Attach your invitation to a small bag of individually wrapped chocolates and mail in a silver foil-covered box (if the weather isn’t too warm). Or, cut your invitation from chocolate colored card stock and write the party information using a silver paint pen. Glue on a border of silver glitter.
Cover your serving table with a chocolate-colored tablecloth or fabric and serve all your chocolate offerings on silver trays and tiered serving dishes. Use a silver tea set for serving your chocolate tea if you like. For true chocolate decadence, use a small chocolate fountain as your centerpiece. Cut up pieces of pound cake and fruit served on toothpicks to plunge into the flowing chocolate.
Serve Chocolate Tea (recipe below), Chocolate Chunk Mini Scones (page 26), along with Chocolate Butter (page 33), Chocolate Cheesecakes (recipe below), and Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries (page 51).
For a fun activity, give guests a pen and paper. Ask them to write down as many chocolate items as they can think of in 30 seconds. The guest with the most items wins a chocolate prize. Ask guests to read some of their answers aloud.
Party favors can be individually wrapped gourmet chocolates in a pretty gift bag.
Chocolate Tea
2 tablespoons black tea leaves
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon dried grated orange peel
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
Add all the ingredients to a warmed teapot, along with 6 cups of boiling water. Stir and then steep for 5 minutes. Stir again and strain into cups. Serve with milk, and provide additional brown sugar for your guests if needed.
Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes
Crust:
1 cup chocolate graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
Filling:
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted and slightly cooled
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°. Line 18 muffin cups with paper liners. Mix crust ingredients together and press about 1 tablespoon of mixture into bottom of each cup. Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add sugar, chocolate, eggs and vanilla extract, blending well. Spoon mixture into cups; fill about 2/3 full. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until set. Let cool before removing from pans. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
