Chocolate shells moulded around a filling of ground almonds, brandy and egg yolk. Fifteen minutes of work and then the fridge does the rest.
Water ruins chocolate
This is the single thing most likely to go wrong, and it goes wrong instantly and irreversibly.
A drop of water in melted chocolate makes it seize: the smooth liquid turns into a stiff, grainy paste in seconds. It cannot be brought back.
So when you melt it over simmering water, keep the bowl above the water and not touching it, and make sure no steam escapes up the sides. Dry the bowl and the spatula before you start.
How the shell is made
Two coats, and the filling goes in between.
- First coat: pour melted chocolate into the mould, tilt it in every direction so it runs up the sides, then pour the excess back out. What clings to the mould becomes the shell.
- Filling: a spoonful of almond paste into each hollow, kept below the rim.
- Second coat: more chocolate poured over to close each one, scraped level with a spatula.
Letting the first coat set properly before filling is what keeps the two layers distinct.
The filling is not cooked
It contains two raw egg yolks, and nothing in this recipe heats them. That is normal for this style of bonbon, and it is worth knowing rather than discovering.
Anyone pregnant, elderly or with a weakened immune system is generally advised to avoid raw egg. Pasteurised yolks behave identically here and remove the question entirely.
Two kinds of almond
Ground almonds give the paste its body and chopped ones give it texture. Using only ground almonds gives a smooth filling that is pleasant and slightly dull; using only chopped gives something that falls apart.
More chocolate
- Brownies — for the rest of the bar.
- Chocolate dessert — set with gelatine, no oven.
- Chocolate chip cookies — chopped, not chips.
- Colombian hot chocolate — with cheese in it.
- Homemade marshmallows — to dip in the chocolate.
Chocolate Bonbons FAQ
Water got in. A single drop makes chocolate seize into a stiff, grainy paste, and it cannot be recovered. Keep the bowl above the simmering water rather than touching it, watch for steam, and make sure the bowl and spatula are completely dry.
It is a literal translation of baño maría, which in English is a bain-marie: a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water so the chocolate melts gently from the steam rather than from direct heat.
For most people, no, and it is standard in this style of bonbon. Anyone pregnant, elderly or immunocompromised is generally advised to avoid raw egg, and pasteurised yolks work identically here.
Pour chocolate into the mould, tilt it in every direction so it coats the sides completely, then pour the excess back out and let what clings set properly before you add the filling.
Yes, though the bonbons will be considerably sweeter, and the filling already has sugar and brandy in it. Dark chocolate gives the contrast this recipe is built around.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 250 g dark chocolate (cooking chocolate, for melting)
- 150 g butter (melted with the chocolate)
- 40 g almonds, in pieces
- 50 g ground almonds
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 egg yolks (raw in the finished filling; use pasteurised if that is a concern)
- 2 tablespoons brandy
Notas
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix the egg yolks, the brandy, both kinds of almond and the sugar, and stir until it forms a compact paste.
- Melt the chocolate with the butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, without letting the bowl touch the water.
- Pour some of the melted chocolate into a mould. Tilt the mould in every direction so the chocolate coats the sides, then pour out the excess and let it set.
- Put a spoonful of the almond paste into each hollow, then pour more melted chocolate over to fill the mould and close each one.
- Once all the moulds are filled, leave them to cool until the chocolate has hardened.
- Turn them out of the mould when you are ready to eat them.
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