Use the recipe for “Opera Fudge,” adding a tablespoonful of vanilla
extract when starting to cream the batch. Follow the directions for
making opera fudge exactly until you have poured the batch on the slab
to cool, and when it is nearly creamed, pour on some melted chocolate
and continue to cream until the batch sets. When it sets in a hard
ball cover it with a damp cloth and allow it to sweat for thirty or
forty minutes. Knead it with the hands until it is smooth, or if the
chocolate, which you added while creaming it, did not mix thoroughly,
keep working it with the hands until it is all mixed, adding more
melted chocolate if necessary; sufficient chocolate should be used to
make it a nice brown color. Mould into balls at once, the size of a
small nutmeg, and lay them on wax paper to dry a little, and then coat
them in chocolate, and have someone lay a small round dragee on top of
them immediately after being coated. This makes a swell topping piece
for your Christmas boxes. You may also dip them all, or just about half
of them, in chocolate bon-bon cream, as directed for dipping “Cocoanut
Bon-bons,” only you may have to let these last centers, those to be
dipped in the chocolate bon-bon cream, dry out a little longer than
those to be dipped in the chocolate, for if very soft, they might break
when being handled with the bon-bon fork. In making your Christmas
candies it would be well for you to dip them this way and you will have
a bigger assortment.