How to Make a Chocolate Rose
- 1). Run water into the lower pan of a double boiler. Place the top pan into the lower pan, then raise the top pan to see if there is any water on the base of the top pan. If so, pour out some of the water in the lower pan. (Only hot steam--not water--should come in contact with the base of the top pan.) Put the prepared double boiler on the stove burner and turn the burner on medium high.
- 2). Place the chocolate chips into the top pan of the double boiler. Place the lid on the top pan. Check in three minutes to see if the chips have begun to melt. Stir the chips and replace the lid if there are still unmelted chips in the pan. Place the candy thermometer in the chocolate, ensuring that it is clipped to the side of the pan firmly and that the lower bulb of the thermometer is not touching the bottom of the upper pan. Re-check the pan and stir after one-minute intervals until the chocolate is smooth. Make sure the temperature of the chocolate does not exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit; if the temperature appears to be climbing, lift the top pan off the lower pan so it will cool slightly.
- 3). Drizzle the corn syrup into the melted chocolate, stirring constantly. Continue to mix the chocolate and syrup until you no longer see the syrup and the mixture appears less glossy and more clay-like. Pour the mixture onto a jelly roll pan that has been lined with waxed paper. Use a spatula to spread the mixture evenly over the pan. Allow it to cool at room temperature for at least 1 hour and 45 minutes.
- 4). Knead the chocolate "dough" and roll it into several small balls; place the balls in a plastic bag. Keep out one ball about 2 inches in diameter. Cut the ball into eight pieces. Take one piece and roll it into a ball, then pinch it at one end and re-work it into a cone with a flat bottom. This will be the core of the rose. Take the other seven pieces and roll them into balls. Press each of these balls into little "pancakes." Use a lollipop stick as a mini-rolling pin and, starting at the middle of one of the "pancakes," roll it gently toward an outer edge so that one side of each "pancake" has a thin edge.
- 5). Wrap the thick edge of one of the "pancakes" around the base of the core of the rose, ensuring that the thin edge goes in the same upward direction as the point of the core but does not touch the core. Overlap a second "pancake" over one side of the first "pancake" and press the thick edge against the core. At this point, you have a rosebud. For a full rose, continue building petal upon petal, each one overlapping the one that came before it. Hold a round toothpick on the underside of the thin edge of each petal and, with your thumb on the top of the petal, gently roll the edge outward so the petal edges curl under slightly like a real rose. Place them on an iced cake immediately, or allow them to dry and harden for a few days. After they harden, you may place them in a plastic bag and keep them in a cool place to use as decorations at a later date.
