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Saturday, March 31, 2012

Homemade Pastel White Chocolate Chips

Happy Easter Colors!!!
(See updates at end of this original post)

I have searched and searched and don't find a source for pastel white chocolate chips!  Why doesn't someone make these?  Do I just not know where to look?  I Googled it a variety of ways, looked online at my usual sources for specialty baking products...no success.  I didn't want pastel M&Ms (although I did eat an entire bag of Easter M&Ms while I thought about this for the last two weeks).  I want pastel colored white chocolate morsels (not candy coating discs either...chips please!) to make "Easter" Chocolate Chip Cookies!

OK...FINE!  I'll just try to make my own!  Rollying eyes smiley  (tongue out)

So, it's a Saturday afternoon and our previous plans for the day got cancelled at the last minute...seemed like it was time to give it a whirl.  I had previously bought both Nestle's Toll House Premier White Chocolate Morsels as well as Ghirardelli White Chocolate Baking Bars...our store didn't have any Ghirardelli White Chocolate Morsels, although I feel certain I've seen them before...and used them, unless I'm delusional...which is an absolute possibility! Tee hee :-)

My main concern with using coloring was fear that it was going to cause the melted white chocolate to seize...but I had hoped that whatever they put in the morsels as a stabilizer might help with that problem, so I went for the Toll House morsels, figuring they might be easiest to bring back to a "chip" shape since that's the way they started.

I set up my baking sheets with silicone baking liners, got out my food colors and piping bags and various tips with collars, bowls, spoons...all the things I thought I'd need.

I measured out 3 ounces of white chocolate morsels *(see note at end of post) into heat proof bowls and started on the first one.  (I'm doing 4 colors and I need 12 ounces for the recipe)

I have, in my not so illustrious past, burnt the crap out of white chocolate when melting it.  So, I started with 30 seconds and 50% power in the microwave.  I stopped and stirred them around, but really, no significant melting yet.  Added 15 seconds, 50% and stirred again...there we go - starting to melt so I stirred well - still bumps in the mix...added 15 seconds, still 50%, but stopped it at 10 seconds...stirred...perfecto!
Melted white chocolate with one drop of blue gel color


For the first batch I added just one drop of AmeriColor's Sky Blue (#103) soft gel paste food color.  Stirred thoroughly and it was a beautiful, perfect pastel blue.  Awesome! (**see note at end of post regarding alternate recommendation for food color)

I had already set up my disposable pastry bags (I'm lazy, it's all I can do to clean my tips, not doing bags too) with a collar and a Wilton #5 tip.  In the same way I add anything to a pastry bag, I had it sitting in a tall glass with the bag rolled over the edge of the glass to form a collar.  I scooped it in, tightened it down, sealed it with a rubber band (and later with twist ties - they worked better for me), and left it sitting tip down in the glass. 

I wanted it to cool a bit before I started piping so I prepped the next color (AmeriColor Deep Pink #114) and followed the same procedure.  No seizing - worked like a charm.  I left it to cool in the piping bag while I worked on piping out all the blue chocolate chips.

The #5 tip worked great.  I had a few different sizes out and I think the one I started with is indeed the best.  Beginners luck.  However, getting a neat chocolate chip took a little effort...that and I realize I can't go in a straight line :-)  Oh well, it is what it is.  Please don't judge me.  There is a definite rhythm to the process.  I pictured a machine.  Squeeze, release, pause, move, squeeze, release, pause, move.  If I forgot to release completely, there was a line of chocolate that followed to the next one.  If I didn't move my hand down the bag to keep an even flow, wocky chips happened.  I'd get going in a great rhythm with awesome little morsels...and then get out of sync, or my hand would feel tired and I'd loose it for a few chips.  Oh well, I guess in a cookie, no one will really notice.

I can tell you already, I'll be too tired after I finish the next two colors to bake cookies today. (I'm taking a pause between the blue/pink set before beginning the green/peach set)  I'll probably make the dough and freeze it tomorrow (I'll bake off a few to show you when I get to that point) - but I want to take them to my boys and grandchildren for part of the Easter goodies next week-end.  I'll want to bake them off fresh when it's closer to the time!

