Learn how to make chocolate at home using these chocolate-making tips.
Once you learn the basics, you’ll be able to make delicious homemade chocolates that look amazing too.
Thanks for stopping by to learn how to make homemade chocolates. I have been a chocolatier for over 30 years and am so excited to share these chocolate-making tips with you. I have been blogging since 2010 and have shared hundreds of chocolate recipes here on this blog.
Once you learn the basics, you can create amazing chocolate candies and desserts to share with family and friends.
If you prefer to learn visually, check out my Chocolate Making Course video series from The Sugar Academy.
In this tutorial you will learn:
- the difference between pure chocolate and compound chocolate
- how to melt and temper pure chocolate
- how to melt compound chocolate (also known as confectionery coating, candy melts,
almond bark, or melting wafers)
- how to melt compound chocolate (also known as confectionery coating, candy melts,
See these other tutorials for more information:
- how to color white chocolate and white confectionery coating
- how to paint candy molds using colored chocolate
- how to make and use modeling chocolate (candy clay)
Let’s start with the basics.
TYPES OF CHOCOLATE
There are several different types of chocolate that are available to the home cook for use in candy making:
Pure chocolate (real chocolate)
- contain cocoa butter
- has a luxuriously creamy texture and rich flavor
- must be properly tempered in order to set up correctly
- can be purchased in bars, blocks, wafers, pistoles (bean-shaped wafers), callets (slightly smaller wafers) and chips
- is available as:
- unsweetened (no sugar added)
- bittersweet (small amount of sugar added)
- semi-sweet (more sugar added)
- milk chocolate (milk powder and sugar added)
- white chocolate which can also contain cocoa butter but it doesn’t contain any cocoa liquor, so technically it is not considered chocolate (But that is what it is called, so that’s what we’ll call it too!)
You can use pure chocolate to make:
- Hot Chocolate Bombs
- Artisan Chocolates decorated with Chocolate Transfer Sheets
- Chocolate Truffles
- Chocolate Cups filled with Chocolate Mousse
Compound Chocolate (also known as confectionery coating, Candy Melts, almond bark, or melting wafers)
- contain vegetable oil, typically palm kernel oil
- will melt and set up easily with little effort
- is not as creamy or as rich as pure chocolate, but it’s easy to use and has a very pleasant flavor
- is available in dark, light, white, and flavors like peanut butter, mint, and butterscotch
- can be colored using candy coloring but is also available in colored wafers
- is typically less expensive than pure chocolate
NOTE about compound chocolate and wax
- The melting point of compound chocolate is higher than that of pure chocolate which means that it will take longer to melt on your tongue which can give it a waxy feel in your mouth.
- However, there is no wax in compound chocolate, candy melts, or almond bark, as some people believe. What you are feeling on your tongue is palm kernel oil, not wax.
- Being cocoa butter melts at a lower temperature and melts quickly as soon as it hits your tongue, you will not feel this waxy sensation when eating pure chocolate.
You can use compound chocolate to make:
- White Chocolate Popcorn and a White Chocolate Popcorn Bowl
- Hand-painted Easter chocolates and lollipops
- Pretzel Pops
- Sprinkle Coated Chocolate Cups filled with ice cream or candy
Buying chocolate for candy making.
I personally use Peters Burgundy (semi-sweet), Peter’s Ultra (milk chocolate), and Callebaut dark, milk, and white chocolate callets for my chocolate making, but there are many other delicious brands of chocolate.
Choose the chocolate you like to eat. Everyone enjoys different flavors so you need to find your favorite.
my favorite pure chocolate brands
Some brands of chocolate I recommend using are available on Amazon.com.
I earn a small commission when you use the links below at NO extra cost to you.
popular brands of compound chocolate
I have created hundreds of recipes here on Hungry Happenings using compound chocolates (candy melts). I personally prefer the taste of Peter’s Eastchester (dark), Westchester (milk), and Whitecaps, but they are not readily available unless you live near a cake & candy decorating store, so I often use Wilton Candy Melts for my projects.
You can find Wilton Candy Melts at most craft stores, at discount stores like Walmart, and at some grocery stores. You can also find Ghirardelli Melting Wafers and CandiQuik (or other brands of almond bark) at many grocery stores.
How to Store Chocolate:
- Store chocolates in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight. Pure chocolates have a shelf life of at least 18 months from the date of manufacturing and confectionery coating can last up to 12 months if stored properly.
- Once you open the package, seal it well or place the chocolate in an airtight container.
- I don’t suggest refrigerating or freezing chocolate.
- If chocolate or confectionery coating is kept in the refrigerator or freezer for too long it will become wet and sticky and might develop white spots.
- If you do freeze or refrigerate your chocolates, you need to wrap them well and keep them wrapped as they thaw to avoid excessive condensation.
