My Do-It-Yourself hand engraved chocolate bars are a perfect,
quick and simple treat to say "Congratulations!" I have used
my DIY engraved chocolate bars for Thanksgiving and the Holidays
but the idea originated when I created my chalkboards. I loved my original DIY chocolate bar engraving
technique so much that I just had to re-create them
for every Holiday and special occasion! They are
really great activity for kids to create their own illustrations or
message to give to this years grads to celebrate their sweet accomplishments!
DIY Engraved Chocolate Bar Plaques
You will need
- 1 Hershey's chocolate bar (regular size or giant size)
- Toothpick
- Powdered (confectioners') sugar
- Gel food coloring/icing color
- Festive sprinkles
- Chocolate chips, melted
- Fruit chew candy for decoration
Directions
You can use a regular 1.55oz chocolate bar...
Or the giant 4.4oz chocolate bars (that you can break up to create multiple smaller bars or keep whole for one giant plaque!).
For the inscription color you can use plain powdered sugar for a white engraving (like in my Edible Chalkboards),
or tint the powdered sugar, like I did, for a festive touch with some
gel food coloring/icing color of your choice.
To tint
powdered sugar, simply add a tiny bit of food coloring to a
small bowl of powdered sugar with a toothpick (a little goes a long
way, you probably will only need about 1-2 tablespoons of powdered
sugar). Using your fingers (wear gloves if you don't want it to
temporarily stain your fingers) rub the powdered sugar and food coloring
together, adding more coloring,
until you have reached your desired shade.
Once you have reached your desired color, sift the powdered sugar to
remove any clumps, so it is back to its normal powdery consistency.
Applying medium pressure, use a toothpick to engrave a message, name or
drawing on to the flat (bottom) side of the chocolate. Brush away any
excess chocolate shavings. Get creative
and have fun! Try different fonts, messages, or even engrave a fun
drawing.
Sprinkle your engraved chocolate bars with your
powdered sugar. Using your finger, gently rub the
powdered sugar around, so it falls into the lines you have engraved with
your toothpick.
Using a damp paper towel, wipe the surface of your chocolate bar to
remove all excess powdered sugar, leaving your inscription filled with
powdered sugar so it will stand
out. Make sure your paper towel is not too wet, so it only removes the
powdered sugar on top of the chocolate and does not erase the powdered
sugar that has filled the crevasse of your inscription.
Use the warmth of your hands to mold fruit chew candy
into a fun decoration to celebrate the graduate. Try making shapes like a diploma, a grad hat, a personal favorite or a simple star as shown below. The best part is that you can customize these to create a plaque that your graduate will love. I used a yellow Starburst candy and a small cookie cutter to create the
star shape.
Using an edible ink marker, I wrote "Class of 2012" on the star and pushed it on to the chocolate bar. The stickiness from the
candy should be enough to adhere it but you can always use some melted
chocolate to stick it in place better.
Melt chocolate chips according to package, and use it as a "glue" to
attach festive sprinkles around the border of your chocolate bars if desired.
You can package them up in clear plastic bags
tied with ribbon for gift giving. If you want to make plaques that stand
up, you
will need half of a marshmallow (cut width wise) for the back of each
bar. Using your melted chocolate, attach the cut side of the marshmallow
to the bottom-center of your chocolate bar.
