Behold, this year's signature candy

Every year as I go through the candymaking process, I try to improve upon an existing recipe or invent a new one. This year, I was hell-bent on creating a new chocolate with the tart flavor of key lime pie. Not just the flavor, though; I wanted the texture: the creaminess, the crunchiness. I was surprised that I succeeded on the first try. Thank heaven, though, because these were a pain in the ass to make. It figures. I don't enjoy working with white chocolate. It doesn't behave like real chocolate ("real" white "chocolate" has some cocoa butter solids in it, but that's it...it's not really chocolate at all). It melts at a lower heat and sets up much faster than chocolate, so your work time is very tight once you begin working with it.


I made the candies in molds, using a white chocolate outer shell. I piped key lime cream into each shell (sorry, no pictures, patented process!) and then sprinkled in little bits of graham cracker crumbs that had been baked with sugar and butter. Then I capped them and cooled them, and when you bite into them, you have a terrific, flowing very tangy key lime center with a nice hint of graham cracker crust, enveloped in white chocolate to mimic the meringue. I think it's one of my best ever. Sorry for the blurry pic. It's the best I could do.