HOW TO MELT CHOCOLATE AND CONFECTIONERY COATING
First you need to get your chocolate into small uniform-size pieces.
How to chop chocolate:
- 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
- You can also grate the chocolate using a grating wheel in your food processor.
HOW TO MELT 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.
- This process is slow. Do not raise the temperature to speed things up. If you do, you can burn your chocolate.
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.
HOW TO MELT CHOCOLATE OR CONFECTIONERY COATING IN THE MICROWAVE
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 bursts of time.
The amount of time needed to melt your chocolate will depend on how much chocolate you need to melt. The instructions below are based on 16 ounces of chocolate or confectionery coating wafers.
- Pour finely chopped chocolate, Candy Melt wafers, chocolate callets, or chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl.
- Heat on high power for 30 seconds, remove from microwave, and stir. Your chocolate won’t look melted much at all at this point, 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 30 seconds. At this point, the chocolate will look only slightly melted around the edges.
- Continue to stir and the chunks will indeed start to become liquid.
- Continue to heat for 30 seconds. Now your chocolate will look more liquid, but you will have chunks remaining.
- Allow the chocolate to sit for 1-2 minutes, preferably in the microwave, then stir vigorously and the heat from the melted chocolate will melt the chunks.
- If, after stirring for a while you still have chunks of chocolate remaining, heat for 10-15 second intervals, stirring in between each until melted.
- 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.
HOW TO MELT CANDY MELTS USING A MELTING POT
- Fill the silicone bowl in a Wilton Melting Pot with candy melts.
- Turn on low heat.
- Stir often, until the chocolate melts.
- If you use the high heat setting to melt the chocolate, be sure to stir it more frequently, then turn it down to low once the chocolate is melted.
- You can keep compound chocolate (candy melts) melted for hours using a melter.
MELTING CANDY MELTS IN AN ELECTRIC SKILLET
- Fill glass jars or coffee mugs with candy melts wafers.
- Set the jars into an electric skillet.
- Fill the skillet with an inch or two of hot water.
- Turn the skillet onto the lowest setting. My skillet has a warm setting which works great.
- Allow the water to warm up and the candy melts to melt, stirring often.
- You can also melt the candy melts using the microwave then place the jars in the water bath in the skillet to keep them melted all day. Be sure to replenish the water as it evaporates.
How to Temper Pure Chocolate
Pure chocolate contains cocoa butter and when melted, the crystals in the cocoa butter lose their structure. In order to get that crystal structure back in alignment, you have to heat and cool the chocolate properly, so that the chocolate sets up properly.
Any chocolate that you purchase from the store that contains cocoa butter is already in temper but once you melt it, it can go out of temper if it gets too hot.
What does tempering mean?
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. When you buy pure chocolate, it is in temper. When you melt the chocolate to reuse it, you take it out of temper and need to bring it back.
Chocolate that is tempered has:
- a smooth texture
- a glossy shine (like the hot chocolate bombs pictured above)
- snaps when broken
Chocolate that is not tempered correctly might be:
- cloudy
- gray
- sticky
- soft
Learn to make these gorgeous truffles in my Chocolate Making Course
Easy Microwave Chocolate Tempering
If you are very careful, you can melt pure chocolate without taking it out of temper.
- Finely chop or grate your chocolate and place it in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Heat on high for 15 seconds, then remove the bowl and stir. Note: if using more than 12 ounces, you can start by heating it for 30 seconds.
- Then heat on high for 10 to 15-second increments, stirring after each, until melted. As you get close to melting, cut the heat to 50% power or the time to 5 seconds.
- When using this tempering method you want to be very careful not to get your chocolate too hot. You want the melted chocolate to be between:
- 88° F – 91° F (31° C – 32° C) for Dark Chocolate
- 86° F – 88° (30° C – 31° C) for Milk Chocolate
- 84° F – 86° (29° C – 30° C) for White Chocolate
- If the temperature of your chocolate goes above these numbers and you still have pieces of chocolate remaining in the bowl, continue to stir and allow that chocolate to melt. Check the temperature once all of the chocolate melts. If it is within the ranges listed above, your chocolate should be in temper.
- If the temperature of the melted chocolate is above the range, then you must use another method to temper the chocolate. I recommend the seeding method listed below.
Seeding Method of Tempering Chocolate
- Chop your chocolate into really fine pieces.
- Divide the chocolate and reserve 25% (1/4) of it to seed the melted chocolate.
- Heat 74% (3/4) of the chopped chocolate in the microwave on high power for 15 to 30-second increments, stirring after each.
- The heat in the bowl of melted chocolate will continue to help melt the solid pieces so as you get close to having all your chocolate melted, allow the chocolate to rest in the bowl for a minute before stirring.
