Pot of Gold Candies can be made today for the end of your rainbow

(c) 2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

If you have a little extra time today to make a special treat, About.com has a special one for St. Patrick's Day.

Strike it rich with this Pot of Gold candy. Lustrous gold nuggets are in a small chocolate bowl, for a beautiful St. Patrick's Day treat that's fit for a leprechaun. And these beautiful edible bowls are so delicious.


Be sure to check out the photo tutorial showing how to make chocolate bowls, with step-by-step pictures showing how to make the miniature bowls needed for this recipe.

Ingredients:

•Small "water bomb" balloons, or the smallest balloons you can find

•Chocolate candy coating or tempered chocolate

•Chocolate-covered raisins, cranberries, or pomegranate seeds (the smaller, the better)

•Gold luster dust

Preparation:


1. Start by melting the chocolate candy coating or tempering chocolate. You don't want to use untempered chocolate, because it will get soft at room temperature and your bowls might not hold their shape nicely. Set the melted coating or tempered chocolate aside to cool so that it is no longer warm to the touch.

2.While the chocolate is cooling, blow up the balloons to the size you want your bowls to be and tie them off. There's a chance some balloons might pop or bowls might break, so make a few extra just in case. Cover a baking sheet with waxed paper or foil.


3. Hold the balloon by the knot on top and slowly dip the bottom of a balloon in the room temperature chocolate. Move gently to acclimatize the balloon to the temperature. Dip it until the chocolate is the depth you want your bowls to be.

4. Gently remove the balloon from the chocolate, and set it carefully on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until you've dipped all of your balloons, plus your extras. Let the balloons sit at room temperature until the chocolate or coating is entirely set. Once the coating is set, refrigerate the tray briefly to make the chocolate hard—this will make it easier to remove the balloons.

5. To get the balloons out, first press around the sides gently, breaking the seal between the balloon and the chocolate. Then hold a balloon below the knot and gently cut a slit above your fingertips, so that you can control the flow of air as it escapes. Slowly release the air from the balloon, and as you do, the balloon will pull away from the sides of the bowl. If it pops, peel off a portion of it still stuck to the balloon and continue gently pulling it away. If you have difficulty, let it sit and come back to it later—the balloon will often start peeling away on its own after it sits.

6. Once all your chocolate bowls have had the balloons removed, it's time to fill the bowls with gold! Place the chocolate-covered fruit in a small Tupperware container with a lid, and sprinkle a small amount of luster dust in the container with them. It's better to start small—like with 1/8 tsp of dust—and then add more of you need it. Snap the lid on the container and shake it vigorously so the dust scatters and covers the candy. Check the color—is it gold enough? If not, add more dust and shake again, until you get a gold color you're happy with.

7. Pour the gold nuggets into the chocolate bowls to complete your Pot of Gold candies. For maximum fun, tell everyone that you stole it from a leprechaun on St. Patrick's Day!