You can easily make stunning molded chocolates if you know how to use a chocolate mold!
You will have countless options from our wide variety of plastic chocolate molds for party favors, do-it-yourself wedding favors, birthday treats, and more. You can start making gorgeous chocolates at home using this guide.
Candy Coatings melting
We prefer Merckens Candy Coatings chocolate for use in molds. These rich and creamy candy melts are perfect for use with chocolate molds because they melt easily.
Once melted, Merckens can be poured directly into candy molds; tempering is not necessary.
There are three types of Merckens candy coatings: milk chocolate, white chocolate, and dark chocolate. They have a delicious white chocolate vanilla flavor and come in a variety of colors.
Place a paper towel underneath the pastry bag to prevent spills while you microwave half a pound of candy coatings for increments of 20 to 30 seconds.
Move the candy coatings in the pastry bag to distribute any hot spots in between intervals. Snip the very end of the bag after it has melted, leaving a tiny opening.
Cut the bag tip just enough to maintain some control while letting the chocolate flow freely from the pastry bag.
Why utilize a reusable pastry bag?
The edges of your finished chocolates may have excess chocolate that you need to scrape off with a paring knife because using a spoon to stir can be messy.
We use 12-inch disposable pastry bags to fill our chocolate molds because they keep everything organized and make cleanup simple.
How to Fill a Chocolate Mold
Melted chocolate should be poured into each cavity of the candy mold, being careful not to overfill; the chocolate should not extend past the edge.
Before gently tapping the tray against your work surface to release air bubbles and bring them to the top, fill each cavity with material.
Place in the refrigerator; chocolate typically sets and hardens there in 10 to 20 minutes. Larger chocolate molds might need the full 20 minutes to set up, while smaller chocolate molds might need less time.
Removing the chocolates from the mold
Is the mold’s bottom cloudy and white? If so, your chocolate candy is ready to be released because it has hardened and started to separate from the mold.
Is it pressed up against the mold and still wet? It might take more time for your chocolate to harden.
Carefully turn the chocolate mold over onto a paper towel once it has dried out. If the chocolates don’t come out right away, keep the mold close to the work surface (no skydiving chocolates!) and gently tap it.
Put the chocolate in the freezer for up to five minutes if you’re having trouble getting it to release from the molds. Sometimes you need to keep it really cold!
White Streaks or an Unpleasant Finish
Molded chocolates should be shiny, so if they seem dull, they may need more time in the refrigerator. Even though they seem to have hardened, they occasionally need a little more time.
Do you see any white striations? When candy melts get just a little too warm during melting, the fats separate and produce a streaky finish, which is when white streaks appear. The chocolate should be remelted and thoroughly stirred.
How to Make Candy with Colorful Candy Molds
You need plastic bristle paintbrushes if you want to paint your chocolate mold in various colors. If the chocolate hardens, soft paint brushes will lose their fine hairs and become useless.
Paint different details inside the chocolate mold using Merckens candy coatings in different colors. You can purchase the chips individually or in a rainbow mix bag if you only require a few of each color.
Use a small bowl that is the same size as the amount of chocolate you are melting if you are only melting a few chips to use as paint.
The best prep bowls are tiny glass ones. Stirring between each interval of 5 to 10 seconds in the microwave. A heated candy Melter palette would also be useful for the task.
Using a plastic candy brush with dabbing motions, color the desired areas inside the mold. Before adding the next color, let the previous one dry.
Cotton swabs and toothpicks are effective for removing blemishes and imperfections.
The painted areas must have a thick layer of chocolate covering them. If you can see through the chocolate, add another coat. To check the thickness, hold the mold up to the light.
After painting the mold, cool it by putting it in the refrigerator for one to two minutes.
After the painted design has had time to cool for a few minutes, top it off with melted candy coatings. This will serve as your foundation. To harden, chill for 10 to 20 minutes.
Chocolate mold cleanup
Chocolate silicone candy mold trays must be cleaned, dried, and polished before each use. The cavities of your chocolate molds should be cleaned with a dry paper towel in between uses. Your homemade chocolates will be dull if the mold cavities are dull.
Use a soft cloth and warm (not hot) soapy water to clean plastic molds.
As soon as possible, molds should be dried and polished. Never use the dishwasher to wash chocolate molds because the high heat will warp the plastic.
Do you coat chocolate molds with spray?
It’s not necessary to oil or coat chocolate molds. If you used the right molding chocolate and gave it enough time to fully harden in the refrigerator, your chocolate will release effortlessly on its own.
What is the time required for the chocolate to set in the molds?
The size of the plastic candy mold affects how long it takes for the chocolate to fully harden in the molds. Medium to large molds could take 15 to 20 minutes, whereas smaller molds could take 5 to 10 minutes.