- Heat until the chocolate melts and reaches:
- 115°-120° F (46°-49° degrees C) for dark chocolate
- 110°-115° degrees F (43°-46° C) for milk chocolate
- 110° F (43° C) for white chocolate
- Add about half of the reserved chocolate to the melted chocolate and stir until melted.
- Check the temperature of the chocolate. The goal is the get the chocolate to:
- 88° F – 90° F (31° C – 32° C) for Dark Chocolate
- 86° F – 88° (30° C – 31° C) for Milk Chocolate
- 84° F – 86° (29° C – 30° C) for White Chocolate
- Note that these temperatures can vary depending on the brand of chocolate.
- Continue to add a small amount of the remaining chocolate into the melted chocolate and stir until either all of the chocolate melts or your chocolate reaches the desired temperature.
- It’s best to stop at the upper end of the temperature range because the chocolate will continue to cool slightly as you are checking the temper.
- To check the temper, dip the end of a metal spatula or knife into the chocolate and allow all the excess chocolate to drip off. You want a really thin coating of chocolate on the spatula. If the chocolate dries hard and looks shiny, within 3-5 minutes, then the chocolate is in temper.
VIDEO
Watch the video to see how to temper chocolate using the seeding method.
How to know if chocolate is in temper?
- Test the temper of the chocolate by dipping a metal spatula, spoon, or knife into the chocolate.
- Shake it, to remove the excess chocolate then set it aside at room temperature.
- In 3-5 minutes, the chocolate should harden and look shiny.
- Alternatively, you can spread a small amount of chocolate on a piece of parchment paper and allow it to air dry for 3-5 minutes. It should peel off the paper and snap when broken.
- While you are waiting, be sure to stir your bowl of chocolate, to make sure it doesn’t cool too much around the edge.
- If your test chocolate has hardened and looks shiny be sure to check the temperature of your bowl of chocolate before proceeding to make your chocolate balls.
- The chocolate will have cooled slightly and will need to be warmed slightly!
- Heat it in the microwave for about 5 seconds then remove and stir and check the temperature. Do not let it go above temper temperature (88° milk or 84° white). If it does, you have to start this whole process over again.
- You are now ready to fill your molds with chocolate.
Can I skip tempering pure chocolate?
- NO, do not skip tempering pure chocolate!
- Chocolate that is not tempered properly will be soft, streaky, spotty, or even chalky. The chocolate that is pictured above is all out of temper.
- Chocolate that is not properly tempered will not harden and retract from a mold.
How to keep chocolate in temper:
- To keep the chocolate in temper, you can heat the chocolate in the microwave for 3-5 seconds which is just long enough to warm it slightly.
- Or you can use a hot blow dryer, to heat up the bowl of chocolate, by blowing the hot air on the outside of the bowl.
- Keep an eye on the temperature of the chocolate. You don’t want it to go above the temperatures listed above. If it does, then you’ll need to start the tempering process again by raising the temperature to 115° F (46° C), seeing it with more tempered chocolate, and lowering the temperature to those listed above.
Chocolate Tempering Machines
If you are serious about making a lot of chocolate, you might want to consider buying some chocolate tempering machines.
I own two Savage Brothers melters and love them. I don’t have to hand temper my chocolates. The machines do the work for me. It’s great. I leave melted chocolate in my machines 365 days a year. I temper it as needed.
Each of my machines holds 50 pounds of chocolate, which is the smallest Savage Bros. makes, but other companies make smaller tabletop tempering machines. You can even get a machine that will temper just one or two pounds of chocolate at a time.
I have made some really fun holiday treats using pure chocolate and shared the recipes and tutorials here on Hungry Happenings.
Using pure chocolate, you can make:
Buckeye Bears • Chocolate Cauldrons • Chocolate Heart Boxes • Chocolate Pilgrim Hats • Chocolate Penguin Truffles
Using Confectionery Coating, you can make lollipops, cake pops, filled candies, dipped cookies, Rice Krispie treats, and more including:
Chocolate Bunny Silhouettes, Candy Filled Chicks, Cake Ball Brains, Snowman Rice Krispies Treats, Animal Print Mickey Pops
If you prefer learning via video then be sure to check out my
Chocolate Making Courses at The Sugar Academy
Save 20% off using coupon code HUNGRYBLOG20
The videos feature 3 1/2 hours of instructions and are broken down into 3 separate courses or one full-length bundle.
Can I use chocolate chips to make homemade chocolate?
Yes, but you need to know how to use them properly.
- Chocolate Chips can be pure chocolate or compound chocolate. You need to look at the ingredients to determine the type of chocolate.
- Pure chocolate chips will have cocoa butter listed in the ingredients and will need to be tempered.
