A Very Japanese Valentine’s Day

Happy almost Valentine’s Day! For the first time in forever I’m getting into the spirit of this extremely commercialized and pointless holiday. What can I say? Last year I got an incredible haul from my students, so I guess the giddy anticipation of falling into a diabetic coma has given me a less cynical outlook on things. Anyway, the point of all this is that this year I decided to roll up my sleeves and make my own Valentine’s Day treats for my friends and co-workers.

People here in Japan get really into the holiday, so it’s pretty east to find supplies and make sweets. I don’t have an oven so I couldn’t bake cookies or brownies or anything of the sort, but I did manage to make some chocolates. In the following text I’ve imparted my method, so if you’re interested, give it a try!

Step 1: Buy the materials

You’ll need some plain chocolate to melt down (or, if you’re super intense, you can make your own chocolate, but I’m certainly not that hardcore). I decided to make white, dark, and milk chocolates this time, so I had to get a few bars of each.
You’ll also need fillings, like nuts, coconut, or malt balls for that extra crunchy texture, decorative items like sprinkles or icing pens, and molds. You can buy chocolate molds at any Daiso (dollar store) in Japan, but apparently finding them outside the country can be a little more difficult.

Step 2: Chop and melt the chocolate

For this you’ll need a large knife, a cutting board, a towel, a spoon, a pot or kettle, and two glass or metal bowls. One bowl should be a little smaller than the other.

First, put some water on the stove in your pot or kettle and turn the burner up to high. While the water is boiling, chop your chocolate up into small pieces and put it into the smaller bowl. Place the larger bowl on the towel.
When the water is boiling, take it off the burner and pour some of it into the larger bowl. You only want to fill it about a third of the way, or less. Then place the smaller bowl inside the larger one. The hot water will start melting the chocolate almost immediately. You can speed up the melting process by mixing the chocolate with your spoon.

Step 3: Mold and fill

Once the chocolate has melted into a thick liquid, you can use your spoon to scoop it into your molding tray. Fill a mold for one chocolate about half way, then place your filling inside. Mix the chocolate and the filling using the tip of a chopstick or a butter knife. Then add more chocolate and more filling as needed; the chocolate can easily overpower the fillings, so it’s a good idea to have a bit too much rather than too little of the fillings. I’d recommend doing each chocolate individually, as the chocolate will begin to cool and harden quite quickly.

After you’ve filled your molds, place the trays into the fridge for about an hour.

Step 4: Decorate!

You can decorate the chocolates however you like. In Japan there are plenty of ‘chocolate pens’ available that have colored chocolate inside. I don’t know if these are available outside of Japan, though. Anyway, that’s what I used to decorate mine, but I’m sure the possibilities are endless.

If you manage to get hold of some chocolate pens, you’ll need to soften the chocolate inside by boiling some water and pouring it into a small bowl. Place the pens inside for about twenty to thirty seconds, then take them out and cut or twist off the tips.
Decorating can be a little bit annoying, because the heat from your fingers and the pens will start to slightly melt the chocolate, so you have to work both quickly and delicately. I’d recommend decorating three or four, then placing them in a Tupperware (or Tupperware-type) container in the fridge. Then decorate a few more and add them to the container until you’re finished.

The decoration can be a bit of a pain, but I think it’s worth it in the end:

Step 5: Package!

In Japan, and especially around Valentine’s day, there are always loads of tiny, cute little bags in which you can place little candies and home made sweets. I got a few different varieties to add to the presentation.

Making your own chocolates can be tricky and time-consuming, but it’s also pretty fun. And who doesn’t like receiving home made sweets on Valentine’s Day – or at any time of the year, for that matter?