How to:
Melt Chocolate, Confectionery Coating/Candy Melts
Color Confectionery Coating and Paint Lollipops
Make Modeling Chocolate/Chocolate Clay
Fix greasy, dry, or sticky modeling chocolate
CHOCOLATE INFORMATION:
Melt Chocolate, Confectionery Coating/Candy Melts
Color Confectionery Coating and Paint Lollipops
Make Modeling Chocolate/Chocolate Clay
Fix greasy, dry, or sticky modeling chocolate
CHOCOLATE INFORMATION:
There are several different types of chocolate that are available to the home cook for use in candy making: pure chocolates, confectionery coating, and chocolate chips. Pure chocolates contain cocoa butter and must be properly tempered in order to set up correctly. Tempering refers to a process of heating and cooling pure chocolate to ensure that the cocoa butter in the chocolate hardens in a uniform crystal structure. Chocolate that is tempered has a smooth texture, a 
glossy shine and snaps when bitten or broken. Chocolate that is not tempered corectly might be cloudy, gray, or sticky at room temperature. There are four types of pure chocolates: unsweetened (no sugar added), bittersweet (small amount of sugar added), semi-sweet (more sugar added), and milk chocolate (milk and sugar added.) White chocolate can also contain cocoa butter and need to be tempered, however, it doesn't contain any cocoa powder, so it isn't technically considered chocolate. I will refer to it as white chocolate, when using it in a recipe, for lack of a better term. Tempering chocolate requires practice, but can be done in a home kitchen. I have been making chocolate for almost 30 years and I am fortunate to have two Savage Brothers 50 lb. chocolate kettles that do the tempering for me, so I don't have to hand temper my own chocolates. There are so many great resources for those of you that would like to temper chocolates click here for directions. 
If you don't have any chocolate making
experience or you just feel that tempering is too difficult, don't fret as there is a chocolate product that is easy to melt and sets up beautifully with very little effort. Chocolate manufactures, such as Peters, Merkens, and Wilton make products called candy melts, confectionery coating, or summer coating . These products do not contain any cocoa butter which is what needs tempering. The cocoa butter has been replaced with a vegetable oil, usually palm kernel oil, so that the product melts smoothly and sets up easily. The flavor is
definitely not the same as chocolates made with cocoa butter, but it is an acceptable alternative. This product is available in milk, dark, white, and even flavored and colored varieties. These coatings can be purchased from craft or cake decorating supply stores in wafers or blocks. I personally prefer the taste of Peter's confectionery coatings, but Merkens coatings are very popular and Wilton's coatings are easily available at most craft stores. The third type of chocolate available to home cooks is chocolate chips which are available in bittersweet, semi-sweet, milk, white (some with cocoa butter, some with palm kernel oil), peanut butter, butterscotch, and cinnamon flavors. Dark and milk chocolate chips usually contain cocoa butter and can be used for some recipes, however they have additives that allow them to retain their shape at higher temperatures so they don't melt as easily as a chocolate bar. If you melt chocolate chips and use them for candy making, unless you temper the chocolate, your candy will be soft and sticky. Please don't add paraffin (wax) to melted chocolate chips for dipping as some recipes suggest. Why would anyone want to eat wax? You are better off using a confectionery coating or learning to temper. Store chocolates in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight. Pure chocolates have a shelf life of 18 months from the date of manufacturing and confectionery coating can last up to 9 months if stored properly but are best if eaten within 6 months.
MELTING CHOCOLATE OR CONFECTIONERY COATING INSTRUCTIONS:
If you are using a large block of chocolate or a candy bar, chop your chocolate into small uniform pieces. The best way to do this is to use a serrated knife to shave off small bits of chocolate. Place the knife blade on the edge of the chocolate block, and press down on the top of the knife while shaving off a small amount of chocolate. Then just chop any larger bits before using. You can also use a food processor to chop your chocolate. Add small chunks of chocolate to the bowl of the food processor and pulse until you have fine crumbs.