- Most dark and milk chocolate chips are pure chocolate, but many white chocolate chips, like Nestle Premier White Morsels, are not, they are compound chocolates.
Chocolate Chips are:
- made to keep their shape in high heat
- melt very slowly
- have to be tempered if they contain cocoa butter
- come in semi-sweet, bittersweet, milk, white, peanut butter, butterscotch, and more flavors
- can be used as decoration on edible crafts
Should I add wax to chocolate chips when making homemade chocolate?
NO!
It is common practice in old candy making recipes to add paraffin (wax) to melted chocolate chips so that the chocolate will set up properly. I don’t advise this, as it adds a terrible mouthfeel and taste to the finished chocolates. Plus, who wants to eat wax? Not me.
If you use chocolate chips to make candies, you have to temper the chocolate in order for it to set properly. If you don’t want to go to that much effort, then you are better off using confectionery coatings to make your candies.
You can use variations of chocolate chips and peanut butter chips to make sweet treats including:
Peanut Butter Starfish, Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake, Polar Bear Ice Cream Cones, Chocolate Chip Cookie Serving Bowl, Happy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Troubleshooting Tips
When making homemade chocolate things can go wrong. Let’s talk about how to fix the problems.
my chocolate is too soft and it melts too easily
- If your chocolate is too soft, like the peppermint bark shown above, it is not in temper. You must temper pure chocolate so that it hardens properly and has a good snap when broken.
- See the tempering instructions above.
my chocolate pieces have white spots or streaks
- Chocolate that has not been tempered properly or that has not been stored properly will develop white streaks and spots (fat bloom or sugar bloom). These spots are actually cocoa butter crystals that have separated from the cocoa solids.
- White spots and streaks in untempered chocolate may appear hours or days after your chocolate sets.
- See the tempering instructions above.
my chocolate is burnt
- If you overheat your chocolate in the microwave or on the stove it will burn.
- You cannot salvage burnt chocolate. It is ruined.
- Even if only a small portion of the chocolate looks like, like in the image above, the entire bowl of chocolate will taste burnt. Throw it all away, and start over.
- That’s why I suggest using short bursts of power, stirring after each, when melting chocolate or candy melts in the microwave.
my chocolate is sticky and wet
- Chocolates that have been stored in the freezer or refrigerator will develop condensation (beads of water).
- To ensure your chocolate candies do not become sticky, store them at room temperature.
- If you do refrigerate or freeze your chocolate candies, wrap them well in plastic wrap, wax paper, or tin foil, then place in a zip-top bag or airtight container. Thaw at room temperature in the packaging for several hours before unwrapping.
- If you are making homemade chocolates and they are left in the freezer or refrigerator for too long, they can become sticky too. So, be sure to remove your chocolate as soon as it hardens.
my melted candy melts are too thick
Compound chocolates (candy melts) can become thick for several reasons:
- they are heated to too high a temperature
- they have been stored improperly (in moist damp areas, in direct sunlight, near a heat vent, in the refrigerator or freezer)
- they are old (the older they get, the thicker they get)
- they have gone through drastic temperature changes (from hot to cold or cold to hot)
- they are exposed to moisture (even one drop of water or condensation can thicken your candy melts or chocolate)
To thin out thick candy melts:
- If once melted, your confectionery coating is really thick, add Paramount Crystals or Wilton’s EZ Thin, which are flakes of palm kernel oil, to thin out the coating.
- Simply add a small pinch of the flakes and stir. If the candy melts are not thin enough, then add another small amount of the crystals and stir.
- You can use Crisco or vegetable oil instead, but your candy coating may be a bit soft once hardened.
You can thin pure chocolate or chocolate chips by adding some cocoa butter.
my chocolate is cracked
- Chocolate will crack when it’s too cold.
- If you dip something into the chocolate and it’s cold, the chocolate coating can crack. So be sure anything you dip in chocolate, like cake balls, or chocolate truffles, are at room temperature.
- If you are chilling compound chocolates (candy melts) in the freezer, be sure to remove the candy as soon as it has hardened. If candies are frozen for too long, they will crack.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THESE OTHER CHOCOLATE MAKING TIPS TUTORIALS.
- How to Color White Chocolate or Confectionery Coating
- How to Use Colored White Chocolate to Paint Candy Molds to make Lollipops and more
- How to make Modeling Chocolate (chocolate clay) – Modeling Chocolate Recipe
- How to fix greasy, oily, dry, crumbly, or soft modeling chocolate (candy clay)
- How to roll out modeling chocolate
- How to Cut Modeling chocolate
- How to make Hot Chocolate Bombs
- How to make Chocolate Truffles
Learn more at The Sugar Academy
Save 20% off the chocolate making courses at The Sugar Academy using coupon code HUNGRYBLOG20
Now that you know the chocolate making basics you are ready to learn more.
