Chocolate Christmas Tree

By Alan Tetreault

Click on any photo to enlarge.

This Chocolate Christmas Tree is so easy to make and such a delight on a holiday table.  It is a great project you could easily do with children or grandchildren in less than one hour.  Mercken's Chocolate Compound wafers make chocolate making easy and no tempering of the chocolate is required.

Using Tree Mold #24329, fill with melted green Mercken's chocolate compound.  Tap the mold on the table to be sure all air bubbles are pushed to the surface.  Place in the freezer on a level tray and allow to harden completely.  It may take 15-20 minutes for a mold this large.  When completely solid, flip the mold over on to a piece of wax paper.

Stack the tree from the base up using a little melted green chocolate as glue between each layer.  I did not use the top small star that is on the mold.  Instead, I used the GSA Clear Edible Sugar Diamonds.   Place a small drop of white or gold colored chocolate on a sheet of parchment or wax paper.  While the chocolate is still soft, place 5 diamonds in a circle to form the star.  Allow to solidify in the refrigerator for a few minutes.  Remove from the paper and attach to the top of the tree with a little melted green chocolate.

I used Super Pearl Dust and a soft round artist brush to add some "snow" highlights on the ends of the bows.  Next, I used blue, red, white and yellow Candy Writers to add dots of colors on the ends of the bows.  To use the candy writers, simply immerse tip first in a cup of very warm water for about 5 minutes.  Gently massage the tube until you feel the inside has melted.  Then, cut off a small piece of the tip and apply the chocolate dots.  Always be sure you do not melt candy writers in very hot water.  This will cause the chocolate in the tubes to become very hard, ruining the candy writer.

The chocolate gifts were made using Mold #24300.  Begin by squeezing a little colored chocolate from one of the candy writers into the ribbon section of the mold.  Using a fine artist brush, gently spread the chocolate so that the entire ribbon part is covered.  Refrigerate the mold for a few minutes.  Then, pour melted chocolate into the mold, tap on counter to remove bubbles, then freeze for 5-7 minutes until solid.  I then wrapped some of these chocolates in Christmas Foil to add color and variation to the chocolates.