Boozy Caramel Bonbons Recipe

These bonbons are filled with a boozy, vanilla caramel that runs when you bite into it. A tiny pinch of sea salt makes all of the flavors sing.

A tray of beautiful chocolate bonbons, with one cracked open to reveal a runny caramel filling.

Serious Eats / Lauren Weisenthal

Why It Works

  • The chocolate shell and the filling are customizable.
  • Using properly tempered couverture chocolate ensures you have a chocolate shell with shine, snap, and no white streaks.
  • Gently warming the molds before adding chocolate helps prevent air bubbles and cracks.

For Valentine's Day this year, I won't be handing my money over to Hallmark or Hershey's or even Jacques Torres. Instead, I've invested in a gift for myself that will keep on giving to others for years to come: an acrylic bonbon mold and some high-quality, couverture dark chocolate. With these items, I can create chocolate bonbons custom-made to suit my sweetheart's (or my own) tastes.

The great thing about making your own bonbons is that, with a little practice, you can get a finished product that looks absolutely stunning. Properly tempered chocolate, poured into a prepared mold will always yield pieces that are smooth and shiny, like the ones in the glass cases at chocolate shops. But unlike at a chocolate shop, when you make your own bonbons, you have complete control of the flavors and textures within.

"when you dream in bonbon fillings, the only limit is your own imagination"

Which brings me to the fun part; when you dream in bonbon fillings, the only limit is your own imagination. You can choose buttercream flavored any way you'd like. Or white, milk, or dark chocolate ganache made with cream that's been steeped in herbs, spices, or zest. Nougat, marshmallow, jam... the mind boggles with all the possibilities. My personal favorite is caramel, which can be flavored in a variety of ways (vanilla bean, salt, zest, extracts) and runs a little bit when you bite into it. You can add a little chunk of something as well: a sprinkle of sea salt, a nut, or a bit of candied peel or crispy rice.

An Overview of Making Bonbons

  • Use couverture chocolate, which contains a higher quantity of cocoa butter, and gives molded chocolate a great shine and snap.
  • Temper the chocolate properly to avoid getting streaky white marks on the bonbons.
  • Gently warm the molds before pouring the chocolate to avoid having cracks or air pockets on the bonbons.
  • Always store chocolate in a cool dry place.

And avoid...

  • Getting even a drop of water in the chocolate you are tempering.
  • Piping the filling to the top of the bonbon shells; it will make them difficult to seal.
  • Leaving the molds in the fridge for more than a few minutes at a time.

DIY Details for Immaculate Bonbons

Keep EVERYTHING Dry

Using a towel to keep a bowl for tempering chocolate perfectly dry.

Serious Eats / Lauren Weisenthal

Water is chocolate's mortal enemy (even a little water in melted chocolate will cause it to seize up and be unusable for bonbon shells), so as you go about working, be sure that all of your tools, containers, and molds are completely dry. Melting the chocolate over hot water to temper it does place the chocolate in peril, so be sure to place a towel under bowls that have been set over water or steam.

Use Cocoa Butter for Decoration

Warming solid cocoa butter in a bottle in a pan of warm water for decorating bonbon tops.

Serious Eats / Lauren Weisenthal

If you would like to add designs to the surface of the bonbon, you must use colored cocoa butter, which comes in its solid state in a bottle. To use, place in a pot of water that has been brought to a boil (shut the burner off first), and allow the cocoa butter to melt. Shake the bottle periodically to help the process along.

Using a fine paintbrush to brush a colored cocoa butter design onto the bonbon molds.

Serious Eats / Lauren Weisenthal

If using cocoa butter, remember that it is important to use a very thin layer to avoid having bonbons that appear chipped with patchy dull spots. Once you've painted the design onto the mold, place the mold in the fridge for several minutes to allow the cocoa butter to set.

Tempering Is Critical

Tempering melted chocolate in a glass bowl with a probe thermometer and a spatula.

Serious Eats / Lauren Weisenthal

To give the bonbon shells a shiny, smooth, appearance and a snappy texture, tempering is vitally important. This tutorial on tempering chocolate explains it perfectly.

Preparing and Filling the Bonbon Molds

Once the chocolate is tempered, quickly warm the mold by waving it over a lit stove or placing it in the oven for a minute (watch carefully, depending on the material from which the mold is made, it may melt). Then, pour tempered chocolate into each one of the cavities in the mold.

Pouring off excess melted chocolate from bonbon molds by inverting the mold.

Serious Eats / Lauren Weisenthal

Allow the chocolate to sit in the cavities for 10 seconds, then flip the mold over and allow the excess to drip off into the bowl.

Tapping off the remaining excess melted chocolate from a bonbon mold being held upside down.

Serious Eats / Lauren Weisenthal

Then, tap the edge of the mold to release even more of the excess chocolate. The aim is to have a shell that is thin, but solid enough to support whatever goes inside.

Use a metal scraper to scrape off the excess chocolate from the surface of the mold. My favorite tool for chocolate is a metal paint scraper, which I bought at the hardware store.

Using a metal scraper to completely scrape the top of the bonbon mold of any extra chocolate.

Serious Eats / Lauren Weisenthal

Make sure to level the top, which will make it easier to seal the chocolates later in the process. Place the mold into the fridge for 2-3 minutes to help the shells set (do not leave the mold in for a prolonged period of time, which will expose it to moisture).

Filling the Bonbons

A hand sprinkling sea salt into bonbon molds already filled with a chocolate shell.