Candy Clay Creations
If you want to learn all about making modeling chocolate (candy clay) be sure to also check out my book…
Amazing, I feel like I can make perfect chocolate with ease now.
How much vegetable oil or crisco do you use when using chocolate chipits!
Hi Laura,
If you are using chocolate chips that contain cocoa butter, you should not add vegetable oil or Crisco to it. If your pure chocolate is too thick, you really should add more cocoa butter to it to thin it out.
If you are using compound chocolate or chocolate chips that contain palm kernel oil you can add a very small amount of oil or Crisco, a little at a time until you’ve thinned out the chocolate. The amount will depend on how much chocolate you are working with. I MUCH prefer using Paramount Crystals or Wilton EZ Thin to thin out compound chocolate (candy melts, melting wafers, almond bark) as the crystals are solid flakes of the palm kernel oil and when added to the chocolate will allow the chocolate to harden perfect. Oil and Crisco can make your chocolate soft or greasy.
Going a little crazy
Hi I haven’t been working with chocolate to long and I been making chocolate covered oreos in molds. They come out great for decorating and look awesome when finished. But when it comes to eating them they are very hard to bite into. Most people end up breaking all the chocolate off just to get to the cookie. How do I make my chocolate softer to bite into? If I do make it softer will I still be able to decorate them? Thank you for all your help.
Hi Ena,
Unfortunately, most OREO Cookie molds are just too big. You fill them with chocolate then add the cookie and the layer of chocolate around the cookie is way too thick. Chocolate that has been properly melted and cooled should have a good snap. It is hard. When you are eating a thick candy bar, you can bite into it or break off a piece and allow it to melt in your mouth, but when you are trying to eat a chocolate-covered OREO, a thick layer of chocolate makes it very difficult. I personally prefer to dip my OREO Cookies into chocolate to get a much thinner coating around the cookie. A thin layer of chocolate is easy to bite into and it begins to melt quickly. It’s a much more pleasant experience.
There really isn’t anything you can do to soften the chocolate and still get the chocolate out of a mold. I love dipping strawberries in chocolate ganache (a blend of chocolate and cream), as it’s soft, but you can’t mold chocolate ganache.
My suggestion is to ditch the molds and just dip your cookies. I love using the OREO Cookie molds to make hot chocolate bombs (https://hungryhappenings.com/conversation-heart-hot-chocolate-bombs/), chocolate ganache filled chocolates (https://hungryhappenings.com/valentines-day-conversation-heart-truffles/), and even peanut butter fudge filled chocolates (https://hungryhappenings.com/white-chocolate-baseballs-peanut-butter-fudge/), but I never use them to make chocolate covered OREO’s.
Thanks for sharing the detailed information. I really appreciate all the work you put into this.
Pls how do l join your online chocolate making course
Hi Mary,
Click on this link – https://thesugaracademy.com/membership-options/
and you will find all of my chocolate making courses. You can take individual classes or you can purchase the bundle of 3 classes and get a bonus class.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Thanks, Beth
Also! In your opinion, what is the best kind of chocolate to keep in a commercial warmer for dipping waffles in? I’d like the chocolate to harden up a bit after dipping, like donut icing sort of! If that makes sense! I’m making dipped waffles on a stick and am planning to make multiple throughout the day
Most chocolates, if tempered properly will harden and should have good snap. If you want the chocolate to be softer then you can add some shortening to it or even coconut oil (this can add flavor to the chocolate depending on the coconut oil). I prefer using Peter’s Burgundy or Callebaut chocolates but there are a lot of really delicious chocolates available.
Hi!!!
I hope you see this! Will candy wafer melts stay melted in a commercial chocolate warmer? And what is the best oil to use to soften it up if needed?
Thank you!!!
Hi Haley,
Yes, you can definitely keep candy melts melted in a commercial chocolate warmer. You want the candy melts to be held at about 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit. I recommend using Paramount Crystals or Wilton EZ Thin to thin out the candy melts. If there is a reason to soften the candy melts you can add shortening.
Hi! I was curious, for the purpose of making dipped truffles, do you use the Peters Burgundy 65? Also, which milk option do you like..there’s 125, 160 or 90 (again, for making dipped truffles, as I have yet to learn how to do molded ones).
Thanks in advance!
Hi Tricia,
Yes, when dipping truffles it is best to use thinner, lower viscosity chocolate like Burgundy 65 or a milk chocolate with a viscosity of 90. Use higher viscosity chocolate to make things like chocolate bark or clusters.
I really appreciate all of this information. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.
When using pure chocolate can you add cream cheese and still mold it?
