See's chocolates - buttercream centers

[pastrygirl]

I was making chocolates in my Mom's kitchen this afternoon, which somehow prompted her to ask me what is in the 'buttercream' centers that some See's candies have. I have no idea, so now of course I am curious. Haven't had any in a while, but I recall they are very creamy and awfully sweet. Is there fondant involved? Is there any butter in the buttercreams? Do I have to go buy some to find out?

[gap]

I usually think of buttercream as being whipped butter, incorporate fondant (other "sugars" can also be used such as a jam, say) and then your flavouring.

[Chocolot]

Most of their centers are a cooked fondant. Sugar (white or brown or combo) cream, corn syrup, cooked to soft ball. Pour out to cool-beaten to start crystallization. Flavors are added during beating process. Can add butter during cooking or during beating. A cooked mazetta (like a marshmallow creme) can be added during beating to add lightness to the batch. Roll into balls. Allow to stand to form a slight crust for a few hours before dipping.

[chiantiglace]

.......... why can't it be actual buttercream, meringue with butter.............?

[Kerry Beal]

.......... why can't it be actual buttercream, meringue with butter.............?

←

Cause it would be a bitch to enrobe in chocolate!

[chiantiglace]

.......... why can't it be actual buttercream, meringue with butter.............?

←

Cause it would be a bitch to enrobe in chocolate!

←

why? cool buttercream is solid, give them a pre coating, let them come up to room temp to avoid expansion and dip.

[John DePaula]

.......... why can't it be actual buttercream, meringue with butter.............?

←

Cause it would be a bitch to enrobe in chocolate!

←

why? cool buttercream is solid, give them a pre coating, let them come up to room temp to avoid expansion and dip.

←

when it hits the warm chocolate, it's going to make a (hmmm... to expletive or not...) mess...

[Desiderio]

There should be another thread on this subject, and someone posted 2 recipes for buttercream centers. If I have some time I look for it.

[prasantrin]

.......... why can't it be actual buttercream, meringue with butter.............?

←

Cause it would be a bitch to enrobe in chocolate!

←

why? cool buttercream is solid, give them a pre coating, let them come up to room temp to avoid expansion and dip.

←

Perhaps you should try it and let us know how it goes. . .

[Edward J]

It would be a challange to make....

OTOH I have seen "Icecream bon-bons" made. These were mini scoops of icecream rolled by hand into a thin layer of couveure, then frozen again, and dipped in thinned couveture, and kept frozen.

What about piping the buttercream on a choc (or other material) base and then spraying it with couveture?

Or just piping the sucker into molded shells....

[pringle007]

I can just say, when I firswt started making choolates and was less informed, I did try buttercreams enrobbed that way.

And yeah, it did make an *explicitive* mess

On the other hand, I just made a soft batch of "Birthday Cake" mallows that I plan to dip in chocolate later this evening.

[alanamoana]

.......... why can't it be actual buttercream, meringue with butter.............?

←

The opening poster is asking about a specific brand of chocolates...See's. Their buttercream centers are most definitely NOT actual buttercream. There are also different kinds of buttercream (setting aside semantics) than meringue based ones.

pastrygirl, I live near the See's factory and several stores if you'd like me to get you some . I'm pretty sure some of the other replies are closer to the point...fondant.

[Lior]

what if real buttercreams were sprayed with cocoa butter and then dipped?

[pastrygirl]

.......... why can't it be actual buttercream, meringue with butter.............?

←

The opening poster is asking about a specific brand of chocolates...See's. Their buttercream centers are most definitely NOT actual buttercream. There are also different kinds of buttercream (setting aside semantics) than meringue based ones.

pastrygirl, I live near the See's factory and several stores if you'd like me to get you some . I'm pretty sure some of the other replies are closer to the point...fondant.

←

Oh I know where to find them, it was more of a curiosity of what is that stuff than wanting to eat it. My grandparents used to always give each of us kids boxes of See's at birthdays, or gift certificates for boxes so we could go and pick out the flavors we liked. For me, mostly dark, extra marzipan and toffee, no maple or marshmallow. I'm crashing at my parents house for a while between jobs, was doing something with chocolate and my Mom thought I might know. My guess was fondant, but I wasn't sure if it could be mixed with butter without breaking down or what. I like to fill my chocolates with more chocolate, not fondant!

If someone wanted Italian meringue buttercream coated in chocolate, shell molding might work. Wonder how the shelf life would be.

Edited July 15, 2009 by pastrygirl (log)

[Kerry Beal]

I've certainly put real buttercream in molded chocolates before - just figured the enrobing would be the challenge. You might be able to spray with cocoa butter first, but hand dipping would likely still be a problem. Now with a Selmi...