Melting chocolate or confectionery coating in a double boiler:
Heat 1” of water over low heat in a saucepan. Place a bowl over the saucepan, being sure the bottom doesn't touch the water. Put chopped chocolate, wafers, or chips in the bowl and stir occasionally until melted. It is very important that you do not allow any water to come in contact with the chocolate. Chocolate mixed with a drop or a few drops of water with seize (stiffen or harden). If this happens your only option is to add more liquid in order to get the chocolate smooth again. However, you can not use this thinned batch of chocolate for tempering or dipping as it will never harden properly. All is not lost as you can turn it into a delicious chocolate ganache or use it for baking.
Melting chocolate or confectionery coating in a double boiler:
Every microwave is different so this is just a guideline, but it is safest to go slow and stir often. I always use high power for short busts of time. Pour 16 ounces chopped chocolate or confectionery coating wafers into a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high power for 30 seconds, remove from microwave and stir. Your chocolate wont look melted much at all at this point (1), but if you don't stir it, you may burn the chocolate in the center of the bowl. Return to the microwave and heat for 25 seconds. At this point the chocolate will look only slightly melted around the edges (2) but if you stir vigorously the chunks will indeed start to become liquid (3).
Continue to heat for 20 seconds. Now your chocolate will look more liquid (4), but you will have chunks remaining. Stir vigorously and the heat from the melted chocolate will indeed melt the chunks (5). If, after stirring for a while you still have chunks of chocolate remaining (6), heat for 10-15 second intervals, stirring in between each until melted (7). Do not rush this process. Chocolate burns easily. If you do burn the chocolate, throw it away and start over in a clean bowl. To melt more than 16 ounces, you can increase your times by 10-15 seconds per interval. For 2 lbs. (45 seconds, 35, 25, 10). For 3 lbs. (60 seconds, 45, 30, 20). If your microwave is less powerful, increase the times, but go slowly. If, once melted, your confectioner coating is really thick, add vegetable oil a teaspoon at a time, stirring after each addition, until the coating is thin enough to work with. You can also purchase Paramount Crystals
which are flakes of palm kernal oil that can be stirred into thick confectionery coating to thin it out.
Melting Confectionery Coating in a Skillet:
which are flakes of palm kernal oil that can be stirred into thick confectionery coating to thin it out. Melting Confectionery Coating in a Skillet:
If you are planning to make a lot of chocolates using various colors of confectionery coating, then melting them in a skillet is a great option. Fill your skillet with some warm water. Fill glass jars, coffee mugs, or ramekins with the confectionery coating wafers. Place jars in water in skillet. Make sure the water comes up about half way on your shortest jar. Turn the heat to the lowest setting and allow the wafers to melt, stirring occasionally. You can keep your coatings melted all day using this method. Just be sure to replenish the water as it evaporates and be careful that you don't spill water in the chocolate, or it will be ruined.
Coloring Confectionery Coating:
Confectionery coating wafers are available in a rainbow of colors and even various flavors. Most colored wafers taste like vanilla, but there are mint, fruit, peanut butter, and butterscotch flavors available. If you need a large amount of one color or need dark red or green, I suggest buying the pre-colored wafers. If not, then just melt down white wafers and color them yourself. You need to use colorings that are specially formulated for chocolate. Standard grocery store food coloring is water based and it will not work. Gel, paste, or powdered colors will work to beautifully color your confectionery coatings. These colorings are easy to find at craft and cake decorating stores. If you are using colorings in a squeeze bottle, squeeze in a small amount of coloring at a time and stir well. Add more coloring if needed to achieve the desired shade. Just a note, that some colorings are more vibrant than others. Pink for instance is very vibrant. Add one drop at a time. You can always add more, but the only way to tone down a color is to add more chocolate. If you are using candy coloring (icing coloring) from a jar, stick a toothpick into the jar, pull out some coloring and stir it into the candy coating. DO NOT put the toothpick back in the jar of coloring or you will contaminate the coloring. Use a new toothpick every time you want to get more coloring. If you add coloring and your coating becomes thick, add a small amount of vegetable oil or some Paramount Crystals stirring after each addition until thin and smooth.
