Drink 'Em - Eat 'Em: Chocolate Cordial Cups

I went to a party last year where beverages were served in chocolate cordial cups - fun! Meanwhile, we managed to acquire approximately one million bottles of Jamaican rum cream (not really, but I think we have six at this point from gifts and the like - long story).

So drinks and enjoying rum cream have been on the brain. Long back story to share that I've been wondering how hard it might be to make chocolate cordial cups.

I found cups to purchase at World Market:

Source

These are a little pricier than I'd like - 12 cups for $6.

Then I found these at Michaels for less than $2. That was worth the expense of experimenting - and if it didn't work, I'd have a fun candy shell mold to use for making fudge and other treats.

I bought a bag of dark chocolate candy melts (also $2) - again, always experiment with lesser-quality ingredients. If your experiment works, you can invest in higher quality materials.

To make your own cordial cups, simply melt the chocolate according to package instructions.

There are several ways to fill the cups - I tried three methods:

1. Completely fill the cups, allow to set for 1-2 minutes in the refrigerator and pour out the center. Allow what remains on the outside edge of the mold to firm in the refrigerator for another 5 minutes. I found this to be a very difficult and messy task. Not recommended.
2. Fill the molds about 1/3 of the way full and use a small spoon to spread the chocolate around the edges. Allow to firm in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes. This works, but the thickness of the cup is pretty inconsistent.
3. Use a clean small paintbrush (or pastry decorator's paintbrush) to paint the chocolate into the molds. Alow to firm in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes. This definitely works and provides a consistently thick layer of chocolate. It's also the most time-consuming - but if you had a cup making/painting party, I suppose that wouldn't matter.

After the cups set (again, this only takes about 5 minutes), pop them out of the molds. Use a butter knife to clean up the edges for a smooth lip.

Just removed from the mold - not trimmed yet

Store in the refrigerator until ready to use! Mmmm......

And if you're lazy like me, you don't bother
to trim the cup's lip at all.

The cordial cups can be made in advance if you're planning a party or you simply don't want to spend time making cups on an as-desired basis. Simply store the cups in an air-tight container in the freezer. I'd expect that they'd last for at least a couple of months.