. They are easier to stick in the cake this way. Keep in mind that the chocolate letters are still delicate and that candles burning too near the letters will cause them to melt. Just keep a little distance and you should be fine!
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