Making Chocolate Candies and Chocolate Strawberry Swirl Cupcakes

Making your own chocolate candies is a cinch.  You will need...

*chocolate wafers

*microwave safe container

*small spatula

*parchment paper

*cookie sheet

*cookie cutters

*vegetable shortening

Melt your chocolate wafers in a microwave safe container.  You will need to microwave the chocolate a few seconds at a time and stir frequently.  (Do not set the timer for more than thirty seconds of heating at a time.)

Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and spread a layer of melted chocolate with a spatula onto the parchment paper.  This makes a thin sheet of chocolate.

Let the chocolate cool for just a bit.  You do not want it to harden all the way yet.  If you chocolate cools too much, it will crack when you try to cut your shapes.  Prepare your cookie cutters by coating them with a very thin layer of vegetable shortening.

 

Cut your chocolate sheet into pieces with your cookies cutters.

Let the chocolate shapes completely harden in the refrigerator for at least thirty minutes.

When mine cooled, I drizzled white chocolate over them to add a little pizazz.  I also used them to decorate my Chocolate Strawberry Swirl Cupcakes.

For these cupcakes I gently swirled strawberry and chocolate cakes batters together before putting the batter into the cupcake liners.

Frost the cupcakes with strawberry frosting and top them off with your chocolate candies.  It's alright if more candies make it into your mouth than on you cupcakes though.  (wink, wink)  Enjoy!