It wouldn’t be Christmas at our place without chocolate!
This year we’ve made Christmas trees using a mix of Callebaut 811 (54% dark) and 823 (milk), both Fairtrade. The trees were a little fiddly to make and definitely a two-person assembly job. The moulds cost a tiny $2 from Candyland Crafts…
My chocolate truffles were dipped in a dark 74% blend. They’re looking a little rustic this year…
Finally, we’ve made plum pudding truffles by blitzing fruit cake in the food processor, then mixing it with a slosh of rum and melted dark chocolate. The mixture was shaped into balls before dipping in tempered chocolate…
Only a few more sleeps! I hope you’re all having a fun festive season!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Oh my! I would love to get lost in a small forest of those trees!
And the fruit cake truffles? Sensational!
Thanks Heidi! There really is a forest after today’s effort – nine more trees today, and I’m all done. The last lot were made with the “Kit Kat” chocolate that I blogged about a while ago…
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2011/07/17/paillete-feuilletine-and-fair-trade-chocolate/
Fantastic post, as always! And just $2 for the kits! Wow. Love the idea of the truffles. Happy cooking.
Lizzy, I buy almost all my moulds from Candyland Crafts – the shipping is expensive, but there is such a wide variety to choose from. Hope the Christmas prep is all going well in your kitchen! :)
Beautiful, Celia! The trees look delightful and the truffles are very tempting. And not at all rustic.
I saw a bottle of Chritmas Cake flavoured essence somewhere recently! I think it was meant as a coffee flavouring but it would be interesting to use it to flavour all-chocolate truffles.
Thanks Suelle! I’ve only ever made mint flavoured truffles, I’ve never tried other essences, but it would be an interesting experiment!
Oh my goodness, those trees are simply amazing! I can’t believe the beautiful creations you two make in your kitchen!!
Thanks Abby, we were like a well-oiled machine by the end of it. I would paint on the chocolate “glue” and Pete would assemble, then we would both look and try to decide if the tree was lopsided. Making stuff for Christmas with Pete and the boys is one of the great joys of my year. :)
o Wow, those plum pudding truffles look divine, now what am i going to do? if i make them-. I will have to keep doing taste tests on those too!! I don’t know anything about working with chocolate because i don’t eat it. But i am sure i could make those. OK. I will try and find the melting chocolate.. c
Celi, you don’t eat chocolate? I wish I didn’t eat chocolate today, after quite a lot of “taste testing”, I couldn’t eat dinner tonight! :)
The trees were ‘a little fiddly to make’??? I would think VERY fiddly. They look incredible and perfect and delicious. What a great idea. Beautifully photographed too.
Charlie, thank you! They ARE delicious, and very gorgeous, but they ain’t dainty. We ate a test tree tonight, and we had to break it up with a rolling pin. Serious lump of chocolate, that.. ;-)
Oh wow, I’m so impressed. I mean I’m happy with brownies, let alone an entire tree!
Thanks Greg! They were fun to make – we like to find something different to do each year, and it was nice to find these moulds!
you saved the best til last celia..the trees and chocolate truffles look absolutely delicious but it’s those fruit cake truffles that i would walk to sydney for..:)
Jane love, you walk to Sydney, and I’ll come out with a tray of truffles to meet you.. ;-)
wow! they look spectacular.
Thanks Linda! All Fairtrade too, so this year my conscience is a little clearer! :)
They all look delicious Celia – oh to be in your house this festive season, or be the recipient of such a gift!
I love those trees, they’re really special – you have such a talent creating beautiful chocolates, and so wonderfully festive. I am resisting clicking on your link, but may have to treat myself to some moulds in the new year!
C, I really do wish you lived closer, I reckon we’d have a ball! Do check out Candyland Crafts if you’re interested in chocolate making, they have oodles to choose from!
steady hand needed there I would say – simply divine celia.
Question – how do you store the trees as I would be concerned they would get moist in the humidity?
I’m envious regardless…
Thanks Sue! This summer has been pretty cool, so we haven’t had a problem with the chocolate this year, but in really hot Christmases we store them in our airconditioned living room. If the chocolate is well-tempered, it won’t bloom unless the temperatures really get extreme.
Delicious treats as usual. You sound like you are enjoying your self!
Thanks Tania! It’s actually been a bit hectic, but I’m all done now, so I’m feeling quite pleased. :)
Wow Celia. Wow! Those trees are fantastic. They’re better than anything I’ve seen in a shop.
I just keep finding recipes I want to make. I’ve done more baking in the last week than in the last few months!
Claire, thank you! It’s that time of year, isn’t it? We’ve done all our hampers now, but I’ll probably do some last minute baking next week!
Those look divine Celia!
Back when you inspired me to go to the Chef’s Warehouse I picked up some Callebaut, I plan to have a play with some of it after Christmas during our annual fortnight off.