I have never tried adding cream cheese to chocolate. I’m thinking it would make something similar to modeling chocolate which can be molded, but in a different way. It won’t be liquid anymore. It will be more like clay which you might be able to push into a silicone mold, allow it to harden, then push it out. You won’t be able to use a plastic or polycarbonate mold because the chocolate will never harden enough to pop out of a plastic mold. If you do try this, let me know how it works out. I might give it a go too.
Amazing Blog!! A person who is a beginner in the chocolate making must refer to your blog. The tips you shared about it are seamlessly awesome. I am surely going to follow your tips when making chocolate. Thanks for sharing that information too. Keep Sharing more..:)
I’m so glad you found my chocolate making tips helpful. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Have fun!
I have antique bunny molds and tried making them for the first time last Easter. I melted a chocolate bar in the microwave and poured it in the molds, unfortunately they were not smooth and dark but whiteish and veiny.
You talk about tempering. What did I do wrong…..
Hi Shannon,
Yes, your chocolate was out of temper. If you heat chocolate bars over 91 degrees Fahrenheit then they will go out of temper causing the chocolate to either be too soft to un-mold or to bloom, meaning the cocoa butter will separate out and come to the surface in the form of white streaks or spots. In order to get the chocolate back in temper you need to use one of several tempering methods. For instance you can melt chocolate to 115 degrees, then seed the chocolate by adding 1/3 more chocolate to the bowl of melted chocolate and stir it until it comes down to 91 degrees. At that point, you want to remove any un-melted pieces of chocolate then your chocolate is ready to mold.
The easiest way to use pure chocolate is to shave or grate it really finely then heat it really slowly in the microwave, 10-15 second bursts of low power, stirring after each interval until melted and heated to 90-91 degrees. (This temperature can vary slightly depending on the type of chocolate you use.) Using this method you can watch to make sure the chocolate never goes past 91 degrees F and the chocolate will never go out of temper. If using milk or white chocolate you want to maintain about 88 degrees F.
As I mentioned there are several methods to temper chocolate but the important thing to note is that anytime you are using pure chocolate that has cocoa butter listed in the ingredients it must be tempered. If you don’t then the chocolate will not set properly, will oftentimes be too soft to remove from the mold and will always bloom, meaning the cocoa butter will separate from the chocolate causing white streaks and spots. This may not appear on the first day but will show up soon afterwards.
I’d suggest practicing using various methods of tempering and if you just can’t get it to work out well, then opt for using confectionery coating instead. You never have to worry about tempering confectionery coating.
Good luck! – Beth
Thank you for giving helpful advice. I always buy cocoa chocolate chips and store in heart shape or flower shape blocks, keeping in freezer. whenever i made the cake, cupcakes or cookies, i using this blocks. It gives fantastic look to my cookies.
nao vou perder seus passos, eu quero aprenderrrrrr!!!! tudo sobre doces , as demoro em te visitar ,mas nao te esqueço. tudo 10
I enjoyed what I have read so far on your site, very thorough. I am trying to make milk chocolate frogs with rice krispies (for kids’ summer camp). every website shows 2 ingredients, melting chocolate chips and stirring in rice krispies…no tempering and some people refrigerate to speed up the process.
do I need to temper, even if using chocolate chips that have cocoa butter? or do the rice krispies some how eliminate the need to temper? I do not want them to be streaky white but I need to make 200.
Thanks, I’m glad you are finding my tutorials helpful. If you are making the frogs using chocolate chips, you will need to temper them in order for the frogs to set properly. If you don’t temper the chocolate it will usually be too soft. It will never harden properly and it could stick to the mold. If it’s tempered properly the chocolate will harden and shrink a bit which will make it easy to remove from the mold. The chocolate, if not tempered, will streak or become spotty, as well.
I highly recommend you use confectionery coating (candy melts) to make your frogs if you don’t want to temper the chocolate. If you are making the frogs for kids, most of them aren’t going to notice the difference between candy melts and pure chocolate. It will be less expensive and much easier.
I’ve been making a number of different chocolate lollipops and am having a hard time finding a paint brush small enough to fill in letters and very fine details. I’ve even tried using a piping bag with #1 tip on occasion…..any suggestions on how to fill in those small spaces? Most of the brushes I’ve found are too wide.
I use a fine tip paint brush to paint the fine details. The trick is to keep the paint brush clean and to dip it into the chocolate and only get a very small amount on the brush.
You can find a good brush here – http://amzn.to/1mQhL3X
Great – thank you! One last question, which might seem silly but any tricks so that I can avoid the lollipop stick through the chocolate? I’ve tried banging on the counter first and then adding sticks but on occasion will still be able to see it.