Serious Eats / Lauren Weisenthal

If you would like a solid component inside your bonbon, like a sprinkle of sea salt or a hazelnut, add it first, for easier filling. In this photo, I am sprinkling some sea salt into the shells.

Using a piping bag fitted with a fine tip or a piece of parchment rolled into a cone, pipe the bonbon filling into each shell, being very careful to fill it a few millimeters below the edge of the mold. Overfilling will cause the bonbons to leak filling.

Piping chocolate to the top of the bonbon shells.

Serious Eats / Lauren Weisenthal

Unmolding the Bonbons

To release the hardened chocolate, flex the molds slightly. Turn the mold over onto a clean, dry rsurface, Remove them from the surface, then bang the mold against the counter to release any stubborn bonbons.

Flexing the bonbon mold to release the hardened chocolate.

Serious Eats / Lauren Weisenthal

A half-bitten bonbons with melting caramel filling.

Serious Eats / Lauren Weisenthal

February 2012

Recipe Details

Boozy Caramel Bonbons Recipe

Prep 15 mins
Cook 15 mins
Active 2 hrs
Total 30 mins
Serves 20 bonbons

Ingredients

  • 6.9 ounces granulated sugar

  • 2 ounces water

  • 2 ounces light corn syrup

  • 5 ounces heavy cream

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • Seeds scraped from 1/2 vanilla bean

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 2 tablespoons rum, whiskey, or bourbon

  • Colored cocoa butter (optional)

  • 16 ounces 58% couverture chocolate

  • Sea salt for sprinkling

Directions

  1. In a medium saucepan with a heavy bottom, combine sugar, water, and corn syrup and stir. Wash down sides with a pastry brush dipped in clean water, then place over medium-high heat for 7-10 minutes, at which point mixture will begin to darken. Swirl pot to even out caramelization, and allow caramel to turn deep amber.

    Then, stand back and slowly add cream (mixture will sputter, rise in pot, and spit; be very careful) and turn off heat. Once it is safe, whisk until smooth. Whisk in butter until it melts completely. Whisk in vanilla seeds, booze, and salt and allow mixture to cool completely.

  2. Chop chocolate into very small pieces and divide chocolate evenly into one very large bowl and one small bowl (the large bowl is the bowl that you will melt the chocolate in, the small one contains the "seed" chocolate for tempering). Set a pot of water to boil on stove. When water is boiling, turn off heat and place large bowl of chocolate over water. Temper chocolate (for a full tutorial, click here) by stirring to bring to chocolate to 115°F (46°). Then, begin adding reserved chocolate a little at a time and vigorously stirring mixture, without stopping. Continue to add reserved seed chocolate and agitate until chocolate comes down to 90°F (32°C). The chocolate is now tempered. Check to be sure that there are no solid pieces of chocolate left in bowl.

  3. Wave mold over a flame on stove or place it in a warm oven for just a moment to warm it up slightly (this will help the chocolate flow over it, rather than seizing up immediately when it hits the mold, which prevents air bubbles from forming). Then pour chocolate into each cavity in mold. Allow it to stand for 10 seconds, then invert mold over bowl, allowing excess chocolate to run off. Tap mold to shake out additional excess, then turn mold back over. With a flexible metal scraper, scrape over top, cleaning off any excess chocolate on the sides. Place mold in the fridge for 2-3 minutes, then remove.

    Filling the bonbon molds with melted, tempered chocolate.

    Serious Eats / Lauren Weisenthal

    Using a spatula to scrap off excess chocolate from the top of a bonbon mold.

    Serious Eats / Lauren Weisenthal

  4. Sprinkle a pinch of sea salt into each shell. Using a piping bag fitted with a small tip or a cone of parchment, pipe cooled caramel into shells, stopping a 3-4 millimeters below edge (it's very important to leave room, otherwise the chocolates will not seal). Ensure chocolate is still tempered (if it is not, you will need to bring it back to 115°F once again, then down to 90°F, otherwise, your bonbons will be streaky on the bottom). Pipe or pour chocolate over tops of each bonbon. Scrape top clean to create a seal, then place mold in fridge for 2-3 minutes and remove. Twist mold to release chocolates, then turn it upside down and tap them out of mold. Clear work surface of bonbons, and pound mold against counter to release any stragglers. Store chocolates in a cool, dry place.

    Using a piping bag to pipe a solid filling into bonbon shells within a mold.

    Serious Eats / Lauren Weisenthal

    Scraping excess chocolate from bonbon molds.

    Serious Eats / Lauren Weisenthal

    Turning the bonbon mold over to a clean surface to release them.

    Serious Eats / Lauren Weisenthal

Special Equipment

Bonbon mold, instant-read thermometer, flexible metal scraper, food scale

Notes

You can purchase couverture chocolate on Amazon. Molds and cocoa butter color are available on the Chef Rubber.

All measurements are in weight, as volume measures can be very imprecise. I strongly recommend using a scale for all pastry projects.

When making bonbons, there is always a fair amount of chocolate left over. Scrape all of this chocolate onto parchment and allow it to cool and harden at room temperature. Then wrap tightly and store. This chocolate may be used for all kinds of baking or chocolate projects, but should not be used as the "seeds" during tempering.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
174 Calories
9g Fat
23g Carbs
1g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 20
Amount per serving
Calories 174
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 12%
Saturated Fat 6g 28%
Cholesterol 13mg 4%
Sodium 148mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 23g 8%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 20g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 15mg 1%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 103mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)