Artisan bonbons evoke a sense of delight to everyone, it’s cute when said in an airy French accent, but it also quickly evaporates in your mouth, leaving you in a tranced state to crave more of these delicate desserts. Don’t call it a chocolate ball or a truffle as the French will hate you for committing a faux pas.
The French word “bon” means good, but it might be an understatement considering how luxurious and lustrous artisan bonbons can be. However, Americans have a different interpretation of Bonbon, associating it with Hershey’s frozen vanilla ice cream with a chocolate shell.
Artisan Bonboon Trivia
- Bonbons were first served at the French royal court in the 17th century and spread around European countries by the 18th century.
- Johann Strauss II composed the Waltz Wiener Bonbons in 1866. The title page depicts the composition’s name in twisted bonbon wrappers.
Artisan Bonboon Buying Guide
People often confuse artisan bonbons and truffles. The best way to tell them apart is through their appearance. Chocolate lovers and chocolatiers know that bonbons are molded chocolates with a hard-shell exterior while truffles are usually rolled into other ingredients such as cocoa powder, pistachio nuts, and even confectioner’s sugar.
Bonbons have shiny, colorful, hard shells while the truffles’ appearance resemble the truffle mushroom.
Artisan Bonboon Production & Farming in Texas
Texas is home to several chocolate shops that follow the bean-to-bar philosophy. You can find unique flavor pairings at the Dallas Chocolate Festival where unusual chocolate pairings and flavor combination will tickle your taste buds. Pair your chocolate with wine and cheese for a delectable, gourmet experience.
Can you believe a fitness center in Texas sells chocolates? Redbird Pilates and Fitness Studio specializes in vegan, dark chocolates from sustainable bean to bar companies that are guaranteed to utilize pure, fresh, all-natural, sustainable, and great tasting ingredients.
Confections from Guittard Chocolate Company, Srsly Chocolate Company, and Dick Taylor Craft Chocolates taste well with beer. Tejas Chocolate Factory from Houston is one of the top 50 makers in the country. Chocolaterie Tessa serves single-origin truffles and bonbons made with American bean-to-bar chocolate. Kate Weiser Chocolate serves gorgeous truffles and upscale eye candies that are uniquely flavorful. Cacao and Cardamom serve colorful bonbons and chocolate high heels that are great for gifting.
Preservatives and Chemicals
Like any other commercially produced candies, jellies, gums, chocolates, honey, extracts, and syrups, the so-called artisan bonbons sold in supermarkets and retail stores contain large amounts of preservatives, chemicals, and other fake ingredients that are toxic to the body.
Titanium oxide is one of the most generally known food additive in sweets, enhancing its appearance to give it a smoother texture. However, it poses health risks, responsible for slowly damaging the small intestine resulting in complicated gastrointestinal illnesses.
Commercially produced bonbons are full of artificial food coloring to enhance its appearance. Artificial food dyes are made from petroleum and are linked to cancer. Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 are considered carcinogens. Synthetic food dyes are also known to cause behavioral problems. Normal children can exhibit hyperactivity and a short attention span. Studies also show that kid’s behavior improves upon eliminating artificial food coloring in their diets.
The addition of synthetic sweeteners does nothing to enhance the flavor of a dessert. It only makes it cloyingly sweet which, when consumed in large amounts, can lead to headache, vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, and sore throat.
Packaging
Bonbons were served in fancy containers by the middle of the 18th century. It was given as gifts during festivals and holidays. Bonbons must be packaged individually inside boxed to keep its freshness. Storing it away from sunlight avoids affecting the chocolate flavors.
Enjoying Artisan Bonbons
Bonbons are best eaten on their own. You can also pair it with wine, coffee, and beer.
Storage
To keep the flavors and textures, bonbons must be stores in a cool, dry, and dark place. Artisan bonbons need to be chilled but never frozen.
Cooking
Making Chocolate Bonbons require a lot of patience and artisty. Handmade bonbons are precious treats that deserve to be gifted to anyone.
Chocolate Bonbons
Ingredients
1 cup margarine, softened
2 pounds confectioner’s sugar
1can sweetened condensed milk
3 cups coconut
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 package semi sweet chocolate chips
2 tbsp shortening
Procedure:
- In large bowl, combine margarine, confectioners’ sugar, condensed milk, coconut, chopped walnuts and vanilla. Stir well.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours, or until mixture has thickened enough to roll into balls. Roll the mixture into 1-inch balls and place close together, but not touching, on cookie sheets. Freeze until hard.
- While bonbons are freezing, line a cookie sheet or flat surface with waxed paper. Combine chocolate chips and shortening in the top of a double boiler, over, not in, simmering water. Stir until melted. Using a toothpick or a fork, dip each bonbon in the melted chocolate. Place on waxed paper to dry. When chocolate has hardened, store bonbons in plastic bag in the freezer.
