Chocolate Peanut Butter Bonbons

By stancec44

The cook developed a way to temper chocolate easily so it remains firm at room temperature without chilling. Carefully follow the chocolate coating instructions and you'll have success.

Ingredients

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup chopped dates (NOT the prepackaged chopped type)
• 1 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips plus additional 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Details

Servings 36
Adapted from busycooks.about.com

Preparation

Step 1

In large bowl, combine peanut butter, pecans, powdered sugar, dates, and butter and mix well; form into 1" balls. Place on waxed paper lined cookie sheet and chill until firm.

Melt semisweet chips and 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips together in a glass measuring cup in microwave on medium power about 2 minutes, stirring once, until melted and smooth. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips and stir constantly until smooth (this tempers the chocolate, setting up crystals so it will harden).

If you use medium power and stir once, the chocolate will not burn. Know how fast your microwave oven cooks before you start using it.

Dip each ball into melted chocolate mixture and set on parchment paper. Let stand until chocolate is firm, then store tightly covered at room temperature.

To dip the candies, make sure they are well chilled first. Melt the chocolate in a glass measuring cup so the chocolate is deep enough to work with easily. Drop the bonbons, one at a time, into the chocolate. Use a fork to gently turn them, then fish out the bonbon with the fork. Tap the fork on the side of the measuring cup to remove excess chocolate. Tip the coated bonbon back onto the waxed paper. Use a bit of the melted chocolate to fill in any holes or fork marks, if necessary. Take your time; this is a contemplative task! The chocolate should firm up in about an hour.