Chocolate Candy Creams for Valentine’s Day

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pink and chocolate candys for valentines day

I absolutely love Valentine’s Day! It’s the perfect excuse to indulge in all sorts of sweet treats, especially chocolate. There’s something about the rich, creamy texture of chocolate that just melts in your mouth and makes your taste buds dance with joy. That’s why this year, I decided to make some homemade chocolate candy creams for my loved ones.

Since my boyfriend and I celebrated Valentine’s yesterday by going to the Great Lakes Science Museum, I spent today making us some tasty chocolates while he played his video games. All in all, it’s been a pretty great way to spend this snowy Valentine’s Day, I must say.

And if you’re out of fun date ideas, doing something together that you can both enjoy, such as making candies, is always a good alternative to dinner and a movie.

ingredients for valentines day chocolates

Making the Candies

When it comes to making homemade chocolate candy creams for Valentine’s Day, the right ingredients can make all the difference. Here are the key ingredients that I use to make my delicious chocolate candy creams.

  • Sugar: Sweetens the cream filling.
  • Whole milk: Adds creaminess and richness to the filling.
  • Heavy cream: Adds additional creaminess and richness to the filling.
  • Cream of tartar: Helps to stabilize the filling and prevent the sugar from crystallizing.
  • Vanilla extract: Adds flavor to the filling.
  • Butter: Adds richness and helps to emulsify the ingredients in the filling.
  • Chocolate chips: Used to coat the molds and form the outer layer of the candy.
  • Candy melts: Used to coat the molds and form the outer layer of the candy. The pink color adds visual appeal to the candy.

The Easiest Valentines’ Day DIY Candies

Making your own chocolate candy creams may seem intimidating, but it’s actually quite simple. All you need is a few basic ingredients, a little bit of patience, and a lot of love. The end result is a deliciously smooth and creamy candy that’s perfect for sharing with your sweetheart.

  1. In a saucepan, combine sugar, milk, cream, butter, and vanilla extract over medium heat. Stir until dissolved, then add cream of tartar.
  2. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are incorporated. Clip on a candy thermometer and do not stir or remove from heat until the thermometer reads 236°F, which takes about 15 minutes.
  3. Remove the cream from heat and pour it onto a cookie sheet on a cooling rack. Let it cool until it’s just warm and easy to work with a spatula or wooden scraper.
  4. Work the mixture until it’s smooth and thick.
  5. Roll the mixture into balls and let them set while you prepare the molds with chocolate.
  6. Use a candy brush to cover the sides of the molds with chocolate. Place in a cold place to harden up.
  7. Once hardened, press a cream ball into the center and cover it with the remaining chocolate. Tap gently on the table to get rid of any air bubbles.
  8. Place back into your fridge and let cool completely before removing. Store at room temperature.
  9. Enjoy sharing the delicious chocolate candy creams with your loved ones!

Let’s Jump Into It

heating cream and sugar

Begin by combining sugar, butter, milk, heavy cream, and vanilla extract in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Slowly add the cream of tartar and stir with a wooden spoon until dissolved. Cook without stirring until the mixture reaches 236°F. The cream should bubble and double in size.

heating candy mixture to 236°F
bubbling sugar mixture
appropriate temp for candy

Once the mixture reaches 236°F, remove the saucepan from heat. If you have a marble surface, that’s great – use it to cool and work your cream. But if you don’t, a cookie sheet on a cooling rack will do just fine.

filling poured on baking sheet

Allow the cream to cool until it’s lukewarm, and then use a wooden spoon to scrape it up and roll it into balls. Leave the balls in a cool place while you prepare your chocolate molds.

filling rolled into balls

Here’s a quick trick for a mess-free way to melt your chocolate: microwave it directly in the piping bags! Use 30-second intervals to microwave your chocolate, and gently squeeze the contents every 30 seconds until it’s completely melted.

candy melts in piping bag, unmelted
candy melts in piping bags, melted

Here’s where you can get creative. If you plan on making a solid-colored candy, fill the mold halfway. If you want to decorate your candies, you’ll need to go one layer at a time. Since I want some white swirls on the tops of my chocolates, I need to let that layer set before adding another one.

candy molds with filling

If you’re going the solid color route, use a candy brush to cover the inside of the mold.

brushing candy molds

Then set aside to cool.

prepped candy molds

Once your chocolate shells have cooled slightly, you can start adding your cream centers.

candy molds with filling and topping

Use the remaining chocolate in your piping bag to fill in the space around the cream centers. Repeat as necessary depending on how creative you want to get.

finishing the filling

Then sit back and enjoy a romantic evening with your significant other. Love is in the air!

valentines candys, pink and chocolate
Chocolate Candy Creams for Valentine's Day

Homemade Chocolate Candy Creams for Valentine’s Day

The Starving Chef
Easy Valentine's day chocolates made from simple ingredients and using common chocolate molds.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Valentine’s Day
Servings 24 candies

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, milk, cream, butter, and vanilla extract. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the cream of tartar and continue stirring with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are incorporated.
  • Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan and do not stir or remove from heat until the thermometer reads 236°F (about 15 minutes).
  • Remove the cream from heat and pour onto a cookie sheet on a cooling rack. Let it cool until it's just warm and easy to work with a spatula or wooden scraper.
  • Work the mixture until smooth and thick.
  • Roll into balls and let them set while you prepare the molds with the chocolate.
  • Use a candy brush to cover the sides of the molds with chocolate. Place in a cool place to harden.
  • Once the chocolate has hardened, press a cream ball into the center and cover with the remaining chocolate. Tap gently on the table to get rid of any air bubbles.
  • Place back into the fridge and let cool completely before removing. Be sure to store at room temperature.
  • Lastly, don't forget to caress your partner's face, give them a kiss, and share the chocolate!
Keyword chocolate, Valentine’s
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