{create} chocolate bowls

Have you guys ever made chocolate bowls? I used to make them all the time when I was younger - I'm pretty sure I found the recipe in a Martha Stewart .... back before the internet (gasp!). For some reason I was remembering that the other day, so I whipped up a batch to take to a friends house on Saturday night. They also happen to be a perfect treat if you're looking to make something super easy, and yet completely impressive, for Valentine's day! 

1. You start with a 12 oz bag of chocolate. I used dark and white and then got all wild and crazy at the end and combined them :). Melt the chocolate and let it cool off a little. Put a teaspoon-sized dollop of chocolate on parchment covered baking sheet.

2. Wash your balloons and blow them up to be 4-5 inches in diameter. The key here is to by small balloons -- they'll blow up thin and be easier to pop and pull out at the end. Dip your balloon in the bowl and rotate to get chocolate up the sides.

3. It won't be perfect - but I actually think that's part of the charm.

4. Set your chocolate-covered balloon on your dollop. The dollop give the balloon a place to sit.

5. Continue making your bowls until you're out of chocolate - or balloons :). Put them into the fridge for at least 30 minutes to harden up.

6. Very carefully, pop the balloon. If the pop is too harsh, you risk cracking the bowl.

7. Deflate the balloon and then very carefully peel out of the bowl.

We filled ours with chocolate hazelnut ice cream, whip cream and of course sprinkles - our friends kids LOVED them. But, they could be filled with anything -- I've filled them with pudding, used them to hold other candy at parties - get creative! 

Friends, what - if anything! - are you making for Valentine's day dessert??