The foundation for nearly all bonbons is fondant. Hundreds of varieties of bonbons can be made by using different flavorings and different combinations of one kind with another. Bonbon making is fascinating work, and after they are made the home candy-maker has the satisfaction of knowing that she has a pure delicious candy at much less expense than if she bought it.

Chocolate Creams

Many may be surprised to know that they can make several hundred different varieties of chocolate creams alone. The simplest chocolate creams are made by dipping the plain fondant, after it has been formed in bonbon shapes, into melted chocolate. These fondant centers may be flavored with vanilla, peppermint, wintergreen, pineapple, orange, lemon, banana, almond, pistachio, cinnamon, allspice and clove, rose and other kinds of flavors found in the market. Certain kinds of flavors can also be combined, which helps to add to the variety. Maple chocolate creams are made by dipping maple fondant into melted chocolate. Plain fondant, chocolate fondant and maple fondant are all fine combined with nuts. All sorts of candied fruits, preserved fruits and dried fruits are delicious combined with fondant in making these creams. Candied peels and candied ginger are also much used.

Chocolate Creams With Fruit Centers

Maraschino cherries, drained and dipped first in melted fondant flavored with almond, and then coated with chocolate, are delicious.

Bits of candied pineapple dipped into fondant flavored with pineapple, lemon or orange and then coated with the chocolate, are fine.

Work some thick pear preserves into fondant, add a little chopped candied ginger, and when cool coat with chocolate. Or before coating them with chocolate dip in fondant flavored with lemon or vanilla.

Peach preserves dried in the oven, cooled and dipped in almond flavored fondant, then coated with chocolate, is another good combination.

Whole strawberry preserves, drained of all juice, rolled in powdered sugar, then coated with chocolate, are delicious.

Chopped candied cherries mixed into melted fondant either flavored with vanilla or almond, formed into bonbon shape, then coated with melted chocolate, are fine. Some of these cherry centers may be left white and red, or the fondant used can be colored rose and pink with a few drops of red fruit coloring.

Candied lemon rind, orange rind or citron can be cut up into small pieces, worked into fondant, and then coated with chocolate. Yellow fondant flavored with orange or lemon can be used with orange and lemon rind.

Stiff marmalades and jellies can be cut into fancy shapes, dipped into melted fondant of different flavors, and when cool coated with chocolate.

Dates and raisins chopped fine and worked into fondant make excellent centers. Mix some chopped dates with maple fondant for these centers. Chopped dates and chopped figs or raisins combined and worked into maple fondant are delicious.

California grapes dipped into melted fondant, and then into melted chocolate make another variety of creams.

Chocolate Creams with Nut Centers

Almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, hickory-nuts, peanuts and Brazil nuts can all be used in making centers for chocolate cream candies. The nuts should be first blanched. Put two cupfuls of fondant in a double boiler and melt, add a teaspoonful of lemon juice, stir over the fire until melted; then take the nut meats, one by one, on a candy dipper or fork and dip into the fondant. Lay on oiled or paraffine paper until cold, then dip into melted chocolate. The fondant may be divided if preferred and flavored with different flavors, and prepared with different colors. Cherry flavored fondant is excellent with almonds. Vanilla goes well with most nuts, and many like peppermint flavor with nuts. Maple flavored fondant is always excellent with nuts.

Take equal quantities of chopped walnuts, hickory-nuts and almonds. These should be chopped fine. Take an equal amount of fondant and melt in a double boiler, and stir in the nut meats; flavor with vanilla if the fondant has not already been flavored. When the fondant mixture begins to harden mold into bonbon shape, and place on paraffine paper or a sheet of clean tin. When entirely cool coat with chocolate.

Delicious bonbons can be made by grinding up pistachio nuts until fine, and mixing with an equal quantity of pale green or white fondant flavored with pistachio or almond. When cool enough shape in bonbons, and coat with chocolate.

Chop equal quantities of almond nut meats and candied cherries, or preserved cherries. Mix with a little fondant, roll into balls and coat with chocolate, and you have a delicious cream.

Take walnut meats and dip in melted fondant, and when this has become firm dip in more fondant of a different flavor and color. Repeat this twice, then when cold coat with chocolate. Any kind of nut meats may be used in the same way.

How to Coat Chocolate Creams

Most confectioners use a bittersweet chocolate with which they coat their chocolates; this may be obtained at any good confectionery shop and will cost about fifty cents a pound, but if this is not obtainable a bittersweet chocolate can be made by combining sweetened chocolate with Baker's bitter chocolate. Use half and half of each, and blend well together before dipping the chocolates in it. Any one who likes the bitter tang in the chocolates may use the bitter chocolate by itself. A small amount of cocoa butter may be added to the melted chocolate; this will make it go further and add to the glossy effect without being harmful.

