Chocolate Mice

When my book club meets each month we enjoy not only each other's company and some great conversation, but we also enjoy food that's often inspired by the book we read that month. The member who recommended the book hosts the rest of the group in her home and is free to get as creative as she'd like with both the discussion questions and the snacks. This month the group will be meeting at my house to discuss "The Night Circus", a fantastic read that's full of amazing visual imagery and equally amazing food. One sweet snack featured in the book: chocolate mice. What a great challenge! I researched several recipes and ended up creating a bit of a hybrid of all that I read. I hope you, and my book club, enjoy what I came up with!

Ingredients

• 4 squares of semisweet chocolate
• 1 container of light or whipped cream cheese
• 1 cup plus 1/3 cup of chocolate cookie crumbs
• 24-28 colourful candy-coated mini chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 2 black licorice laces, cut into 12-14 pieces

Directions

1. Melt the chocolate squares in the microwave using 60-second increments at 50% power. Be sure to stir well between each 60-second cycle.
2. When the chocolate is melted, alternate additions of the 1-cup of cookie crumbs and the cream cheese, working gradually so the cooler ingredients incorporate without the warm chocolate hardening. Cover and refrigerate until firm.
3. Once cooled, roll by hand into small balls, and then mould the ball into a slight point on one side.
4. Roll dough in the chocolate cookie crumbs while it’s still slightly sticky from the warmth of your hands, and place on a plate or cookie sheet.
5. Using a thin wooden skewer, make a hole in the wider end of the “mouse” and slide a piece of licorice lacing in for the tail. Press the coloured candy-coated chocolate chips into the sides of the pointed end of the “mouse” for its eyes, and gently insert the slivered almond for its ears.
6. Transfer to the plate or container you’d like to serve the mice on (your work surface will be covered in chocolate crumbs) and refrigerate for at least two hours, until firm.