Sealed with a sweet chocolate stamp...
It's party time! Are you ready to celebrate by spreading some sweet love? How about serving desserts sealed with a little kiss of confection?
Anxious to try a little something novel, one Pinterest pin on my To garnish board has been stamped at the back of my mind for weeks. With a company of friends coming over this weekend, I decided to finally try it out. The original inspiration from Sprinkle Bakes blog by Heather Baird is so perfect I wasn't sure about how my attempt would result. Still, I fervently marched over to the cabinet for the bag of chocolate morsels, gathered my pretty wax seal stamps, and got to work trying some chocolate seals for my party treats.
First, I needed something to decorate, of course. Some sort of boxed mix is always a staple in the cupboard at this time of year. Thank God for good old Trader Joe's! You can use these chocolate seals on cupcakes, cookies, or even decorate the top of a larger cake, the choice is yours. Bake it yourself or let Shoprite help and buy premade goodies. It's about experimenting and having fun! I decided to bake mini gingerbread cupcakes and frost them with some homemade cream cheese frosting sweetened with maple sugar we brought back from our trip to Vermont.
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Waxed paper
Cup filled with crushed ice
Metal wax seal stamps
1) First, gently heat the chocolate chips in the microwave at 30-second intervals; be careful to not overheat. Stir until smooth.
2) Transfer the melted chocolate to a clean bowl and let it stand for 3-5 minutes or until it's barely warm to the touch. The chocolate mustn't be too hot when you make an impression with the stamp. The heat from the chocolate will automatically warm the metal stamp, which in turn will cause the chocolate to smear.
3) Meanwhile, place the metal wax seal stamps in the cup filled with crushed ice. The stamp bottoms need to be thoroughly chilled, so the chocolate doesn't stick to the stamp.
4) Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Drop dime-size amounts of chocolate onto the waxed paper with a spoon. Remove a stamp from the ice and quickly wipe it free of water droplets with a paper towel. Place the stamp onto a mound of chocolate, press down gently, then release. Let the stamp stand pressed in the chocolate for 3-5 seconds. Press down again very gently but firmly once more before you lift the stamp. You should be left with a clear impression on the chocolate. Replace that metal wax stamp into the crushed ice until it is thoroughly chilled and repeat with remaining melted chocolate. Refrigerate the finished chocolate seals until firm.
5) I frosted the gingerbread cupcakes as I usually do. Then using a spatula, transfer the seals onto the cupcake tops; press gently to adhere.
Holiday bites all sealed with a sweet chocolate stamp!
Wishing all a beautiful sweet holiday as an end to this year. I hope the New Year 2020 is filled with gentle love and prosperity for all! xoxo-Sonya
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