Melt your chocolate in a double boiler, and always be very careful not to get any water into it or it will not harden, but be messy and sticky. Stir while melting and it will do so more quickly, and the less heat it takes to melt the chocolate the better. After the chocolate is melted it can be placed in bowls or cups for dipping. There are two or three ways of coating chocolate creams. Most confectioners put the chocolate on with their fingers, but if one does not care to do this they can be dipped with a candy dipper or fork into the melted chocolate. They may also be coated with a thin bladed knife or spatula. If you are going to put the chocolate on with the hands it should be allowed to get nearly cool, and then knead well. Only use a small portion at once or it will get too hard, then you must work quickly in a warm room. Use your right hand for coating, and throw the centers into the chocolate with your left. Work the chocolate up around the centers quickly, and then drop on a waxed paper or on clean, smooth tin. String up a little of the chocolate on top and twirl with the fingers to give that twist that is found on most bought creams. For many dipping is much easier. Drop the centers into the melted chocolate, turn over, lift out with wire dipper or fork, with a knife scrape off any surplus chocolate and place on waxed paper or on tin. Set in a cool place immediately to harden. If a knife is used for coating, place a little of the chocolate on oiled or waxed paper, and place the centers on top of it; this forms the bottoms. Then with a knife spread chocolate over the sides, dipping the knife into the chocolate until the centers are entirely coated. If the chocolate hardens before all the creams are dipped it can be melted again.

Bonbons Made with Cocoanut

Cocoanut cubes are made by taking two cupfuls of fondant and melting it in a double boiler, stir in one cupful of grated cocoanut and mix in well. Pour this into a square box lined with paraffine paper; it should be about an inch thick. When cold cut into squares. This cocoanut mixture may be variously tinted and given unusual and elusive flavors, and thus one may have a variety. Another way to make cocoanut cubes is to melt some fondant and pour half of it in a square or oblong box lined with paraffine paper. Then cover this over with cocoanut a half inch, then pour over the remainder of the fondant. This is especially good if the fondant is colored rose or pink. When cold cut into cubes.

A combination of chocolate fondant and cocoanut is excellent. Melt a cupful of chocolate fondant and pour into a square or oblong box lined with paraffine paper. Melt a cup of pink or white fondant in a double boiler and stir in one-half cupful of cocoanut. Pour over the chocolate fondant.

Snowballs can be made by taking one cupful of fondant and melting it, then stir in one-half cupful of grated cocoanut. Form into balls, roll in beaten egg white and then roll in grated cocoanut until thickly covered. Place on paraffine paper until they harden.

Cocoanut drops are made by mixing with two cupfuls of melted fondant one-half cupful of grated cocoanut and one-fourth cupful of finely chopped candied cherries. Add a teaspoonful of juice of maraschino cherries. Drop from a spoon on paraffine paper, and press a candied cherry in the center of each bonbon.

Nut Bonbons

Divide some fondant into four parts. Color one part pink, one part yellow, add to the third violet, and to a fourth green pistachio coloring. Flavor each portion with a different flavoring extract. Take some halved walnut meats and blanch. Form the fondant into round balls the size of hickory-nuts; put a half walnut on each side of the fondant ball and press them together so that the fondant is between the two halves of the walnuts. By using some chocolate fondant, some maple fondant and some white fondant you can have these bonbons in seven colors.

Chop up a half cupful each of almonds, pecans and walnuts and mix with enough fondant to make it of the right consistency to mold into bonbon shape with the hands. Dip in melted maple fondant, or chocolate fondant.

Chop up some almonds fine and mix with some fondant, using about a half cupful of nut meats to each cupful of fondant, flavor with almond, and pour into a square or oblong box lined with paraffine paper. Melt some white fondant and mix with it a half cupful of chopped candied cherries, pour over the nut fondant, and when this has cooled pour over another layer of nut fondant. Cut into cubes and press an almond in some of the cubes and candied cherries in others.

Fruit Bonbons

Remove the stones from nice large dates, fill the cavities with fondant of different flavors and colors. If preferred these may be dipped in fondant, or left as they are. Prunes may be stuffed with fondant or a fondant and nut mixture, and then dipped in fondant of different colors. Chop up some figs until fine, work into this an equal quantity of nut meats. Roll up into balls; if not moist enough add a little cream. Dip into melted fondant. Raisins are also good prepared in this manner. Dip into maple fondant.

Melt some fondant in a double boiler, and stir into it candied orange peel cut into tiny strips. Pour in a lined box or greased square or oblong pan. When partly cool mark off into squares and decorate the top of each square with a tiny star cut out of the candied orange peel. The fondant should be flavored with orange. Candied lemon peel can be used in the same way, and in this case the fondant should be flavored with lemon. When cool cut into squares. Candied cherries can be cut up into bits and stirred into pale pink fondant flavored with rose. Press little hearts cut out of candied cherries in the center of each square.