OK, I finished the green and the peach...the peach actually looks, to me, more like a light pink.  I used Mint Green #112 and Peach #117 for the last two batches. 


I must say, that's a fine looking bunch of chocolate morsels. I must also say I will need some ibuprofen any minute now. My hands are aching!

Still, it was a fun project.  I hope my progeny all appreciate the hard work for those special Easter  Chocolate Chip Cookies that their momma/grandma is baking for them!!!  I'll let you know.


*Follow-up Note Added 4/1/2012:
Duh, genius I am not.  Need 12 ounces of chips for recipe.  This made 9 ounces...because, of course, I left some in the bowl and some in the piping bags and collar area...unavoidable to use every bit I weighed into the bowls.  Should have done 4 ounces in each bowl!!! (banging head)

**Follow-up Note Added 3/10/2015
After several more years of working with cookies, chocolates, and cakes.... I'll tell you this will work much better if you do NOT USE WATER BASED GEL COLORS.  I frequently have the chocolate seize or get more thick than I want (thus the difficulty in the piping and pain in my hands).  It works MUCH BETTER with oil based food colors (like Chef Master has).  ALSO - I have given up on microwave melting of chocolate.  The ability to control temperature is so much better in a double boiler on the stove top or the newer Wilton chocolate melter.

A wonderful tutorial for melting chocolate may be found on Julia Usher's Youtube Channel.

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!

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17 comments:

  1. Too cool! I would have never thought of this! BUZZ!

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    1. I have deep thoughts some days ROFLMAO! Thanks for the comment :-)

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  2. A touch of genius! An enjoyable post! Thanks!

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  3. ahahahh you are nuts! this sounds like something i would absolutely do. I love when an idea comes out great but don't love when it takes so much work it's exhausting! ahaha. Great job, they look like they turned out great

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I admit to being truly nuts...LOL! Thanks for commenting. I just love comments!

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  4. These are so cute, I recently made some homemade sprinkles. Thought I have a bit too much time on my hands to be doing this. You did great job........andi thewednesdaybaker.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks Andi. I, too, have considered sprinkles....it's not off the list yet, but I'm not quite ready to "go there". Maybe after I recover from these and the upcoming decorated sugar cookies I'll be doing for Easter. I read your blog post on making the sprinkles... it's not as hard as I thought it would be... except for the extensive piping!!!

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  5. What a great idea! I am so trying this!! I'd love for you to stop by my link party and share this great idea!!

    http://cupsbykim.blogspot.com/2012/03/sweet-simple-sunday-3.html

    Hope to see you there!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Kim - I did stop by and linked up. Thanks for the invitation!

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  6. Thanks for the invite Julie - I linked it up today.

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  7. Debbi,

    Love this idea! I saw this over at Cups by Kim where I linked up a few recipes and thought this was Genius! I would love it if you stopped by for a visit. www.michellestastycreations.blogspot.com. Have a great week.

    Michelle

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  8. This is such a awesome idea! Thanks for linking up at Show Me What You Got Tuesday's at ODH (www.ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com).

    Mrs. Delightful
    www.ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com

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  9. Nice work! They turned out great :-) Thanks for sharing at Scrumptious Sunday!

    Addicted to Recipes
    http://iamaddictedtorecipes.blogspot.com

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  10. The results are awesome, but man that must have been a lot of work!

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  11. Well done! I'm looking for a place to purchase pastel chocolate chips too and stumbled on to your post. I'm doing this!

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    1. Thanks Jessica! I must say, I've done this a couple of more times, and one of the times, they just were so hard to do - the chocolate kept seizing. I think the temperature in my kitchen was letting the chocolate harden too rapidly. I saw that Wilton has some plastic chocolate piping tools - I may give them a try - the metal tips might have gotten chilled by the air too rapidly. I know I didn't have any water involved in the process. I just hate it when I can't figure out what's wrong. Still, 2 out of 3 efforts worked beautifully. I'd love to hear how you do when you make these!

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