25 Oct Chocolate Ghost Lollipops

Australia’s ‘Queen of Chocolate’, Kirsten Tibballs, has created some spookily delicious chocolate treats this Halloween!

Makes: approximately 30 truffles.

Ingredients

For the plastic chocolate

500g Callebaut W2 white chocolate, melted
100g Callebaut cocoa butter, melted
150g glucose
20g white oil soluble colour (titanium dioxide)
50g water
Callebaut white chocolate truffle shells

For the milk chocolate honey ganache

87g       Bulla Pure Cream
20g       Honey
½ tsp  vanilla bean paste
150g     Callebaut 823 Milk Couverture
300g     Callebaut white chocolate W2, for dipping

For the dark eyes and mouth

50g Callebaut 2815 Dark Couverture

For assembly

cornflour or corn starch, for dusting

50g Callebaut W2 White Chocolate

Method

Prepare the plastic chocolate

Place the chocolate, cocoa butter, glucose and white colour in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture reaches an even consistency. Add the water and emulsify again. Pour the mixture onto a tray lined with plastic wrap and cover with a second sheet of plastic wrap. Allow the mixture to crystallise at 16˚C for 24 hours.

To use the plastic chocolate, knead it with your hand to get an even consistency and softness. Store the plastic chocolate at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out.

Make the milk chocolate honey ganache

Place the cream and honey in a saucepan, add in the vanilla bean paste and bring to a boil. Place the milk couverture in a bowl and pour the boiling cream over it. Whisk by hand until all the chocolate is melted and combined with the cream to create a ganache. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the ganache. Leave at room temperature until it cools. Transfer the prepared ganache into a piping bag and pipe it into each of the truffle shells, filling to the top.

Temper the white chocolate and add in the titanium dioxide, mixing together until fully incorporated. Transfer some of the chocolate to a paper piping cone and pipe a small amount of the chocolate on top to seal the truffle shells. Stick the lollipop sticks into the base of the truffles immediately before the chocolate sets. Once the chocolate sets, dip each truffle shell into the tempered white chocolate and place onto a lollipop stand or stick into a polystyrene base.

Make the eyes and mouth

Temper the dark chocolate and transfer to a paper piping cone. Pipe a small amount of the chocolate in the shape of eyes and a mouth onto a piece of baking paper or a guitar sheet on top of a baking tray. Allow to cool.

Put it all together

Lightly dust the top of the bench with cornflour. Roll out the plastic chocolate to a round shape 10-13cm and 2-3mm thickness. Temper the white chocolate and transfer some to a paper piping cone. Pipe a small amount of the chocolate on top of the truffle shells to ensure the plastic chocolate sticks to the shell. Cover the outside of the truffle shell with the plastic chocolate and create the desired ghost shape by immediately curving it with your hand. Finally stick the eyes and the mouth onto the body of the ghost, securing with the tempered chocolate. Leave the plastic chocolate until it sets completely.

Kirsten Tibballs is one of Australia’s most celebrated and respected pastry chefs and chocolatiers. She teaches chocolate workshops at Melbourne’s Savour School, and has authored numerous award-winning cookbooks.