stirring after each addition until thin and smooth.MODELING CHOCOLATE (CHOCOLATE CLAY) RECIPES:
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| I created these calla lilies out of white modeling chocolate. |
Modeling chocolate or chocolate clay can be used like fondant to decorate and cover cakes or it can be used as a sculpting material to create forms and shapes. I personally think modeling chocolate tastes much better than fondant and use it almost exclusively. I love working with modeling chocolate and find that almost anything you can create with polymer clay, you can also make using modeling chocolate. It will harden when left at room temperature to dry, but can still be eaten once hardened. You can purchase pre-made modeling chocolate, but it only requires two ingredients, and is very simple to make.
You can use pure chocolate for this recipe without having to temper it or you can use confectionery coating. I use pure milk and dark chocolate, but use white confectionery coating to make my modeling chocolate. The pure milk and dark chocolate have a richer flavor than the coatings but I actually prefer the taste of the white confectionery coating in this application and it is much less expensive than pure chocolate. Use your judgement when selecting a chocolate for this recipe. You will definitely taste the chocolate, so choose what you like to eat. *Every chocolate has different amounts of fats and sugars so this recipe is a guide. Some chocolates will require more corn syrup than others. Also, the moisture in your room can also effect the moisture in your modeling chocolate. See the troubleshooting section below for instructions to solve problems with your modeling chocolate.
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| Chocolate bucket decorated with modeling chocolate. |
White Modeling Chocolate:
16 ounces white chocolate
1/3 cup light corn syrup (add more if needed)*
Dark Modeling Chocolate:
16 ounces semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup light corn syrup (add more if needed)*
Milk Modeling Chocolate:
16 ounces milk chocolate
1/3 cup light corn syrup (add more if needed)*
Modeling Chocolate Instructions:
Melt chocolate or confectionery coating (1). Allow the chocolate to cool to about 91 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring often. If you add the corn syrup when the chocolate is too hot, the cocoa butter or oil will rise to the surface and you will have a greasy mess. (See trouble shooting below.) If you don't have a thermometer, test the temperature of the melted chocolate by putting a drop on your lip. It should feel cool. If it's hot, let it cool longer. Pour in corn syrup (2). Stir until well incorporated (3).
The mixture will become thick very quickly, so scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate all of the melted chocolate (4). Pour mixture out onto a counter top, preferably marble or granite (5) . Knead until glossy and smooth (6). My hands tend to be rather warm, so I use a plastic bench scraper to help me knead the modeling chocolate, so that I don't over heat it as this can bring out the oils in the chocolate. Store the modeling chocolate wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and placed in a zip top bag or airtight container. Modeling chocolate will keeps for several months, if stored properly.
Trouble shooting - How to fix dry or greasy/oily modeling chocolate:
Dry modeling chocolate: As I mentioned, all chocolates have different amounts of fat in them. That is why these recipes may need some adjustments. If you are kneading your mixture and find that it is crumbling and dry (A), then you will need to add some corn syrup. Pour on a small amount of corn syrup and mix it in (B). If you begin to knead the mixture and it still feels dry, add some more corn syrup and continue to knead until the mixture becomes smooth and soft (C). Just a note, that if you are working on granite or marble, the surface is cold which is great for kneading this mixture. If, however, you are in the middle of kneading the mixture, and you walk away, when you return, you may have hardened bits of chocolate stuck to the granite or marble. These hardened bits may not melt back into a smooth dough.
