life lessons a la chocolate

this was originally published on February 12, 2020

I'm in my fourth batch of chocolates and my second batch of infused coconut oil. holy shit have I learned so much. So this shouldn't be news to anyone, but I am reconfirming that tempering chocolate is hard as fuck. While i like that tempered chocolate = longer shelf life, it also means harder chocolate. and i kinda like the soft, super melty chocolate. Batch no 4 did not temper at all. While I did remember to use my thermometer, I forgot that one must have lots of patience and move low n slow. I did not.

I switched from freehand to chocolate molds which helps me insure thc mg consistency. which is the whole point of this project. I still weigh each filling, but the mold doesn't allow for much variation. As I was molding my chocolate, a thought popped into my head. What if I had sesame seeds as a little topping?! I did it! They look so cute. as for the taste, I wish I had toasted the sesame seeds, so for the next batch I will toast! I bought some Alaea Hawaiian Sea Salt today and its pink/red and I can't wait to sprinkle some on top of these low key chocolates too! i wonder how pink peppercorn would work as a topping?! tbd 🙃

the other thing I'm working on is packaging, logo design, and label design with my extremely talented sister, Isabel. I LOVE the direction we're going in. she's so knowledgeable and has v good taste. I feel very lucky that my sister wants to guide me and help me out with this project. the best part? when I can't articulate whats in my head she still knows what im tryna say. sister sister 💕

saying au revoir to my first iteration of packaging 👋