If the chocolate is thick the stick may not go in all the way. Try to fill the mold and insert a stick right away. If the chocolate is thin enough but the stick still shows through, the problem is the mold. They didn’t leave enough room for the stick. If you are worried about the sticks coming out, you could harden the chocolate then brush a little extra chocolate over the area where the stick is showing. Have fun!
I tried to follow the microwave chocolate tempering instruction, but it doesn’t make much sense. After I added the 1/4 chocolate to the melted 3/4, the whole thing turned into pretty thick dump that is not even stir-able. I ended up following the 15 seconds original melting procedures to remelt the whole batch and just use that. It turned out ok, as least it hardened. I don’t understand the tempering mechanism at all.
Sorry, you had trouble. Tempering definitely requires practice and being microwaves all heat differently, you may have to experiment a few times before getting it to work just right with your microwave.
Here’s a link to an Alton Brown video where he uses the microwave to temper chocolate. He uses cocoa butter to temper the chocolate. It’s a different method, but works well too. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/microwave-chocolate-tempering-recipe.html
You’re website is chock full of helpful information and have bookmarked it for future referencing!
I have 1 simple question to ask and I’m sorry if it was covered in comments and replies somewhere but I did not have time to go thru all of them. I’m planning on making a lot of truffle filled chocolates for Christmas gifts, some will have transfers and others will be hand decorated and/or dipped. Can compound chocolate be used for decorating on tempered chocolate, in other words, will it adhere and set?
Thanks! I have had some success painting candy coating into molds then allowing that to dry then pouring in the pure chocolate. I use this technique to paint my chocolate Easter bunnies. For the most part the two chocolates stay connected, but often times a pink nose or a white eye will fall off. So, it’s not perfect, but it does work. If you try to add the compound chocolate (confectionery coating) decoration after the pure chocolate has set, you will need to make sure the coating is not hotter than the temperature of your tempered chocolate (88-91 degrees F) or you will throw the pure chocolate, around the decoration, out of temper and end up with bloom (white streaks) around the decoration.
It sounds like tempering just means melting? I’m looking for the easiest way to make your cute snowman pretzel cookies. I don’t like those Wilton melting candies cause they are all artificial ingredients, so will just buy regular white chocolate. It sounds like finding wafers is the easiest way? And do it in the microwave at low setting. I think you said the word callet.
HI Babs,
Tempering is not actually just melting. There is more to it that that. If you use pure white chocolate or dark chocolate and don’t temper it, the chocolate will not ever set properly and will eventually bloom, which means it will develop white spots. If you serve the pretzels soon after you make them they might not develop the bloom, but will definitely be soft and possibly be sticky. Be sure to read my Chocolate Making Tips page for really detailed instructions.
Some people don’t mind their chocolate being soft because the flavor of the pure chocolate is definitely better than the confectionery coating candy melts. It’s up to you.
Callet just means small wafers. Companies who make pure chocolate wafers, call them callets.
I microwave my candy melts on high power, but for short amounts of time. Good luck and have fun!
To anonymous who asked about condensation on your lollipops, they aren't ruined, but will be sticky. The best you can do is to allow them to dry overnight at room a cool room temperature (70 degrees F or less.) The beads of sweat will dry, but will leave spots. You can at least package them though, so all is not lost.
Oh Beth, I wish I had seen your site earlier! I've made over 100 chocolate pops and have put them in the fridge because it's so warm in the house….and now…you guessed it…condensation. What's a gal to do? Are my pops ruined? Can I fix this?
Thanks!
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that was neat how you designed all your candy's also go check this place out they have some really neat designs to http://www.myidolpops.com/
its nice post
To Mary Dixon who wrote:
I'm really struggling with my chocolate grand piano mold. I paint white chocolate on the keyboard of the piano first, then when its dry I pour the milk chocolate over the white and fill the mold. Problem: when I unmold the piano the chocolate comes out while the white keyboard stays in the mold. How do I fix this?
There could be a few reasons for this. One is that the mold is just not created well. Try filling the entire mold with one type of chocolate to see if it will all come out. Another problem can arise if you are using candy coating and pure chocolate together. They don't like to stick together. If you are only using one or the other, be sure to paint just a thin layer of white in the indentation, so that the milk chocolate fills in some of the space too. Tap the mold a few times to make sure the milk and white chocolate touch. That should help.
I'm really struggling with my chocolate grand piano mold. I paint white chocolate on the keyboard of the piano first, then when its dry I pour the milk chocolate over the white and fill the mold. Problem: when I unmold the piano the chocolate comes out while the white keyboard stays in the mold. How do I fix this?
Thank you so much for sharing your 30+ years of knowledge. Which dark chocolate do you recommend I use for making chocolate bars? I’m looking at the pure chocolate mentioned in your blog. I’m concerned about taste, waxy feel and of course cost. Thank you in advance for your suggestions.
