Filled Chocolates and Bonbons
Cooking Skills: Chocolate 2
Chapter 3 · Filled Chocolates and Bonbons
Skill goal
Fill and seal chocolate shells with ganache, fruit and nutty centres, and pack a selection.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
A bonbon is a thin chocolate shell around a soft filling, sealed at the base. It brings together tempering (Cooking Skills: Chocolate 2, chapter 1), moulding shells (chapter 2) and the ganache you made in Cooking Skills: Chocolate 1, chapter 3. The skill is in the fillings: soft enough to be luscious, firm enough to stay put, and cool enough not to melt the shell.
The method
- Make strong shells: two thin coats, chilled between.
- Cool the filling to about 30°C before it goes in.
- Fill to 3 mm below the rim, leaving room for the seal.
- Let the filling set before sealing: overnight at cool room temperature is best for ganache.
- Seal completely, right across the base, so nothing leaks.
| Filling | Texture | Keeps (cool or fridge) | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firm ganache | Soft, creamy | About 5 days | Filling too hot, melts the shell |
| Fruit centre | Sharp, jammy | 3 to 5 days, in the fridge | Water: cook it very thick |
| Praline-style | Nutty, a little crunchy | About a week | Nuts: label them |
| Selection box | Mixed | As the shortest-lived filling | Labels and allergens |
These keeping times are general guidance, not strict limits.
Hot cream, filling and keeping
Hot cream: cream heated to steaming is hotter than it looks and burns skin. Heat it in a small pan over a medium heat until it just starts to steam at the edges, don't let it boil over, keep the handle turned in and pour with care.Filling the shells: a small piping bag with the tip cut off, or a teaspoon, fills shells neatly. Fill to about 3 mm below the rim and tap to level. A filling that is too warm melts the shell, and one that is too firm won't flow.
Keeping: anything made with cream (ganache, bonbon fillings) should be kept covered in the fridge and used within about 5 days (general guidance). Bring it to cool room temperature 15 minutes before serving, and don't leave cream-based sweets out for more than a couple of hours.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Ganache bonbons
The classic bonbon: a hollow shell filled with soft ganache and sealed. The firm ganache here (2 parts chocolate to 1 part cream, as in Cooking Skills: Chocolate 1, chapter 3) sets soft enough to bite through cleanly and holds a neat top. Let it cool before filling.
Ingredients (6 portions)
- 6 hollow chocolate shells (Cooking Skills: Chocolate 2, chapter 2)
- 100 g dark chocolate (about 70%), finely chopped
- 50 ml double cream
- 10 g butter, softened
- 30 g tempered chocolate, to seal
- Make the ganache: heat the cream until steaming, pour over the chopped chocolate, wait 2 minutes and stir smooth. Stir in the butter. Cool to about 30°C (thick but pourable).
- Fill the shells with the ganache to 3 mm below the rim. Leave at cool room temperature overnight (or chill for 1 hour) until set.
- Spread a thin layer of tempered chocolate over each top to seal. Chill for 15 minutes and release carefully.
Hot cream, filling and keeping
Hot cream: cream heated to steaming is hotter than it looks and burns skin. Heat it in a small pan over a medium heat until it just starts to steam at the edges, don't let it boil over, keep the handle turned in and pour with care.Filling the shells: a small piping bag with the tip cut off, or a teaspoon, fills shells neatly. Fill to about 3 mm below the rim and tap to level. A filling that is too warm melts the shell, and one that is too firm won't flow.
Keeping: anything made with cream (ganache, bonbon fillings) should be kept covered in the fridge and used within about 5 days (general guidance). Bring it to cool room temperature 15 minutes before serving, and don't leave cream-based sweets out for more than a couple of hours.
Allergens: chocolate contains milk (except some dark), and often soy (lecithin) and sometimes nuts or traces of them: check the label and the 'may contain' line. Cream, butter and many coatings are dairy, and cookies and biscuits contain wheat and often egg. Dairy-free dark chocolate and coconut cream can replace the dairy in many recipes, but the texture changes.
