Chocolate Roses for Mom on Mothers Day

Our mothers feed us once, then again and again, and forever we experience comfort whenever a woman close to our hearts cooks for us.

So let's show our mothers how much we appreciate them by returning the favor. Chocolate roses are romantic, sweet, and gorgeous. Dads and kids, put on your aprons!

Chocolate Clay Ingredients
10 ounces semisweet chocolate (coarsely chopped chunks or chips)
1/3 cup light corn syrup

Melt the chocolate in a small bowl over hot water, stirring occasionally. The correct method for doing this is to boil the water, take it off the heat, then put the bowl with the chocolate on top. If the chocolate cools and thickens too much, return the pot of water to the stove over low heat.

Stir the corn syrup into the chocolate, mixing well and scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula. Fold the syrup into the chocolate until you can no longer see the syrup and the mixture thickens into a ball. Using wax paper or plastic, pour and spread the mixture with the spatula until 1/2inch thick. For about two hours, let it sit and thicken uncovered at room temperature. Now it's ready for making your roses.

Chocolate Roses Instructions

Knead a handful of chocolate clay at a time on a counter or cutting board until it is soft and pliable like regular clay.

Roll the chocolate dough into twelve 1/2-inch diameter balls (for each full-size rose) and put them on waxed paper about 1 inch apart. Press each ball with your fingertips until it is a flat disk about the size of a quarter. Make the bottom thicker than the top.

Roll one disk into a cone to make the center of the rosebud, being sure to roll the thinner edge into the top of the cone. Wrap the next disk around the opening of the tepee and the third disk at the back of the tepee - this is the rose bud. Now continue adding one disk at a time as individual petals, gently curling the top edge slightly downward. You can leave some roses as rosebuds, then make various sizes, making them larger by adding more petals. If there is excess chocolate at the bottom of your roses, pinch it off with your fingers to make more balls.

For a day or two, let the roses harden at room temperature, then package them in airtight containers and store in a cool, dry place. To retain the best chocolate flavor, it is best not to store them in the refrigerator.

You can get fancy for Mothers Day if you like by using white chocolate and experimenting with adding food coloring. Or, decorate your chocolate roses by painting them with melted white chocolate.

Tulips are fun too, and are really pretty made with white chocolate and then painted.

To make larger roses, start with larger chocolate balls.