The Precipitation of My Procrastination

Signs that finals are approaching:

1. I will start panicking over every little thing.

2. I will start online shopping for the most mundane things – like the 1000 piping bags I received in the mail the other day.

3. I’ll start baking and making desserts like a mad man.

So I’ve got the (arguably) easiest semester at school I’ve ever had in my university career right now, but for some reason, I can’t relax at all. I’ve had 5 finals in a span of 4 days before but I feel just as stressed when I’ve only got one final this year. I can’t even explain it, I swear I need yoga to sort my anxiety issues out. Just like clockwork, I’ve been spending my study breaks back in the kitchen like I do every time the end of November comes around, and there are desserts overflowing from every corner of the house. I just need a place to channel all my creative energy while my brain takes a break from shoving information into itself. Honestly, physiology is the worst class ever, and I can’t imagine how I’m about to suffer through another semester of it. Please explain to me how knowing the pathway of motor nerve conduction is going to help me in my career, because I’d really like to know.

Barf.

Well anyways, while studying the other day, I remembered this recipe that I came across by the wonderful Carla Hall from Top Chef/The Chew, where she basically showed people how to jazz up a chocolate bar and turn it into a fancy shmancy gift. No, the point of it isn’t to temper it, and to make some fancy ass shiny chocolate with a brittle snap. This is like, a 10 minute recipe that you use to make a last minute gift or snack to impress your friends and guests. You can flavour it with anything you like though, which is why it’s such a great little recipe to have in your arsenal. Got nuts at home? Chuck them in. Or maybe you have some leftover meringues? Crumble those in.

Here I used DAVIDsTEA’s Alpine Punch tea, which is a rooibos with rose, coconut, cinnamon, and a whole lot of spice. It also has an almond flavouring to it, so what you end up with is a chocolate tasting like Amaretto with hints of rose and coconut – a winner in my books! But you can use Earl Grey, or maybe even a Lapsang for a smokey chocolate. One note though, don’t use white chocolate unless you know you have a good quality one because that shit splits like nobody’s business when it’s not well made.

Tea Infused Chocolates

Ingredients:

– 1 bar of chocolate

– 1 tbsp of tea

– pinch of salt

Optional: nuts, meringue, pretzel bits, etc. Use your imagination

Directions:

1. Place your chocolate into the microwave and melt at 30 second intervals until melted

2. Grind up your tea in a spice mixer until it is a fine powder and throw in a pinch of salt

3. Mix the two together and throw in anything else you might want to add

4. Fill up a candy or ice cube tray mold, and pop into the freezer for 15-20 minutes until set

Honestly, easiest recipe ever.

Does it even count as a recipe? It’s basically like a melt and mix kinda process that just looks like it’s super fancy or something!