Realistic Chocolate Leaf Tutorial

Realistic Chocolate Leaf  1. You will need the following items for this project; fresh garden leaves( we used leaves from our herb garden, peppermint and mint leaves, white chocolate, a paint brush, cocoa powder, and food coloring if desired. 2.Wash and dry the leaves you have chosen . Please make sure any leaf you use for this project is non toxic. Any herb leaves work well as they are surely safe, if you are unsure about the leaf you are using please do research on the toxic qualities of the leaf before using. 3.Place the washed and dried leaves back side up on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. 4. Melt your white chocolate in the microwave. Watch your chocolate very carefully stirring often so it does not burn. When chocolate has melted place your small bowl inside another bowl with hot water so your chocolate will stay melted for a longer period of time. 5. Take a small paintbrush and start painting the back of your leaves with the chocolate. Make sure that the chocolate is painted on very well so that your leaf is not too thin. You will be peeling the leaf off after the chocolate has hardened so you do not want any thin spots. 6.Place your painted leaves in the deep freeze for about 30 minutes and then carefully peel off the leaf from the chocolate. You can then take a small paint brush and gently brush on cocoa powder to create shadows and color if desired. You can also spray with orange or yellow spray food coloring; color your chocolate or make a dark chocolate leaf by melting dark chocolate instead of white chocolate.