Americano White Chocolate Cups Recipe

A mouth watering combination that the chocolate and coffee lovers will savor.

Ingredients

Makes 12 large muffin cups
12 ounces dark chocolate, shaved
8 ounces high quality white chocolate, shaved
Coffee Cream Filling:
1/2 cup heavy cream or whipping cream
1 teaspoon espresso powder (or finely ground coffee)
1 heaping teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup chocolate covered coffee beans, chopped medium
12 whole chocolate covered coffee beans for garnish
Tools: 12 hole muffin tray, 12 muffin liners, 1 silicon pastry brush (or a natural dye free paint brush)

Directions

Line muffin tray with liners.

Chop the dark chocolate into small shavings, and place half of the shavings into the top of a double boiler.

Over very low heat, begin to melt your dark chocolate, stirring slowly and frequently. Tip: Never melt chocolate over high heat, as you run the risk of ruining the consistency. Low heat is always best for chocolate melting. Also, be very careful not to get any water into your melting chocolate, as this will ruin it.

As the chocolate melts, add the remaining chocolate bit by bit, continuing to stir until all the chocolate is melted. This may take about 20 minutes.

Once the chocolate has melted, you can keep the double boiler on the stovetop where it is warm, but turn off the heat. Stir every once in awhile, and if the chocolate begins to harden, simply turn on the heat to very low again.

Spoon 1 Tablespoon of chocolate into the bottom of the muffin liners. (It is easiest to work about 3 liners at a time, so that the chocolate does not harden).

Use your pastry brush or paintbrush to gently paint the chocolate half way up the muffin liners.

If the chocolate is too thin (meaning you can see through it and into the liner), just add a bit more chocolate.

Repeat for all 12 liners, and then place in the freezer for 5-10 minutes.

In the meanwhile, wash out your double boiler and dry it well.

Chop the white chocolate into small shavings, and place half the shavings into the top of the double boiler.

Over very low heat, begin to melt your white chocolate, stirring slowly and frequently.

As the chocolate melts, add the remaining chocolate bit by bit, continuing to stir until all the chocolate is melted. This may take about 20 minutes.

While the white chocolate melts, prepare the filling:

In a cold glass bowl, stir espresso powder and sugar into heavy cream and whip until soft peaks form.

Continue to whip until the whip cream gets a bit thicker.

Remove the dark chocolate cup from freezer.

Sprinkle chocolate cups with 1/2 teaspoon of chopped coffee beans.

Spoon 1 teaspoon coffee whip cream into chocolate cups.

Tap on the counter to help smooth out the whip cream, and then gently use the back of a spoon to smooth out the rest.

Top with 1 Tablespoon of melted white chocolate, tapping on counter to smooth out and using the back of a spoon to smooth the rest of the chocolate so there are no gaps.

Garnish with whole coffee beans while the chocolate is still soft and transfer entire muffin tray to freezer for 5-10 minutes to harden.

Remove and enjoy.

Store in airtight container in fridge or freezer.