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Hawaii’s sweetest celebration is right around the corner. The fifth annual Hawai‘i Chocolate Festival will run Oct. 16-18 at the Blaisdell Center as part of the Food and New Product Show.
Hours are 5 to 9 p.m. Oct. 16, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 17 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 18.
While admission is $5, which includes browsing at the festival, a $20 “tasting passport” allows for tasting 10 chocolate samples from Hawaii’s top chocolatiers.
Here are easy recipes for chocolate delights that will bring out the chocolatier in you.
Mexican Chocolate Truffles
» 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
» 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, chopped into small pieces
» 8 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
» 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
» 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
» 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring cream to simmer. Reduce heat to low and stir in butter until melted. Add chocolate, cinnamon and cayenne; stir gently until completely melted and smooth.
Remove from heat and pour mixture into shallow bowl. Cool, cover and refrigerate until firm, 3 to 4 hours.
Use a 1-inch melon baller to scoop mixture and roll into balls. Roll in cocoa powder to coat. Makes about 30 truffles.
Approximate nutritional information, per truffle: 50 calories, 3.5 g fat, 2.5 g saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 6 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g sugar, no sodium or protein
Cookies and Cream Fudge
» 1 cup sugar
» 3/4 cup butter
» 1 (5-ounce) can evaporated milk
» 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
» 2 (12-ounce) packages white-chocolate morsels
» 1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow cream
» Pinch salt
» 3 cups coarsely crushed cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies (such as Oreos, about 25 cookies), divided
» 1/4 cup melted dark chocolate
Line a 9-inch square pan with foil and lightly coat with nonstick cooking spray.
In medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar, butter, milk and vanilla. Stir constantly, until mixture comes to a boil, then cook 3 minutes, continuing to stir.
Remove from heat; add white-chocolate morsels, marshmallow cream and salt. Stir until morsels melt, then add 2 cups crushed cookies and stir gently to combine.
Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle with remaining cookies, gently pressing into fudge. Cover and chill 1 to 2 hours.
When fudge is firm, drizzle with melted chocolate. Chill until chocolate is set, about 20 minutes. Remove from pan and cut into squares. Makes 3 dozen 1-1/2-inch squares.
Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 230 calories, 13 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 100 mg sodium, 28 g carbohydrate, no fiber, 24 g sugar, 2 g protein
Caramel Chocolate Turtles
» 1/3 cup chopped macadamia nuts, toasted
» 1/3 cup chopped pretzel pieces
» 16 soft caramel candies
» 1 large chocolate bar (flavor of your choice) broken into 16 pieces, or 16 chocolate disks
» Flaked sea salt for garnish (optional)
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper. In large bowl, combine nuts and pretzels.
On the baking sheet, divide mixture into 16 small piles. Flatten caramel candy into 1-by-1-inch pieces and place on top of nut mixture. Heat in oven 2 to 3 minutes, until caramels begin to melt. Remove pan from oven and cool 1 minute.
Top each cluster with a piece of chocolate; pressing gently into softened caramel. Garnish with a few flakes of salt if using and cool before serving. Makes 16 pieces.
Approximate nutritional information, per serving (not including optional sea salt and based on 2.2-ounce chocolate bar): 80 calories, 4.5 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, no cholesterol, 65 mg sodium, 12 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 8 g sugar, 1 g protein
More Hawaiian Electric Co. recipes are available at hawaiianelectric.com.
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