Apples Chocolate Covered

10 small Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts
1/2 cup candy-coated milk chocolate candies
2 pounds semisweet chocolate, chopped

Insert wooden craft sticks or lollipop sticks into the cores of the apples at the stem. Place the roasted peanuts and candies on separate plates. Set aside.

Place the chocolate into a metal or glass bowl and set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir frequently until melted. Remove from the heat. Dip apples into the melted chocolate, turning to coat completely. Dip or roll in candy or nuts, then place on a sheet of waxed paper.

Repeat with remaining apples. Allow apples to set at room temperature until the chocolate is firm, about 20 minutes, before serving.

Heavenly Chocolate Mulled Wine Sauce

1/2 cup Dutch process cocoa
1 cup cabernet sauvignon or other dry red wine
1/2 cup sugar
1 sachet Mulling Spice Blend
1/2 cup light-colored corn syrup
1 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped

Combine first 3 ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a simmer. Cook 5 minutes. Discard sachet.

Add cocoa and corn syrup, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Simmer 2 minutes; remove from heat.

Add chocolate, stirring until chocolate melts.

Cool to room temperature. Serve.

Sugar Free Peanut Butter Cups

5 oz unsweetened chocolate
1/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup powdered erythritol
Artificial sweetener equal to 1 cups sugar (concentrated liquid Splenda preferred)
1/4 t salt
1 t vanilla

For the filling:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup almond meal/flour
Artificial sweetener equal to 1 cups sugar (concentrated liquid Splenda preferred)
Dash of salt

Heat cream and the rest of ingredients. Turn off heat and add chocolate. If you're melting it in the cream, let stand until chocolate is melted - stir once in awhile. When it is all melted, the mixture will be fairly thick. Adjust sweetener to taste.

While the cream is heating and chocolate melting, mix up the filling. If it's too sticky, put a little more almond flour or erythritol into it. You want to be able to form it easily without getting it all over your hands. Adjust sweetness (and possibly salt level) to taste.

Put heaping tablespoons or globs of the chocolate the size of a walnut into the mini muffin tin. If it is thick enough you can sort of push out a place in the center and make the chocolate even around the sides. If it isn't yet thick enough for this, don't worry, the peanut butter will push it up the sides.

Form the peanut butter into smaller globs/balls. Push them into the chocolate, including pushing the top so it's flat.

Chill the whole thing in the refrigerator for half an hour or so.

Remove from fridge and run hot water over the bottom of the pan for just a few seconds.

Pop it out.

Melt in Your Mouth Chocolate Truffles

12 ounces milk chocolate
1/3 cup light cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons shortening
cooking spray

Cover a baking sheet with wax paper, and spray paper with nonstick cooking spray. Melt milk chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly.

Stir in the cream and vanilla. Spoon tablespoon-sized scoops of the chocolate mixture onto the prepared baking sheets. Refrigerate until well chilled, about 30 minutes.

Melt the chocolate chips in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in shortening.

Roll each piece of chilled chocolate into a ball. Use a spoon to dip chocolate balls into the melted chocolate chip mixture.

Return truffles to baking sheet, and chill until firm.

Chocolate Popcorn

2 tablespoons chocolate powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 stick butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 cups popcorn

Over medium heat using a 4 quart pot combine sugar, corn syrup, butter, cocoa and salt then bring to a boil.

Once mixture is well mixed add the popped corn. Cook and stir until popcorn is coated approximately 2 minutes.

Cool mixture and shape into 3" balls.

Chocolate Covered Crunchy Candy

1 pound chocolate confectioners' coating
1 cup white sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon baking soda

Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, corn syrup and vinegar. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Heat, without stirring, to 300 to 310 degrees F (149 to 154 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms hard, brittle threads. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda.

Pour into prepared pan; do not spread. Mixture will not fill pan. Allow to cool completely.

In the microwave or over a double boiler, melt coating chocolate, stirring frequently until smooth. Break cooled candy into bite sized pieces and dip into melted candy coating.

Let set on waxed paper. Store tightly covered.