How to Use Chocolate Molds to Make Unique
Gifts from Your Kitchen
Using candy molds can make your homemade
chocolate more unique and interesting. Basic candy molds come in traditional shapes like bars or you can use other different shapes and styles, like flowers, stars or holiday themed molds such as Easter bunnies or snowmen for Christmas. These special shaped molds make cute lollipops too. What special gifts from the kitchen chocolates are!
Molds for making homemade chocolate can be found at craft stores like Michael's or Hobby Lobby and sometimes even at your local grocery store. Investing in heavy plastic molds is well worth it as the thin plastic ones, which are cheaper, don't last long and aren't really much of a bargain.
But don't limit yourself to using these traditional candy molds. Expand your horizons to include soap molds, cake molds, or other types of molds too. As long as it's made of heavy plastic it will work well with homemade chocolate.
Using Molds to Make Homemade Chocolate
1. Dry your mold thoroughly before using. Chocolate is oil based and oil and water don't mix.
2. Keep the temperature of your melting chocolate even before you pour by stirring well and frequently. This will give your chocolate a smoother look.
3. To fill the molds, make each cup about 1/4 full and then pull the chocolate up the sides with a brush. Be sure the cavity is completely coated and then pour remaining chocolate filling. You don't want any holes or bubbles in your homemade chocolates. Do this for each individual cup in the mold as you go. If you try to fill all the cups at once and brush the chocolate up the sides, it will start to harden before you finish.
4. It may take several hours or even several days for your chocolate to harden in the mold. Putting it in the freezer will hasten the process but be aware that freezing can damage your mold. Make sure time in the freezer is limited as the chocolate can pick up moisture and odors from other foods. Put the chocolate in the freezer before it starts to harden or it will become foggy and not shiny.
Molds can also be put into the refrigerator to quicken the hardening process.
5. To make your chocolate slide out of the mold easily, spray the inside with cooking spray before pouring the melted chocolate into it. You don't want part of the candy sticking to the mold when you try to take it out.
6. If your chocolate does get stuck in the mold, pour some warm water in a pan larger than the mold and set the mold into the hot water, just briefly, to loosen. If you leave the mold in the warm water too long, your chocolate will melt again.
7. Use leftover melted chocolate for dipping pretzels, nuts or marshmallows or pour into waxed paper to re-harden and use it next time.
8. Care for your molds by washing thoroughly after each use. Usually hot water and mild dish soap is fine. Be sure to thoroughly rinse all soap from the mold and dry with a towel instead of air drying. Many candy molds aren't dishwasher safe so hand washing is best.
If you plan to make homemade chocolate regularly, take good care of your molds and you can reuse them many times.
More from the Homemade Chocolate Series
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Making Homemade Chocolate - Using Molds
