So, I saw this thing online, these little chocolate tea cups. Looked kinda fun, you know? Thought I’d give it a try. Maybe for when the grandkids visit, something a bit different. Seemed simple enough in the pictures, but you know how that goes.
Getting Started
First off, had to get the stuff. Went down to the shops and grabbed a few bags of chocolate chips. Didn’t go for anything fancy, just the regular semi-sweet kind I use for baking. Also needed something to make the cup shape. Saw people using balloons online, the small water balloon type. Seemed like less fuss than buying special molds I’d probably only use once. So, balloons it was. Grabbed a pack of those.
Melting and Dipping
Alright, back home. Time to melt the chocolate. Always a bit nerve-wracking, don’t want to burn the stuff. I just did the usual thing, bowl over a pan of simmering water. Kept stirring it. Took a while but got it nice and smooth eventually. Smelled pretty good, gotta say.
Then the balloons. Blew up maybe a dozen, not too big, just enough for a small cup shape. Gave them a quick wash and dried them off. Then came the messy bit. Dipping the bottom rounded part of each balloon into the melted chocolate. Tried to swirl it a bit to get a decent coating up the sides. Chocolate got on my fingers, the counter… well, it’s chocolate, expected that. Lined them up on a sheet of baking paper, chocolate side down, to let them set.
The Waiting Game and the Pop
Shoved the whole tray into the fridge. Then you just wait. Felt like checking them every five minutes. Left them in there for a good hour or so, until the chocolate felt really hard.
Okay, moment of truth. Took them out. Carefully peeled the baking paper off the bottom, that worked okay. Now for the balloons. Got a pin. Gently poked the balloon near the knot. POP! The first one worked! The balloon pulled away and left a perfect little chocolate cup. Felt pretty chuffed. Then the next one… POP! Crack… the side split. Ah well. Did the rest. Lost about four out of the dozen, they either cracked or a chunk broke off. They’re pretty delicate, these things. Maybe the chocolate needed to be thicker? Or maybe I was too rough? Who knows.
Finishing Up (or Trying To)
I saw some online had little handles. Thought I’d try. Piped some melted chocolate handle shapes onto baking paper, let them set hard in the fridge. Then tried sticking them onto the cups with a dab more melted chocolate. Fiddly work! Most of them just broke off when I touched them. Gave up on the handles pretty quickly. They looked fine without them, honestly.
- Washed hands (again).
- Picked out the best-looking cups.
- Decided against handles – too much hassle.
Filled the good ones with some whipped cream I had leftover and put a strawberry on top. They actually looked quite nice! Little edible cups. Took a picture, obviously.
So, Yeah…
Making chocolate tea cups. It was an afternoon project. Made a mess? Definitely. Was it easy? Not as easy as it looked. Some broke, some worked. They were fragile. But you know what? It was fun messing about. And eating the cup after you finished the filling was pretty cool. Probably won’t make them every week, bit too much faffing around. But it was something different. Tried it, did it. That’s the main thing.
