Chocolate Christmas Trees with Praline Filling

To prepare this Chocolate Christmas Trees with Praline Filling recipe, start by preparing the ingredients. Melt the large quantity of white chocolate with the Power Flowers colours in the microwave, working in 20 to 30-second intervals and stirring between each melting stage.

Meanwhile, place the small quantity of chocolate onto a chopping board...

...and chop the chocolate into small pieces with a knife. The finer it is chopped, the better.

When the chocolate starts to melt, mix with a spatula. You will notice that the colourings are also melting, which is completely normal. The final result will be a dark green.

The melted chocolate should reach a temperature of 45°C maximum. Using a laser thermometer is recommended at this stage.

Once this temperature is reached, add the chopped chocolate.

Then carefully mix to incorporate the chopped chocolate into the warm melted chocolate. It will melt and gradually blend in, lowering the temperature of the preparation.

Continue stirring until the chocolate is fully melted and the mixture reaches 28/29°C.

Keep stirring with the spatula...

...until the desired temperature is reached.

Pour the tempered chocolate into a piping bag...

...and pipe it into the cavities of the lollipop chocolate mould. Cut a small opening at the end of the bag.

Gently tap the tray on the work surface to get rid of air bubbles.

Insert a stick all the way to the bottom and move it around to ensure the chocolate reaches the bottom of each cavity. This step is important: if you skip it, your trees might not have neat, pointed tips.

Tap the tray on the work surface again.

Flip the mold over the mixing bowl used to melt the chocolate and tap the sides with a chocolate spatula to let the excess chocolate drain out. This will ensure a thin shell.

Scrape the surface of the tray with the spatula. Keep the excess tempered chocolate in a ventilated oven preheated to 30°C so you won't have to temper it again.

Place the mold upside down over a sheet of parchment paper...

...and slide everything onto a baking sheet. Refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.

Praline filling: Prepare all the ingredients.

Pour the Mycryo cocoa butter into a small saucepan and melt it over very low heat.

Place the milk chocolate and dark chocolate in a mixing bowl and melt them in the microwave, in 20 to 30-second intervals, as we did earlier.

Once the Mycryo cocoa butter is melted, remove the saucepan from the heat...

...and add it to the hazelnut praline paste.

Carefully mix these two ingredients together.

Then add the melted chocolates...

...as well as the caramelized hazelnuts...

...and mix with a spatula until smooth.

Transfer the praline filling into a piping bag.

Take the tray out of the fridge. The chocolate shells have now crystallized.

Use the chocolate spatula to level the surface of the mould to ensure the edges are smooth and clean.

Pipe the praline filling into the chocolate shells, filling them almost to the top. Leave a space of about 2 to 3mm to seal the chocolate trees.

Tap the tray on the work surface to bring up any air bubbles. Let the filling set in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the mould from the fridge when the praline filling has set.

Pour the reserved tempered chocolate (kept at 28/29°C) into a piping bag and pipe it into the cavities to seal them.

Tap the mould on the work surface to smooth out the chocolate and ensure it fills the cavities completely.

Finish by sliding the chocolate spatula across the surface of the tray 2 to 3 times. Leave to crystallize in the fridge for 10 to 15 minutes maximum.

Once the chocolate has crystallized, remove the mold from the fridge and gently flip it upside down on the work surface.

If the tempering was done correctly, the chocolate trees will easily come out of the mold. You can give the tray a slight twist to help with the release.

This is what the Christmas tree chocolates should look like.

Finishing: Spray the gold powder colouring on all sides of the praline chocolate trees. Set them aside until ready to serve, storing them at room temperature in a cool room (18°C). Enjoy!