Level 2 · Fruit
Fruit centres
A thick, jammy fruit filling is sharp and fruity against the dark chocolate. It must be cooked down until very thick: a thin filling makes the chocolate soggy and spoils sooner. Cool it completely before filling.
Ingredients (6 portions)
- 6 hollow chocolate shells
- 150 g raspberries or strawberries, fresh or frozen and boiled as in the box
- 60 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 30 g tempered chocolate, to seal
- Simmer the fruit and sugar for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring, until it is thick and jam-like and leaves a trail on the pan. Add the lemon juice, sieve if you like, and cool completely.
- Fill the shells with the cooled fruit to 3 mm below the rim.
- Seal each with tempered chocolate, chill for 15 minutes and release. Eat within a few days.
Hot fruit, boiled frozen berries and keeping
Hot sugar: sugar syrup and caramel are far hotter than boiling water, and they stick to skin and burn badly. Use a large, heavy pan, keep the handle turned in, stand back when adding cream or bicarbonate, and keep a bowl of cold water nearby. Nothing leaves the pan until it has cooled, and children should not help with this chapter's sugar work.Fruit: wash fresh fruit before use. If you use frozen berries, heat them until boiling and simmer for a minute before using them cold, as is usual UK advice for frozen berries (general guidance: check the pack).
Fruit centres: fruit contains water, so a fruit-filled chocolate keeps for a shorter time than a ganache one. Keep them in the fridge in an airtight tin and eat within about 3 to 5 days (general guidance). Use thick, well-reduced fruit, not runny purée, so it doesn't leak or spoil.
Allergens: chocolate contains milk (except some dark), and often soy (lecithin) and sometimes nuts or traces of them: check the label and the 'may contain' line. Cream, butter and many coatings are dairy, and cookies and biscuits contain wheat and often egg. Dairy-free dark chocolate and coconut cream can replace the dairy in many recipes, but the texture changes.
Level 2 · Praline
Praline-style centres
A smooth, nutty filling with a little crunch, like a praline. Stir melted milk chocolate into hazelnut paste and fold in crushed biscuit for texture. Cool until thick enough to hold its shape.
Ingredients (6 portions)
- 6 hollow chocolate shells
- 60 g hazelnut paste or smooth hazelnut butter (unsweetened)
- 60 g milk chocolate, melted
- 20 g crushed plain biscuit or toasted crushed nuts
- 1 pinch salt
- 30 g tempered chocolate, to seal
- Mix the melted chocolate, hazelnut paste and salt until smooth. Fold in the crushed biscuit or nuts and cool until thick but spoonable.
- Fill each shell to 3 mm below the rim and tap level. Set for 1 hour at cool room temperature.
- Seal with tempered chocolate, chill and release.
Nuts, filling and keeping
Nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios and other nuts (and spreads made from them) are serious allergens, and some chocolate is made in factories that handle nuts. Never serve them to a guest without asking, and make a nut-free swap when anyone has an allergy.Nut-free swap: use smooth sunflower seed butter instead of hazelnut paste (check the label for nut traces), or use a plain ganache centre.
Filling the shells: a small piping bag with the tip cut off, or a teaspoon, fills shells neatly. Fill to about 3 mm below the rim and tap to level. A filling that is too warm melts the shell, and one that is too firm won't flow.
Keeping: anything made with cream (ganache, bonbon fillings) should be kept covered in the fridge and used within about 5 days (general guidance). Bring it to cool room temperature 15 minutes before serving, and don't leave cream-based sweets out for more than a couple of hours.
Level 3 · Selection
A bonbon selection
A box of three kinds of bonbon, each decorated differently so you can tell them apart. Make them in batches, keeping the cream and fruit ones in the fridge until the box is given.
Ingredients (12 portions)
- 1 batch ganache bonbons, fruit centres and praline-style centres (above)
- 1 box and paper cases
- 1 pinch sea salt flakes, cocoa and a little melted white chocolate, to decorate
- 1 label
- Make four shells of each kind of filling (ganache, fruit, praline-style). Decorate each type differently before the seal sets (a pinch of sea salt, a dusting of cocoa, a white chocolate drizzle).
- Pack in paper cases in a lined box, with a label listing the fillings, the date and allergens.
