Chocolate Trees

Each year at work, all the ladies exchange small gifts with each other. This could be as simple as a candy bar, inexpensive ornament, baked goods, candle, scented soaps, etc. Usually the cost is very little, it's the thought that counts. Lately some of the ladies have been giving the same gifts to the men in the office too. So as not to leave anybody out, I've decided to give a small homemade gift to all the people in our office as well as the admin staff at the landfill whom I know fairly well. I decided to make chocolate trees in both white and brown.

I first saw this idea in a Current Catalog but when I placed my order the tree molds were out of stock. But the special bags to put them in were available so I received those. I looked around and found the molds at Michaels. Then I purchased the melting chocolate, both white and brown, at our local grocery store. I also picked up the pre-made icing that comes in tubes. It makes it a lot easier.

After melting the chocolate you pour it into the molds and then dip a pretzel rod in the same chocolate and gently lay it in the mold too. I used a knife tip to smooth the chocolate into all the tree crevices. After placing in the freezer for a few minutes, they just pop out of the mold. I let them set a moment and then painted them with the icing.

After I purchased everything separately I saw that Carrs (our grocery store) has kits that contain it all in one place, except that their molds were not Christmas trees but something else to do with Christmas. I liked the trees better so stuck with my original plan.