Oily modeling chocolate: There are several reasons you may end up with oily modeling chocolate (D). First, if your chocolate is too hot when you add the corn syrup the oils may separate from the chocolate. I recommend you allow your melted chocolate to cool to around 91 degrees Fahrenheit before adding the corn syrup. Second, you may be working in a warm room or have warm hands. As you knead the mixture, the warmth will begin to bring out the oils in the chocolate. I use a plastic bench scraper to knead because I have warm hands (E). and I knead my mixture on a granite slab to keep it cool, even if my room is warm (F). If you do find that you have oily modeling chocolate, all is not lost. Don't just wipe up all the oil and get rid of it. You do want to get that oil back into the chocolate, or your modeling chocolate will end up being brittle as it dries. You will need to continue to knead the chocolate until all of the oil is absorbed back into the chocolate. This can take a while, but don't give up. Eventually it will become smooth and glossy (G) . You may need to try one of these techniques to make this work:
- Move the chocolate to a cooler work surface like granite or marble.
- Dip you hands in ice water to cool them down and continue to knead.
- Use a plastic bench scraper or a rubber spatula to knead instead of your hands.
- Scape up the mixture and set it on plastic wrap for about 2 minutes allowing it to cool slightly. Then remove from plastic wrap and continue to knead. If you allow it to just sit directly on your work surface, you may end up with hardened pieces of chocolate that will not blend in to the mixture.
Hard Modeling Chocolate: Your modeling chocolate will harden as it ages. Always keep it formed into a flat disc and keep it wrapped tightly in plastic wrap in a zip top bag or airtight container. Even if you do this, you will find that your modeling chocolate is fairly hard when you go to use it after it has been stored for a few days. You can break off a piece of modeling chocolate and hold it in your hands for a few moments in order to warm it enough to begin kneading. Knead it until it becomes workable. If you just can't get it soft enough, place a hunk in the microwave and heat on defrost for 3-5 seconds. Remove and knead it carefully (there will be hot spots and you can burn your hands, so be cautious.) The modeling chocolate may become oily if you do this and you will have to follow the instructions above to fix the oily mixture.
Coloring Modeling Chocolate:
White modeling chocolate can be colored using paste food coloring or powdered food coloring. I have even had success using store bought liquid food colorings, however the modeling chocolate becomes very soft and doesn't harden as well. I recommend using food handling gloves when coloring modeling chocolate, or you will end up with brightly colored hands that may take days to return to normal. If you need a large amount of any one color, you can make the modeling chocolate recipe using colored confectionery coating wafers.
Coloring Modeling Chocolate using Paste Food Coloring:
Add a drop of color to the modeling chocolate and knead until well blended. Add more drops of color until you reach the desired shade. Remember, you can always add more coloring, but you can't take it out, so add drops slowly then knead and check the color before adding more.
Coloring Modeling Chocolate using powdered food coloring:
Sprinkle a small amount of coloring onto the modeling chocolate and knead until well blended. Add more color as needed to get your desired shade. I prefer to use powdered coloring for red and green, as I can get a more vibrant color that way.
To Store Modeling Chocolate: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in a zip top bag or airtight container. It keeps for months if stored properly. If it becomes hard, break off small pieces and knead until soft. If you can't do that, place the hard modeling chocolate in the microwave and heat on defrost for 3-5 seconds. Remove and carefully knead. It can be very hot, so proceed with caution.
To use Modeling Chocolate:
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| Chick made from modeling chocolate in a hand made chocolate egg sitting on a chocolate pretzel nest. |
Modeling chocolate can be rolled thin using a rolling pin or a pasta machine. Dust your work surface or the rollers on the pasta machine very lightly with powdered sugar for white chocolate, milk, and colored chocolates or dust it with cocoa powder for dark chocolate to keep the modeling chocolate from sticking. Cut the modeling chocolate using a pizza cutter, knife, or cookie cutters. You can even mold the modeling chocolate using silicone molds that are dusted with powdered sugar or cocoa powder.
Have fun working with this recipe. I will use it often in recipes, so check my recipe page for ideas.
