This is the first of our sweet selection, in a few weeks we will be making less chocolate based ones but for now with Mothers Day and Easter around the corner i thought chocolate was a good start point.
There are 3 separate sweets so 3 little shopping lists. I would have lumped it all together but at least this way you know what is needed for what and make sure you don’t forget the little SWEET PETIT FOUR CASES! You can get these at the supermarkets or the likes of Julian Graves etc.
Ingredients:
3 1/2 oz Plain Chocolate
20 Glace Cherries
20 Hazelnuts
5 fl oz Double Cream
2 tbsp Icing Sugar
4 tbsp Liqueur (your favourite!)
1 3/4 oz Plain chocolate and chocolate shavings to decorate
6 oz Plain Chocolate
2 tbsp Amaretto
1 1/2 oz Butter
4 tbsp Icing Sugar
1 3/4 oz Ground Almonds
1 3/4 oz grated Plain Chocolate to decorate
Sunflower Oil for greasing
12 oz Plain Chocolate
3 1/2 oz Brazil nuts
6 oz White Chocolate
6 oz Fudge
Supplies needed for the packaging…
Makes 3…
Cellophane wrapping or decorative food bags so that your sweets don’t touch the patterned papers.
2 sheets of 12×12 co ordinating patterned paper
Border punch
Ribbons
Tag punch (optional as can be hand cut)
Alphabet stamps/Teeny Alphabet letter stickers/ Sentiment stamp.
Embellishments/stickers/decorative gems etc.
Trimmer
Scissors
Double sided sticky tape and Double sided sticky pads.
Italian Chocolate Truffles
Gather all your ingredients.
Place the chocolate and liqueur in a heatproof bowl and set over a gentle simmering heat until melted. 
Add the butter and stir until melted.
Stir in the icing sugar and ground almonds. 
Leave to cool until firm enough to roll into balls. 
Roll the balls into grated chocolate and place them in the sweet cases. 
Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.
Brazil Nut Brittle
Gather all the ingredients.
Brush the bottom of an 8 in square cake tin with oil to grease (you can line with grease proof paper too to make lifting out easier). Place half the plain chocolate into a heatproof bowl over a simmering heat and melt gently.
Pour into the tin and level out. 
Sprinkle with the brazil nuts, fudge and white chocolate. 
Melt the remaining chocolate and pour over the top. 
Let the brittle set and break into jagged pieces with the tip of a strong knife.
Chocolate Liqueurs
Gather all the ingredients. 
Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and gently melt over a simmering heat.
Spoon the chocolate into 40 small paper cases (i think i managed 25 before running out of chocolate so just play it by ear depending on how thick you want the chocolate cups) and spread up the sides with a small brush. 
Place upside down on a tray and leave to set.
Carefully peel away the paper cases and place a cherry or nut in each cup.
To make the filling, place the double cream in a bowl and sift the icing sugar on top. Whip the cream until it is just holding its shape, then whip in the liqueur.
Place the cream in a piping bag and pipe a little into each chocolate case. Leave to chill for 20 minutes.
To decorate, sprinkle with grated chocolate and leave to harden before serving.
Cut your main bag body 8 inches by 4 inches (which means you get all 3 out of 1 sheet of 12×12)
Turn it so that the short side is facing you and score at 1 inch in from either side.
Turn again so the long side is facing you and score at 8, 10 and 12 cm from the left hand side.
Fold and cut little triangles from the 8 and 12 cm marks.
Place sticky tape on the bottom/side pieces and a very small strip on the right hand side set of side folds (does that make sense – good job for photographs!!) LOL
Fold in the side panel that has the double sided tape first, adhere to the bottom/side panel.
Bring up the other side and fold this over the thin strip – you will notice at this point the box is tapering in at the top 🙂
Cut your co-ordinating paper 3×8 inches and scallop one long edge.
1 inch in from the opposite end to the scallops score the paper.
Place this on top of your box and snip a little mark where you need to score and cut.
Again cut little triangles either side of your score marks so that they will fold over without any bulk.
Make sure its to size by folding it over the top of your bag – do not adhere yet.
Fold the sides around and nip tightly to mark where you next need to cut.
Repeat for both sides and make sure you trim enough so that the back looks equal at both sides. I took it from the final fold into the centre as by the time the embellishments and ribbon etc are added you are only left with a tiny gap in the scalloping at the back.
Adhere with double sided tape and then go to town on your decorations!
