Have you been to one to many cookie decorating parties lately? Here’s a twist on an old idea; host a chocolate making party with your friends and family instead.
There’s no telling what you will come up with at a chocolate making party!
Four generations of women in my family recently got together for an afternoon of chocolate making. It was a great event.
The guidelines for our chocolate making party were simple: bring what you need to make what you want. The result: Loads of extra supplies to create amazing and unexpected taste treats.
I started out with Dark Chocolate, Lavender and Blueberries. This chocolate combo reminds me of spring gardens and tea parties. These treats will be a fun teacher or hostess gift.
Dark Chocolate with Lavender and Blueberry.
My next planned recipe was White Chocolate with crushed Candy Canes layered on top of Dark Chocolate. These bars will accessorize our “cash” gifts. Cash is king with teens, but I still love to give the gift a personal touch.
Dress up cash gifts with a bit of chocolate.
I ended up with this dark chocolate bark cobbled together from left over ingredients. I puddled chocolate on wax paper. Then, sprinkled dried cherries, crushed pistachios, cayenne and sea salt on top of the chocolate.
Dark Chocolate with Pistachio, Cherry, Sea Salt and Cayenne.
I love the look of the imperfections in the cracked chocolate pieces. This chocolate is very thin and loaded with flavor. I’ll pass these out to our neighbors while we all shovel out the driveways in the early morning frost.
Here are a few notes to consider when hosting a chocolate making party.
1) Provide snacks! All the sweet smells and taste testing can give you an unpleasant sugar rush. We spent an afternoon on our feet. You need some fuel for that sort of endurance. Light refreshments like crackers and tuna salad, cheese or chips and salsa counter the sweetness nicely.
2) Ask your guests to bring their ingredients prepped and ready to go. IE: Chop the nuts, zest the lemons. Having everything ready to go allows you more time to create and enjoy each-others company.
3) Clear your schedule. Chocolate making takes a bit of time. We met at lunch time and worked through to dinner.
4) Less is more. Go easy on the toppings, especially when it comes to lavender. You don’t want to chew on hay or have your chocolate taste like soap.
5) Sprinkle you ingredients on top of the chocolate instead of mixing the additions into the chocolate. The flavor won’t change but you will have a more attractive chocolate to gift or serve.
Here is an opportunity to fund your next chocolate making party. Sugar & The Spice just joined The Let It Snow Giveaway. You could win $500 just for supporting some terrific bloggers! Good Luck!
You had me at chocolate and party! What a great idea! I love how you included four generations of women from your family. What a great experience!
Carla recently posted…“You Can Be Anything!” with the Snoopy iPad App
Great tips for the party!!!Thanks for sharing
YUM! What an awesome idea. Will have to see what I can do for a New Year’s gathering.
Leona recently posted…Blah Days in Your Business
Every time I come to your site, I swear I begin to drool! I didn’t know you also did chocolate-making! I could see it it being a great activity to do with friends or family. My favorite is the dark chocolate bark!
Sherrie W. recently posted…#FrugalReads – December 17th, 2013
Great idea! Love it!
i love this idea. so yummy…
Candy Hoehn recently posted…Newborn Photographer in Bucks County 10 day old Newborn Baby Girl
That one that was “cobbled” together looks de-lish! I love chocolate.
Jayne Townsley recently posted…Then and Now
What a lovely idea – it sounds such fun – the only problem for me might be I want to eat it all before it’s transformed :/ x
Sarah Bailey recently posted…Win Christmas Mini Megs from Moonpig
Pinned! I am hosting another MNO in January and I am collecting ideas. Thanks!
Elizabeth recently posted…Christmas Tree Skirt Tutorial (No sew or sew)
I have been to a cookie exchange before but I have never been to a chocolate party! That sounds like a delicious option!
Jenn recently posted…Wordless Wednesday~ My Tree of Memories!
Yummy! Incorporating family recipes makes the day that much more fun!
Now that looks good, A Great Chocolate Party!
GossipMoms (@GossipMoms) recently posted…18 Great GIFs That Define The Year 2013 In Sports
Those look yummy! I just recently made chocolate molds for a youth ceremony for our church. It was super fun!
Liisi Carr recently posted…Ceramic Fry Pan
I love chocolates, uhm,, yummy.. thanks for sharing this
thesellerfrank recently posted…Adsense Hosted Account Approval Tricks the Fastest Way
This looks so yummy!
Cara @ Craftdictator recently posted…Whip It Up Wednesday
I just found my molds yesterday and can not wait to make some yummy chocolate today! Yours turned out great.
Jennifer Williams recently posted…How Do You Like the New Look?
These look so fun to make and a perfect custom gift! I love the molds used.
I love making bark too, and the irregular shapes are my favorite thing about it. (Next to the way it tastes)
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell recently posted…Pepperoni White Pizza Skillet Recipe
Looks like you had fun making all of this!
Ohhhhhh chocolate! Ohhhh chocolate! What a nice gift to give from the heart!
Pamela @ Still Dating My Spouse recently posted…WARNING: is your marriage broken like Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian marriage?
Jess these look amazing. I have been looking for something like this for to dress up the gift cards I will be giving the kid’s teachers. The pistachio, cherry chocolate looks amazing!
paula recently posted…Why Books Make Great Gifts
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