Chocolate Buttons Recipes

Steps:

• Ask a grown-up to tear off some big sheets of baking parchment. Draw around a glass or saucer with a pencil to make big button shapes. Turn the paper over.
• Spoon a blob of chocolate into the middle of each circle and use a paint brush to spread it to the edges of the circle. Don't worry if it isn't neat.
• Decorate each button with sprinkles, sweets or blobs of other coloured chocolate.
• Leave the buttons to cool and set really hard, in the fridge if the room is hot. Once they are hard, peel them off the paper carefully and wrap up or eat.

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
• Place butter and bittersweet and unsweetened chocolates in a heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water, and stir until smooth.
• With a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat eggs and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and chocolate-butter mixture. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Let dough stand for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drop teaspoons of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake until just set (interior will be fudgy), about 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

Steps:

• Microwave 3 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate on 75% power until melted, about 2 minutes. Beat 1/4 cup peanut butter, 2 tablespoons softened butter and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar until smooth. Roll into balls. Dip in the melted chocolate, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 3 minutes.
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Steps:

• Into a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, baking soda, and salt.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, muscovado sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed for about 4 minutes, or until the mixture is noticeably lighter in color, transforming from a dark, gritty-looking mixture to something fluffier and latte-like in color. Beat in the egg until completely absorbed. Beat in the molasses until well blended.
• Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually stir in the dry ingredients. Mix until well blended and even in color. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for about 2 hours.
• When you're ready to bake, position the racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
• To form the cookies, pour the turbinado sugar onto a plate. Using a small ice cream scoop with a capacity of about 1 tablespoon, portion the dough into balls. Roll the dough balls in the turbinado sugar, coating them completely. Place on the prepared baking sheets, evenly spacing them with 1 dozen cookies per sheet. Repeat with the balance of the dough.
• Bake the cookies until they are set on the edges, but still very soft in the centers, about 10 minutes. Quickly pull the sheets from the oven (close the oven door so as to not let all the heat escape!). Using deft thumbs, a spoon with a very deep well (like a melon baller), or a thick-handled wooden spoon, make a deep indentation in the center of each cookie. Return to the oven to finish baking, about 5 minutes more. Let the cookies cool on the pans set over wire racks. If the indentations have become shallow, press them down again while the cookies are warm.
• Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl. Melt in the microwave with 30-second bursts of high heat, stirring well after each interval. Stir in the molasses. Transfer the ganache to a small zip-top bag and work it toward the corner of the bag. Snip off a tiny bit at the corner. Fill each cookie with ganache. Let the cookies set at room temperature until the ganache is firm, about 1 hour.
• Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Steps:

• Break the chocolate into pieces and gently melt in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. Stir until smooth, then take off the heat and leave until cool, but still runny. Spoon a quarter of the chocolate into one of the egg moulds and spread thickly over the inside with a flat pastry brush or paintbrush. Be sure to cover the sides well, as this makes it easier to join the edges. Check that the chocolate is even by holding the mould up to the light. Repeat with the other mould. Leave in a cool place to set, then chill for 5 mins. TIP: Putting the egg halves in the fridge once the chocolate has set makes it easier to add another layer of warm chocolate. Don't be tempted to leave the moulds in the fridge any longer than necessary as condensation could cause the chocolate to discolour.
• Re-warm the remaining chocolate and repeat the process for each side of the mould, saving about 1 tbsp of chocolate for later. Use a knife to scrape away any excess around the rim of the mould to give a clean, straight edge. Turn out each half onto a sheet of greaseproof paper, carefully pulling away the mould until it releases itself.
• Place one half of the egg on its back (you can create a nest of scrunched greaseproof paper to stop it from rolling about). Warm the reserved chocolate and brush around the edge of the egg. Place the other half on top and press together. You can seal the join further by brushing with a little more chocolate and filling in any jagged edges or holes. Leave in a cool place to set firm.
• To decorate, use the paintbrush to dab a little chocolate on the backs of the chocolate buttons. Gently press them onto the egg. For the finishing touch, tie the ribbon around the middle to hide the join