Chocolate pencils

I wouldn't usually recommend chewing on a pencil, but these chocolate pencils are a different story.

Chocolate pencils. Credit: The Chocolate Queen

• makes

  15

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 700 g good quality white chocolate, 28%
• sugar, to half-fill a glass
• 6 g red oil-soluble colour powder (or other colour of choice)
• 65 ml grapeseed oil
• twine

Setting time: about 30 minutes in total.

Instructions

1. Cut 15 rectangles out of baking paper, each 18cm x 10 cm in size. Roll each rectangle into pencil-width tubes, keeping the 18 cm length, and secure with tape. (You can roll around a normal pencil, or just roll up the pieces).
2. Half fill a glass or jug with sugar and set aside.
3. To temper the white chocolate, place it into a microwave-safe plastic bowl, heat in 30 second increments, stirring in between. Once you have 50% solids and 50% liquid, stir vigorously until the solids have completely melted.
4. Immediately transfer the tempered chocolate into a paper piping cone or zip-lock bag. Cut a small amount off the tip, ensuring the hole is smaller than the end of the baking paper tubes.
5. Pipe the tempered chocolate into the tubes, one at a time, and place them immediately into the glass of sugar. (Alternatively, you may find it easier to rest the empty straw in the glass and then fill pipe in the chocolate.) Place the glass of tubes into the refrigerator for 10 minutes to set.
6. Remove the tubes from the glass, dust off any sugar and cut the tape to remove the baking paper. Tie a piece of string around the top of each chocolate tube.
7. Attach a piece of string to 2 elevated objects to create a ‘clothesline’. (Alternatively, you can use a securely elevated cooling rack for this). You may wish to place a tray underneath to catch any chocolate drips.
8. If required, gently re-heat the tempered chocolate with a hairdryer while stirring.
9. Sieve the red colour over the chocolate and stir until the colour is completely incorporated.
10. Add in the oil and mix to combine. You may find the next step easier to do if you transfer the coloured chocolate to a tall vessel so the pencils can be dipped vertically into the chocolate.
11. Dip the pencils into the coloured chocolate, one at a time, leaving the tied end undipped. Peg the string to the clothesline (or tie to the elevated rack) and allow to set at room temperature for 10 minutes.
12. Use a pencil sharpener to sharpen the white end of the chocolate tubes. Warm a knife blade with a hair dryer and carefully trim the other end of each pencil.
13. If required, gently re-heat the coloured chocolate with a hairdryer while stirring. Dip the tip of the pencils into the coloured chocolate (this creates the look of the ‘lead’ in each pencil).
14. Lastly, use a toothpick to place a dot of the coloured chocolate onto the flat end of the pencil.

Note

Pour any remaining chocolate over a sheet of baking paper. Once set, the chocolate can be broken up and placed in an airtight container. Store in a cool, dry place and temper for your next chocolate creation.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.