HOW TO HAND PAINT LOLLIPOPS USING CONFECTIONERY COATING/CANDY MELTS
LOLLIPOP RECIPE
Ingredients:
Confectionery Coating
/candy melts
in white, milk, dark, and colored varieties- (each small lollipop will take approximately 1 ounce of candy and larger pops will take about 2 ounces, so purchase your coatings according to the number of lollipops you would like to make)
(you can not use grocery store variety food coloring to color the candy)lollipop sticks
Special equipment needed:
electric skillet (this will make this process so easy)
glass jars, coffee mugs, or glasses
paint brushes (use new or food only brushes, I recommend plastic handle brushes)
candy molds
- Lamb,
Eggs,
Easter Assortment,
bunny, Carrot,
bunnies,
hatching chick,
bunny face, bunny face (here are a few links to purchase some of the molds, but you can also find them at craft stores and candy decorating stores)
Notes:
Instructions:- Most white candy melts have a cream or slightly yellowish tint. When you add coloring to this coating, you wont get a pure color (ex. - blue will have a slight green tint.) If you want a pure white candy melt, Guittard makes a really vibrant white wafer, called Vanilla Apeels. Just note that it is a very sweet product.
- For some reason white candy melts that are colored with pink candy coloring tend to fade over time (meaning a few days), so I always buy the pink colored wafers. These colored wafers come in a very vibrant pink, so I tone them down by mixing them with white candy melts to make varying shades of pink.
You will need to melt and color your confectionery coatings using any of the methods listed above. When I am making a lot of lollipops I use an electric skillet filled with warm water to keep small jars of colored chocolate melted. That way I don't have to continually re-melt my candy. I usually make a lot of lollipops at one time, so I melt a big bowl of white coating in the microwave, then pour the melted coating into small jars and color them. If I'm only using a small amount of colored candy melts, I will just melt them in a jar in the skillet.
Melting Confectionery Coating in a Skillet:
Coloring Confectionery Coating:
Pour some melted white coating into a jar. Squeeze in some candy coloring (start with a drop or two if you aren't familiar with the strength of the coloring.) Stir. If you are using candy coloring (icing coloring) from a jar, stick a toothpick into the jar, pull out some coloring and stir it into the candy coating. DO NOT put the toothpick back in the jar of coloring or you will contaminate the coloring. Use a new toothpick every time you want to get more coloring.
If you add coloring and your coating becomes thick, add a 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil or some Paramount Crystals stirring after each addition until thin and smooth.
If you add coloring and your coating becomes thick, add a 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil or some Paramount Crystals
stirring after each addition until thin and smooth.
Create all of the colors you want to use in your lollipops. For Easter, I like to use pastel colors for some of the pops and more vibrant colors for others. You can adjust colors while you are working by adding more coloring (for brighter colors) or by stirring in some white candy coating (for more pastel colors). Get your candy molds and paintbrushes together and clean our your freezer, so you have some space to place the molds. Before you begin painting, decide what colors you want to use for the features and what color you want for the background. If you choose to make a white bunny, do not paint any of the features white, as they will just blend into the background color.
You can paint all or just some of the features on your mold. Here I started by painting the mouth with bright pink coating. Dip a paintbrush into the coating and dab it into the indentation on the candy mold. Add more coating to your brush as needed to fill in the entire indented area.
By dabbing the chocolate (as seen at the top of the picture) you will end up with a nice opaque area. If you brush the chocolate on (bottom of picture), it will harden, streak, and leave you with a see-through area. Also, always dip your brush down into melted chocolate and not along the sides of the jar, to pick up nicely melted chocolate. If you end up with hardened chocolate on your brush, just dip it in the melted chocolate and allow it to sit for a minute to melt away the hardened chocolate from the brush.
