Take a bite: How to make a hollow chocolate soda bottle
Has your teenager outgrown the Easter bunny but still loves chocolate...?
The next time you want to give them, or anyone, a fun chocolate figure — for a birthday, Easter, or (don't forget!) Valentine's Day — just follow these instructions to conjure up something that's as funny as it is delicious.
You'll need:
- an empty 16-oz plastic bottle of their favorite soda, including the cap and label
- a bar of chocolate (organic perhaps? or prize-winning artisanal!)
- a sharp knife
- a funnel
- a pot
- a bowl
- sweets to fill the bottle with
Here's how:
Wash the bottle well and let it dry completely.
Carefully remove the label, being sure not to damage it. Place it somewhere safe to dry off — you'll need it again soon!
Once the bottle is totally clean and dry, place the broken up bar of chocolate in the bowl. Bring a little water to a low simmer in the pot and set the bowl in the pot, over the water. Let the chocolate melt, stirring any lumps out once it's fluid.
Now put the funnel into the bottle and carefully pour the melted chocolate in. Since you want a hollow chocolate bottle, the melted chocolate should only fill about a quarter of the plastic bottle.
Gently rock and turn the bottle until the chocolate has covered the entire inner wall, including the neck. Try to spread an even amount of chocolate all over, so that your chocolate bottle's wall will have a fairly constant thickness.
Let the chocolate cool off and become firm, continuing to move it gently and evenly so the last fluid drops get well-distributed.
As soon as it's completely dry, fill the bottle with the sweets of your choice. They just have to be small enough to fit through the neck.
Now for the tricky part: take a sharp knife and very carefully cut through the plastic — without touching the chocolate! You may even want to use a razor knife (if you have a very steady hand). All you need to do is make a cut all around the middle of the bottle...
... so you can pull the top and bottom off without damaging the chocolate.
Once you've removed the plastic, attach the label directly onto the chocolate: use a little bit of hidden tape to connect the ends. And the last step, place the cap back on the bottle.
Now you have a fun — and charming! — present to give a chocolate (and soda) lover in your life. They might be fooled: it looks just like the original!
Make a gift like this and people will be really impressed! Then they'll get the added surprise of shaking it to notice there's something yummy on the inside too... but they'll just have to eat their way in there.
Watch the video for step-by-step instructions:
You don't just have to use Coke or some other soda. Those may have the advantage of looking chocolate-y already. But if you have a kombucha or turmeric tonic lover in your family, you can play quite a loving practical joke on them with a chocolate version of their beloved health drink!
And for the filling, everything works, from M&Ms and gummi bears to chocolate covered espresso beans or how about chai-spice pecans...? Not to mention the most season-appropriate choice: candy hearts! <3
Have fun making and tasting!