Galentine's Day: 3D Chocolate Hearts

Ah, Valentine's Day. That glorious time of year where you're either showered with love and gifts or badly warbling along to Single Ladies in your pants. 

Naaah. As strong, independent women (yes, that is another Beyonce song - but, damn, that lady knows what I'm talking 'bout) we don't need to fall into the media's stereotypical portrayal of single girls* on V-Day. I say we cast aside our crazy cat lady personas and Leslie Knope this place up, Galentine's Day style. 

To celebrate the best day in February - Pancake Day a close second, of course - I've put together an easy chocolate DIY; hand these sweet hearts out to your closest gal pals or make them together at your G-Day celebrations. Warning: sprinkles are applied liberally. 

*Married, engaged & partnerfied women are also welcome, obvs. We're an inclusive group around these parts.

You will need:

3D silicone heart mould (available here & here)

Candy Melts 

A hella load of sprinkles

Icing pens (optional)

Step 1: Melt the Candy Melts (duh!) either in the microwave or a bain-marie. A microwave is quicker but the latter heats the candy gently and evenly, meaning less chance of burning it - a common occurrence in my house.

Step 2: Once melted, carefully pour the chocolate into each silicone mould & decorate. If you're using sprinkles I would recommend pouring & decorating the hearts one at a time as they tend to go rogue, rolling into places they shouldn't. For some of the hearts, I placed a thin layer of sprinkles in the bottom of the mould and added the melts on top, creating a pretty, speckled look.

Step 3: Leave the hearts to set in a cool place for several hours. Once they're completely solid, gently ease them out of the mould and write your fave people's names on in icing or (even more) chocolate. Let them set once again, then slot the pieces together. 

The process is pretty self-explanatory, but as this was the first time I used Candy Melts a few mistakes were made, so I thought I'd share them here. As you can see, a few of my hearts have a white sheen to them and this can happen for a couple of reasons.

Overheating: Take the melts out of the microwave/bain-marie once they are two thirds melted and stir until you reach a smooth consistency to avoid overheating.

Chilling: Place tea towels over the moulds whilst bringing them back to room temperature. This will reduce the chances of condensation building and causing 'sugar bloom'.

And you're done! Perfect little love hearts for your loved ones.

What are your plans for Valentine's Galentine's day?