Mmm. Chocolate.

My big project today was chocolate, goat's milk fudge and chocolate chevre truffles. However, I am currently at war with candy thermometers. 

I had a glass one, you know one of those cheapo ones you buy at the grocery store, but it cracked when I was using it so not only was I out a candy thermometer but I also had to throw out the entire batch of confections I was making.  I managed to find a nice metal one, but while using it today it seemed like it was taking an awful long time to get to soft ball stage so I used the water test and augh, it was well past, almost to hard ball stage!  This explains why I had so much difficulty with the last batch of carmels I made.

Of course all of this is in preparation for the upcoming holiday markets.  I don't make chocolates all year around, although one of my cheese instructors encouraged me to enter the truffles into a cheese competition - apparently there is a confections category - who knew!  I did manage to make two kinds of truffles, the first is just a plain chocolate truffle sweetened with maple syrup (you really don't taste the maple), some are salted and others are just plain chocolate, and the second is a lemon honey chocolate truffle.

And last but not least, I made some honey spice chevre dog cookies too.