Nothing says Happy Star Wars Day more than a gift of Darth Vader chocolates … in dark chocolate, of course!

Star Wars Day is celebrated by geeks globally on May 4. This date was chosen as it is a tacky pun on the often quoted line from the move “May the force be with you” (as in, “May the fourth be with you”). I’m not above tacky and purchased a nifty Darth Vader silicone mold on eBay to make a treat in celebration of the occasion.

I’ve never made chocolates before and it was no where near as tedious as I thought it would be. Handmade chocolates make such an impressive gift, and the fillings offer an opportunity to really make a personal statement, so I will definitely be making more again. They won’t all be Darth Vader shaped though!

Do you have a favourite handmade gift?

Chocolates

makes about 12 chocolates (depending on the size of your mold)

200g dark chocolate, chopped
for fillings I used
crystallised ginger
mix of almond butter, dark sugar and chopped almonds
freeze-dried raspberries
macadamia nuts

I failed at tempering the chocolate so I don’t feel that I have anything useful to offer you on the subject. Having the skill to temper chocolate is a great way to show off but isn’t really necessary (the untempered chocolates will have to be stored in the fridge though).

Apart from tempering the chocolate, it’s a very straight forward process. Melt the chocolate using your preferred method (I placed the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of just simmered water). Fill the bottom of the molds with a small spoonful of melted chocolate and ease it up the sides to evenly coat the inside. Allow the chocolate to set a little … I impatiently put mine in the freezer briefly … before adding the fillings. Then add some more chocolate to fill the rest of the space. Place in the fridge until firm. Remove from the fridge about 5 minutes prior to serving.