To make a delicious fruit loaf melt one-half cupful of fondant, add a half teaspoonful extract of almond or vanilla, and stir in two tablespoonfuls of candied cherries cut in quarters, and a tablespoonful of chopped angelica. When mixed pour into a lined candy box in an even layer. Melt one-half cupful of chocolate fondant and stir into it one-fourth cupful of chopped dates and flavor with vanilla. Pour over the other layer in the box. Melt one-half cupful of maple fondant and stir into it one-fourth cupful of chopped nut meats, and pour over the other layers. Cover with paraffine paper and set where it will cool quickly. When firm, break down the sides of the box and cut into slices or cubes. Any kind of fruit may be used in the different layers.

Sections of oranges or tangerines may be dipped in fondant, but one must be careful that they are not broken in any way to let the juice escape as this will probably soften the fondant and make it messy.

Any preserved fruit, dried in the oven, cooled and then dipped in different colored fondant makes delicious bonbons. Preserved strawberries can be dipped in fondant colored pink and flavored with strawberry extract. Preserved cherries can also be dipped in pink or white fondant flavored with almond or cherry. Pears and yellow peaches are good dipped in yellow fondant flavored with lemon or orange. Quince preserves are also good dipped.

Assorted Bonbons

The plain white fondant flavored with vanilla is good dipped in the pink, yellow, green or violet fondant, or in maple fondant; form the white fondant in pretty bonbon shapes before dipping.

Pretty marbles can be made by taking a small piece of two or more colored fondants in the hand and rolling them around until they become smooth and round and beautifully streaked with the different colors. Place on paraffine paper and turn often to prevent their flattening on one side, until firmly set.

Roll out some of the different colored fondant in sheets, place one upon the other, roll gently with the rolling pin until the colors are blended together, then cut into bars or squares.

Form fondant into tiny cones, tucking into each cone a bit of preserved ginger, well dried before using. Dip in different colored fondant. Some can be dipped in melted chocolate also.

Work into a half cupful of fondant one teaspoonful of ground cinnamon, flavor with a drop or two of oil of cinnamon, and form into balls. Dip these in chocolate fondant. Other spice bonbons can be made by using a few drops of the oil of allspice, cloves or nutmeg in flavoring the fondant.

Peppermint and wintergreen wafers can be made by taking some white fondant and coloring it a pale green and flavoring it with peppermint extract. Drop from a spoon on paper the size of a quarter. Wintergreen wafers can be made by coloring the fondant pink and flavoring with wintergreen extract.

Take some fondant and flavor with orange and color a deep yellow; roll out in a long strip about two inches wide. Flavor some more fondant with banana extract and color a light yellow. Form this into a long round stick shape and place in the center of strip. Bring the two edges of the outside fondant together, and press together. Cut off neatly with a knife in half-inch pieces when cool.

How to Dip with Fondant

Just a word in regard to the dipping, and preparing the fondant for dipping. Place the fondant in a double boiler or in a bowl and place the bowl in a saucepan of hot water. The fondant should be melted to about the consistency of thick cream. Be careful that it does not get too hot or it will become a syrup again. Stir occasionally while melting and this will help it to melt not only evenly, but more quickly. If the fondant is very dry a few drops of water may be added, but be very careful not to get too much water in or the bonbons will not harden up well. When ready to dip remove the fondant from the fire, but let the bowl remain in the hot water. Take up the centers to be dipped on a candy dipper or fork and drop into the bowl, then lift them out, scrape off any surplus fondant with a knife, and drop on oiled or waxed paper or smooth tin slightly oiled. These will harden very quickly. One can make a twist on the top of them like the chocolates, but this must be done just as soon as dipped. The fondant can be flavored and colored in any way desired while it is melting.

Oriental Bonbons

These cream chocolates are more difficult to make than the common chocolate creams, but one is well repaid for the trouble for they are simply delicious. To make them take two cupfuls of granulated sugar, one-half cupful of water, one-half teaspoonful of glycerine and one-fourth teaspoonful of cream of tartar or three drops acetic acid. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then wipe down the sides of the kettle to remove all sugar crystals. Boil to exactly 238 degrees, then pour out on a platter or marble slab and flavor with one-half teaspoonful of vanilla. Allow it to stand undisturbed until all heat has left it, then place over it the white of one egg beaten until very stiff, then cream the batch as you do in making fondant, but work it very slowly, as this gives it more chance to become firm. If it is too soft to work up in shape of bonbons, just let stand a little while, and then shape. In molding remember the less they are handled the easier they will be to coat, as handling has a tendency to soften them. Coat immediately after being molded, and this must be done as quickly as possible. Place on paraffine paper and let stand a day or so, and then the centers will be like whipped cream, as the white of egg will mellow the cream.

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