I would be entirely remiss if I did not include the king of all dessert movies in this series, and early on. Mel Stuart’s 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory may not be quite as true to Roald Dahl’s classic book as its 2005 adaptation, but if the chocolate river and gumdrop trees don’t leave you hungry for dessert I don’t know what will. Gene Wilder’s Wonka can be mildly terrifying, but aside from the psychedelic trips the movie actually manages to impart messages about the downfalls of greed. If turning into a giant blueberry or falling in with the bad eggs wasn’t enough to scare you out of gluttony, charming Charlie’s reward demonstrates without a doubt that good guys finish first.
Sappy messages aside, let’s get down to the only thing about Willy Wonka that really matters—the chocolate. I half expect to find a golden ticket anytime I unwrap a Hershey’s bar; so far, I’ve been unlucky. With no chocolate factory tour in sight, I’ve resorted to making my own chocolate. This recipe doesn’t involve much work but sort of looks like it does, which is pretty much a win-win situation. The amounts listed below are very rough estimates, and I’d encourage budding chocolatiers to try out their own unique flavors and additions!
Simple Chocolate Truffles
Ingredients:
10 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips
5 tbs. heavy cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions:
Add chocolate and cream to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir continually until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and pour in vanilla (or any other flavoring). Spoon the chocolate into a silicon ice cube tray, or ball it up and place them on a cooking sheet. Refrigerate for two hours or until set. Enjoy!
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