The Chocolate Bag

How to make a chocolate bag:

1. Step one: Get six to eight small coffee-bean bags. Your local grocery store usually will either sell or give you coffee bean bags. Coffee bags are a must for this trick because they are lined with a plastic coating that is perfect for painting on melted chocolate.
2. Step two: Cut the coffee bags to about three inches tall. Then cut out a half-circle (about half an inch long) at the top of the bag so that it looks like a paper grocery bag.
3. Step three: Melt four cups of semisweet chocolate morsels in a double boiler over low heat. Chocolate chips, available in any grocery store, make stronger bags than fine Belgian or French chocolate.
4. Step four: Using a small pastry brush, paint the melted chocolate over the interior of the bag. Start at the bottom and work your way up the sides. Be generous with the chocolate. If you paint it too thinly, it will crack when you peel off the paper bag. After the insides of the bags are thoroughly coated with chocolate, gently stand them upright on a cookie sheet.
5. Step five: Refrigerate the bags until the chocolate is completely chilled, about 30 minutes. You can also store the bags in the refrigerator, unpeeled, until you need them.
6. Step six: Gently peel away the bag starting in one corner. Then snip the paper off a little at a time with scissors. Continue peeling and snipping until all the paper is off.
7. Step seven: Serve. The bags are fairly sturdy at this point and can hold mousse or Bavarian cream for a plated dessert. I have also filled them with candies then wrapped them in cellophane to give to the kids on Halloween.