Make Your Own Chocolate Frogs

Halloween is a time for magic and treats, so what better way to celebrate than with Chocolate Frogs from the adventures of Harry Potter?

Candy-making is a great family activity! Kids love the process, and adult supervision is definitely required. This goes double for Chocolate Frogs, since several parts of my process are frustrating for little fingers.

Age: 10+          Duration: 1 hour = 10 frogs          Supervision: high

Materials:

• 3-5 small plastic frog toys (try the toy or dollar store)
• food-safe silicone (Amazing Mold Putty is available at Hobby Lobby)
• candy-making hobby chocolate (a 2 pound bag makes around 25 frogs)
• a microwave-safe container
• microwave
• spoon
• zippy food bags, snack- or sandwich-size
• scissors
• paper plates or wax paper
• PATIENCE

Step 1:  Wash and dry the frog toys, just to make sure they’re clean.

Step 2: Follow the directions on your food-safe silicone to make molds of the frogs. If you’re using Amazing Mold Putty (which I really recommend!), follow the package directions to make a ball of mixed putty slightly smaller than a golf ball. Place the frog on a flat plate, start at the head and “roll” the putty down over the little froggy body until the putty is flush with the plate all the way around. (Make sure the entire frog is covered all in one go; you can always reinforce the thin spots later.) A package of AMP will make 5-10 frog molds, depending on the size of the toys.

Step 3: Let your molds cure for the amount of time recommended for your food-safe silicone (AMP will take 20 minutes).

Step 4: Gently peel the plastic frogs out of your new molds. The easiest way to do this should be to hold the mold with the flat open side facing away from you, and use your fingers to pull back the edges while your thumbs push against the bottom of the mold.

Step 5: Wash your molds with dish soap. Rinse and dry.

Step 6: Make sure your molds can stand level with the open side up. You can make “feet” for the bottom your molds out of leftover putty, or you can partially fill a casserole pan with flour, cover with cling wrap, and press the bottom of your molds down into the surface.

Step 7: Count out about 30 of the hobby chocolate wafers into a microwave-safe container. (No, you cannot use baking chocolate or chocolate bars. Trust me, the results are terrifying.)  To make peanut-butter-chocolate frogs, use 15 chocolate flavored wafers and 15 peanut flavored ones. Melt the wafers according to the directions on the package, making sure to stir between heatings. A few rounds of 30 seconds at 50% power should do it, but don’t overheat! The resulting pockets of crunchy burnt sugar taste really gross and will do funny things to your frogs.

Step 8: Spoon the melted chocolate into a zippy snack bag. Force all the air out of the bag and zip. Take a pair of scissors and snip off a tiny bit (seriously, like 1/16 of an inch) of the corner of the bag. Now you have a homemade pastry bag with enough chocolate to make 5 frogs.

Step 9: Squeeze some chocolate down into the deepest part of the frog mold (which is usually the nose). Tap the mold against a table to make sure the chocolate gets all the way in there. Then fill up the rest of the mold, using the squirting power of your bag to make sure you get chocolate in all the nooks and crannies of your frog. (Knees and elbows need special attention or they’ll get big air bubbles.)

Step 10: Repeat Step 9 until all your frog molds are full. If your bag of chocolate starts to harden before you’re done, pop it into the microwave for 10 seconds on 70% power, then continue squirting.

Step 11: Place all your filled molds on a plate (or in their flour-filled casserole dish) and put them in the freezer for 3-5 minutes. Do NOT leave them in the freezer for longer than 5 minutes; the mold will get stiff and the chocolate will get brittle, which reduces your chances of getting a frog out in one piece.

Step 12: Gently pull the edge of your mold back just far enough that you can see and hear (it will make a soft kissing noise) the mold separate from the chocolate leg of your frog. Do this around the entire edge of the mold to loosen the chocolate.

Step 13: Starting at the rear end of your frog, peel the mold away from the legs of your frog, then press against the bottom of the mold where the frog’s nose should be. Your frog will pop free from the mold.

Legs snap off and stay behind in the mold all the time. Just pop out the leg and “glue” it back to the body with some fresh melted chocolate. But with practice it is possible to pop out a whole frog with no missing limbs!

Step 14: Repeat Steps 6 – 13 until you have as many Chocolate Frogs as you want. They store nicely in a sandwich-size container in the fridge, and can be stacked up without sticking to each other (well, as long as they don’t get too warm) as soon as they leave their molds.

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