espresso butter creams

I love going to those mom & pop candy stores where almost all the candies are homemade.

Antique glass display cases, creaky wooden floors, stuffed animals sitting next to candy gift packs...the smell of sugar permeates through the air.

The butter creams, the cordials, even the peanut butter cups are all homemade and usually hand dipped too.

First thing I love to try is the peanut butter cups; some places nail the flavor spot on and others add too much sugar and the peanut flavor/texture is lost.

I find the same scenario with butter creams; they are always so sweet, too sweet to even detect what the actual flavor is. 

I've always wanted to try making my own butter creams.  And it was my first time using one of those plastic candy molds from Wiltons.  Sorry to say, I was not impressed by the plastic candy molds.

I tried everything to get the candies out of said mold: in the fridge, in the freezer, banging, in dip in hot water, etc....Someone mentioned to try using silicone molds next time. And I will.   

All of the candies I've made in the past I usually roll by hand and dip myself.  But this time I needed a mold to hold the butter cream because the butter cream is well, not rollable!

If you do want to make these and are comfortable using plastic candy molds then perfect.

If you want a suggestion or two: trying using a silicone mold or use those small candy paper cups (like the mini Reeses peanut butter paper cups) those should work perfectly!

If you like the taste of buttery espresso then you'll love these. They are rich and tasty and definitely not overly sweet like an ordinary butter cream might be.

Make sure to gently tap the molds when you put the final layer of chocolate on; you want to make sure the chocolate gets evenly coated all around.

Really hard to remove!  Banging them out finally worked!

With all the work was it worth it?  Yes, they are tasty!  Next time mini paper candy cups!

espresso butter creams

print recipe

7 ounces sweetened condensed milk

2 cups powdered sugar

1 Starbucks Via (I used the blonde roast) OR use 1-2 ts espresso powder

giant pinch of sea salt

3 TB unsalted butter, very soft

for the chocolate coating:

(I used half bitter sweet, half semi sweet chips; use what you like but I do not recommend milk chocolate as its too sweet)

7 ounces of bitter sweet

7 ounces semi sweet

½ TB vegetable oil

In a medium bowl mix the condensed milk, 2 cups of powdered sugar, salt, and espresso.  Mix by hand or with a mixer. When mixed then add in the very soft butter and mix well.  You want a nice sooth consistency.  Give it a taste and see if it needs more salt or espresso. 

Cover the top with plastic wrap and place in fridge to firm up a bit; a few hours or overnight.

When ready to use you can either use candy molds, mini paper cups or silicone molds.  You can try rolling balls on your own, but I found the candy dough to be too loose.

Place chocolate chips with the vegetable oil in a microwavable bowl, give it a good mix and then microwave in 10 second spurts till melted.  Making sure to stir each time after 10 seconds.  Or you can temper the chocolate how you like best.

Since this time I used the candy molds, I coated the bottom and sides of each mold with chocolate, let it harden, then added in little globs of the espresso, place in fridge for 20 minutes, then filled the molds with chocolate, tapping as I go along to make sure the chocolate is evenly disbursed.

Then back into fridge to set up.

I made about 56 candy pieces using these molds; if you use mini paper cups I imagine you might get about 40-50?