Rose, thanks! The Callebaut is just so great to work with, I adore it! Hope you have a lovely fortnight break! :)
Gorgeous Xmas trees, Celia – I so admire your patience.
Christmas is such a good excuse for lots of chocolate, isn’t it!
Amanda, thanks, I’m just about done with chocolate though. A little too much tasting today, I think.. ;-)
Oh my goodness – we are all thrilled by those trees, though now that has prompted Louis to ask me to search for chocolate dinosaurs. Have a lovely Christmas Celia!
Thanks Alex! Here’s a photo for Louis from Easter a couple of year’s ago (choccies came from Colefax)…
I would be if I could only have a little box of some of these.. and a tree please and thank you! I can’t believe you’ve made all these! I’m inspired to try my own chocolates!!
Smidge, I wish I could send you some! Chocolate making is fun, but you need some basic kits (thermometer, heat mat, good chocolate) and patience! :)
I can only imagine how tricky it is. I melted chocolate in a bain marie just to dip my biscotti in and it seized up so quickly… maybe I overheated it? Very fussy stuff!
In case it’s of use, I wrote about tempering chocolate a couple of years ago…
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2009/06/26/how-to-temper-chocolate/
It really is quite easy once you get the knack.. :)
Ooh as a lucky recipient of these I can vouch for how delicious the truffles are! They have a lovely thin coating a silky smooth centre. We’re going to serve the tree at Christmas dinner ;) That is, unless Mr NQN eats it first!
Lorraine, make sure you break the tree up with a rolling pin! It’s a solid hunk of chocolate! Glad you’re enjoying the truffles.. :)
You amaze me, just beautiful!
Thanks Cindy! :)
What lovely cake truffles Celia! Those little trees are gorgeous too, especially witha dusting of sugar snow.
Only a few sleeps to go indeed, I hope you’ve been a good girl this year :D
Hi darling, hope you’re feeling better! I’ve tried to be good this year, Santa, honest I have.. ;-)
your chocolate making looks wonderful and delicious! Have a great week! x
Yvette, thank you, hope you have a great Christmas week too! :)
Plum pudding truffles? It’s fruit cake, it’s rum…and it’s chocolate. That right there is Christmas in a ball :-)
Brydie, they’re very easy to make! I usually use leftover Christmas pudding (I always get a couple of really nice ones as gifts each year), but this year I had an experimental fruit cake which didn’t quite cut muster, but it was perfect in this recipe.. :)
I love the trees, so beautiful no matter how fiddly to put together!
Thanks Claire! All up we made 15 this year! :)
Celia, wonderful post all around…
I left a comment but it never showed – I think my iPad is playing tricks on me when I try to comment using it…. strange
anyway,I could never make those chocolate trees, you never stop amazing me!
Thanks Sally! I’m not sure what the problem is with iPads – another friend told me she had trouble leaving comments on blogs with hers too…
Oh Celia how beautiful.
Wishing you and yours a very Happy Christmas!
Norma, thank you! Merry Christmas to you and your family as well! I hope you’re feeling better… x
You are such an inspiration Celia! Beautifully done!
:-) Mandy
Thanks so much, Mandy! All the best for a wonderful Christmas! x
Oh, dear Celia these are so beautiful and I can eat all of them :) Thank you, with my love, nia
Thank you, Nia! Hope you’re enjoying the festive season!
There is always a vacancy in my little chocolate kitchen for a patient dedicated passionate chocoholic as yourself. Those trees as amazing and I know exactly how labour intensive the assembly is. Do you cover your hands with chocolate mitts?
Gillian, if it wasn’t for the distance and the $2k air ticket, you know I’d be moonlighting in your kitchen. It would be so much fun! :)
Don’t wear gloves, Pete and I got a system down pat after the first few. We’d paint the tempered chocolate glue on each layer, and then assemble quickly, touching only the bits that wouldn’t show on the finished tree. The icing sugar covered up any missed fingerprints. Our last batch were made from a blend of the milk and dark Callebaut, filled with the paillete feuilletine, which made them a little easier to break apart for eating.
Meanwhile back in the forest of chocoate dreams the sky grew strangely dark, as chocolate snowflakes fell into their open mouths as they wandered stickily through the pine trees. Chocolate fruitcake snowballs flew through the air as the smiling bloggnomes waddled happily through the icing sugar…. Ah me xx
Oh how I would love to live in your imagination, Jo.. :) xxx
Those Christmas trees are just the cutest things! And the truffles looks divine, too!
Some friends and I got together last week for a Christmas bake off in a hired community kitchen. Much fun although exhausting. Everyone divvied up their goods at the end of the day so we all came home with a wonderful assortment of treats! The belly is in overload, I feel….
Oh boy, thos Truffles look like the stuff of dreams….
I love those trees :) Theyre fab!!