Using a different paint brush for each color, paint more details on the candy mold. I used a lighter pink for the bunny's nose and milk chocolate for the eyes. I wanted to create a layered effect for the bow tie. In order to layer the colors, I first painted on the yellow polka dots, then put the mold into the freezer for 2-3 minutes to harden the yellow dots.
When you remove the mold from the freezer, it will be very cold and look very cloudy. Allow it to warm to room temperature before proceeding.
For the areas that require two colors, paint the next layer of color directly over the first layer. I painted purple on top of my yellow polka dots. Carefully turn the mold over and look to see if you have covered the entire area. I have a bit of purple yet to paint onto my bow tie (see the lower right side of the bow.) After fixing the bow tie, I painted the ears (not shown) then put the candy mold back in the freezer for a few minutes.
Before filling the mold, allow the mold to warm up to room temperature. Then spoon whatever colored coating you've decide to use for the background into the mold. I usually spoon some in, then tap the mold gently on the table, allowing the candy coating to spread and fill in areas like the ears. It's best not to overfill the mold, so tap as you go. Once the mold is filled, you need to tap it on the table a few times to remove any air bubbles that may have formed.
Notes:
- Don't fill in the indentation that is for the lollipop stick.
- If you do overfill your mold, you can use your finger to wipe off the excess candy or wait until the candy is hardened and you will be able to shave it off with a knife.
Add a lollipop stick by setting the stick in the indentation and gently pressing it into the candy. Use your finger to roll the stick around so it gets completely coated in the candy.
Place the lollipop in the freezer for 5-8 minutes. It may take a bit longer, if you are opening and closing your freezer a lot during the process.
As the candy coating cools and hardens it will shrink slightly and retract from the mold. You can tell if the lollipop is hardened by carefully holding the mold up over your head and checking to see the the candy is one even color. If you see dark spots, that means the candy is still wet in those areas. Freeze the candy a few minutes longer. You can also check to see if the lollipops are ready by very gently tugging on the lollipop stick. If the chocolate moves, it should come out of the mold easily. If it sticks, it is not ready. Don't tug too hard, or you may pull a lollipop out before it is completely hardened.
To un-mold your candy, you have a few options
- Gently tug on the stick and pull the candy out of the mold
- Place your hand over the candy, turn the mold upside down and allow the candy to fall out of the mold into your hand.
- Place a baking sheet over the candy, turn the mold and the baking sheet upside down allowing the candy to fall out onto the baking sheet.
If you have overfilled the candy mold and the lollipop has excess chocolate around the edges, allow the candy to warm up to room temperature. Then use a small knife to carefully cut off the excess candy. If you have a lot of excess chocolate and it is very thick, you may want to heat up your knife by running it under really hot water (then drying it) or by holding the knife blade over a flame. Then as you cut off the excess the knife will melt the chocolate, as you go, making it easier to remove. Brush off any crumbs using a pastry brush.
Store your lollipops in a cool place preferably in an airtight container. You can package them in clear cellophane bags
and tie them with a colorful bow.I oftentimes will paint my candy molds with this colored candy coating, then fill the molds with pure tempered chocolate. Sometimes the painted features pop off, but for the most part it works. If you are using pure chocolate, you can also melt cocoa butter, color it, and paint it into the molds before filling them with the tempered chocolate. You can also purchase colored cocoa butter, but the quantities may be greater than you need. You can keep your jars of melted cocoa butter in a water bath, just make sure the cocoa butter doesn't get too warm.
QUESTIONS/COMMENTS: If you have any questions or comments relating to chocolate and these recipes please click on this link to go to actual blog post about this subject and leave a comment. (Unfortunately there is no way to leave a comment on here on this static page.) I would be happy to answer any questions you may have. I have been working with chocolate for a long time and over the years I have encountered practically every problem you could possibly have.
There are a lot of great questions being asked and some answers that might help you if you are having trouble. I suggest you check them out, here.
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There are a lot of great questions being asked and some answers that might help you if you are having trouble. I suggest you check them out, here.
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