STEP 1
You will need to start the process with clean, dry hands and a bowl of tempered chocolate. The best volume for tempering is around 250g of chocolate which will make about 8 chocolate lollipops.
For guidance on chocolate tempering techniques please see our Easy Tempering process for chocolate fun at home.
STEP 2
Prepare your toppings and decorations. These should all be dry items, ie. not fresh fruits or really juicy items as the water content will interfere with the chocolate setting and mould may develop inside the fruit.
When your chocolate is well tempered you will have a short window to be able to work with it, so it helps to have all your items prepared before hand.
STEP 3
Prepare your workspace by placing a sheet of parchment onto the baking tray, you will need this to be about the size of a postcard so that it lies flat on the tray. You will need a sheet of parchment for each lollipop you are making.
STEP 4
Pour 2 large spoonfuls of chocolate onto a single spot in the middle of your sheet of parchment.
STEP 5
Take your tray in both hands and tap the tray on the table 5 times. You will see the chocolate spread out into an even circle.
STEP 6
Take your Lollipop Stick and find the centre of your chocolate circle.
Lie the lollipop stick down so that it extends from the centre of your chocolate.
Twist the lollipop stick around so that it is fully covered in chocolate.
STEP 7
Decorate your chocolate lollipop however you fancy. You will need to be quick as your chocolate will start to set.
Make sure however you decorate your lollipop that all your toppings are touching the chocolate, otherwise they will struggle to stick onto your creation once it sets.
STEP 8
Once complete you can easily remove the tray out from underneath the parchment so you can use the tray to make another lollipop.
Your chocolate should set in an ambient environment, but you can also put it in the fridge so it sets with a nice snap.
STEP 9
Once your chocolate treat has fully set you will see wrinkling around the edges of the chocolate where the chocolate has contracted away from the parchment. You should then be able to peel the parchment easily away from the solidified chocolate.
Wrap up your creations in sandwich bags, tying ribbon around the stick and use a gift tag for decoration or for gifting.
As long as you have used dry ingredients and you wrap your chocolate up so it's air-tight your chocolate creations can last several months without needing the fridge for storage.
Of course you can just enjoy them straight away!!!