- Keep the box in the fridge until just before serving, and bring it to cool room temperature 15 minutes before eating.
Choosing, labels and keeping
Choosing a selection: give each centre a different look: a sprinkle of sea salt on one, a drizzle on another, a dusting of cocoa on a third, so you and your guests can tell them apart.Labelling gifts: label every gift with what is in it, the date it was made, and any allergens (milk, egg, nuts, wheat, soy), and say 'keep in the fridge' on anything with cream or fruit. If you give food to someone with an allergy, check with them first.
Keeping: anything made with cream (ganache, bonbon fillings) should be kept covered in the fridge and used within about 5 days (general guidance). Bring it to cool room temperature 15 minutes before serving, and don't leave cream-based sweets out for more than a couple of hours.
Allergens: chocolate contains milk (except some dark), and often soy (lecithin) and sometimes nuts or traces of them: check the label and the 'may contain' line. Cream, butter and many coatings are dairy, and cookies and biscuits contain wheat and often egg. Dairy-free dark chocolate and coconut cream can replace the dairy in many recipes, but the texture changes.
Experiments
Experiment
Filling softness
Firm or soft.
- Make two small ganaches, one at 2 parts chocolate to 1 part cream and one at 1 to 1, and fill a shell with each.
Look for: The firmer filling holds a neat top and a clean bite; the softer one is luscious but can leak when the shell is bitten. Choose a ratio for the texture you like.
Experiment
Sealing
Sealed or open.
- Seal one filled shell completely and leave another with a gap, and check each after a day.
Look for: The sealed one stays fresh and doesn't leak; the open one dries out and may leak. Seal right to the edges.
Experiment
Flavour balance
Plain and seasoned.
- Make three small batches of ganache: plain, with a pinch of salt, and with a little orange zest. Fill a shell with each.
Look for: Salt deepens the chocolate; zest brightens it; plain is pure but flatter. Small additions have big effects.
Experiment
Shelf life
Fridge or cool cupboard.
- Store one fruit-filled and one ganache-filled bonbon in the fridge and another of each in a cool room, and check after 3 and 5 days.
Look for: The fruit bonbon spoils fastest, especially at room temperature; the ganache one lasts longer. Keep cream and fruit chocolates cold.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ganache bonbons | ||||
| Fruit centres | ||||
| Praline-style centres | ||||
| Bonbon selection | ||||
| Filling softness | ||||
| Sealing | ||||
| Flavour balance | ||||
| Shelf life |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Filling melts the shell | Filling too warm | Cool to about 30°C before filling |
| Filling leaks | Seal missing or thin | Seal right across the base |
| Soggy shell | Fruit filling too wet | Cook the fruit until very thick |
| Filling too stiff to pipe | Chilled too long | Warm gently and stir |
| Bonbons crack | Shell too thin or chilled too hard | Make two thin coats; chill gently |
| Dull finish | Chocolate not tempered | Temper again and test a streak |
Hot fruit, nuts and allergens
Hot sugar: sugar syrup and caramel are far hotter than boiling water, and they stick to skin and burn badly. Use a large, heavy pan, keep the handle turned in, stand back when adding cream or bicarbonate, and keep a bowl of cold water nearby. Nothing leaves the pan until it has cooled, and children should not help with this chapter's sugar work.Nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios and other nuts (and spreads made from them) are serious allergens, and some chocolate is made in factories that handle nuts. Never serve them to a guest without asking, and make a nut-free swap when anyone has an allergy.
Allergens: chocolate contains milk (except some dark), and often soy (lecithin) and sometimes nuts or traces of them: check the label and the 'may contain' line. Cream, butter and many coatings are dairy, and cookies and biscuits contain wheat and often egg. Dairy-free dark chocolate and coconut cream can replace the dairy in many recipes, but the texture changes.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can fill a shell without melting it.
- I can leave room and seal a bonbon completely.
- I can cook a fruit filling thick enough.
- I label nuts and keep cream and fruit chocolates cold.
- I can pack a selection of bonbons.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Chocolate 2, chapter 4 is Caramels, Honeycomb and Nougat-style Sweets: hot sugar sweets, with a strong safety focus.