If you are looking for pure chocolate and you don’t have a lot of experience with tempering chocolate, I suggest you buy Callebaut Callets. They look like chocolate chips but do not have any emulsifiers in them which inhibit melting. The callets are available in dark, milk, and white chocolate, they taste great and are easy to temper. I use Callebaut 811 semi-sweet chocolate callets when I’m hand tempering.
I use Peter’s Burgundy Semi-Sweet Chocolate bars (10-pound bars) in my tempering machines. I love the flavor of this chocolate, but the 10 pound bars are very thick and they need to be chopped finely in order to hand temper the chocolate. That is a lot of work! That’s why I typically use the callets instead when tempering small batches by hand.
If you don’t want to have to temper your chocolate, you will need to use compound chocolate. I recommend using Peter’s Westchester (milk), Eastchester (dark), and White Caps (white) or Ghirardelli melting wafers.
Linda, whenever I use confectionery coating (candy melts) I put them in the freezer to harden. If I use the refrigerator or let them just sit out at room temperature, they often times dry with streaks in them. I find the freezer works best to harden the candies quickly and they usually come out very shiny.
I will be using confectionery wafers. After I have applied the coating to the, for instance, pretzel, should the finished product be put in the refrigerator or just in a cool spot. Thank you for your assistance.
Thanks so much for sharing this post! There are some really great ideas here. Keep up the good work!
Hi, I have been making molded chocolates and have been running into the problem that once ny candy is made they melt very easily on the fingers, especially the small ones, when I pick them up to eat or package. How can I fix that?
Thanks very much..
Hello ..love your work is so beautiful. I wish I had the patience to they some of your recipes but I doubt I'd be able to do it. I was wondering if your sold your candy would love to purchase some of the white chocolate lollipops for Halloween. I've looked but don't see anything about ordering or anything like that. Could you please get back to me my email is lisam_j@hot mail.com thank u greatly.
Hi, I've just discovered your fabulous blog and it's inspired me to try out an idea I've been pondering on for some time.
I'd love to make some chocolate cups and saucers in which to serve ice cream or to hold a mousse. Would you recommend making modeling chocolate and moulding them from this, or by melted chocolate in the same way as your chocolate buckets? I don't have any plastic cups at the moment but I'm sure I could find one somewhere.
Your advice would be gratefully received.
Jenny
Hi Jenny, I would use real chocolate instead of modeling chocolate to create the cups. The modeling chocolate might work well for the saucers as you could cut it and set it on a curved saucer, then allow it to harden, then when you remove it, it should hold the shape nicely, but you could do something similar with chocolate as well.
Hi, I've just discovered your fabulous blog and it's inspired me to try out an idea I've been pondering on for some time.
I'd love to make some chocolate cups and saucers in which to serve ice cream or to hold a mousse. Would you recommend making modeling chocolate and moulding them from this, or by melted chocolate in the same way as your chocolate buckets? I don't have any plastic cups at the moment but I'm sure I could find one somewhere.
Your advice would be gratefully received.
Jenny
I am just starting out as a chocolate maker and i am looking for some flavors to add to my chocolates. I melt down chocolate chips and put them in molds and freeze them for about 10 minutes or so. I have added peppermint in the past, and crushed walnuts, but now I am looking for more. I have mainly used non dairy chocolate chips, but I would like to use also white chocolate also. Any suggestions on which flavors and how to make them?
Thank you so much
I am just starting out as a chocolate maker and i am looking for some flavors to add to my chocolates. I melt down chocolate chips and put them in molds and freeze them for about 10 minutes or so. I have added peppermint in the past, and crushed walnuts, but now I am looking for more. I have mainly used non dairy chocolate chips, but I would like to use also white chocolate also. Any suggestions on which flavors and how to make them?
Thank you so much
Hi Ms. Beth.
Love your troubleshooting section. It has helped me understand MC so much better.
I have made MC using your directions before and it worked out fine. But recently I made a small batch and the oils it squatting out like mad. I think I put the corn syrup while it was still pretty hot as I was rushing it.
It was very crumbly when i started to knead it and quite a bit of oil was on the surface. I added bit of corn syrup to it and kept kneading while making sure that my hands and the MC are cool and don't get warm… but the oil kept squeezing out 🙁 ….The MC isn't crumbly now but the oil is not incorporating back in. Pleaaaaseee HELP!!!
Set a piece of plastic wrap in a plastic bowl and place your modeling chocolate in it. Let it rest for about 20-30 minutes, then go back to kneading it. That wont be long enough for the oils to solidify into small beads, but it will give the chocolate time to cool off and rest. Add more corn syrup if it's still dry and crumbly. Honestly, every time I make modeling chocolate it feels a bit different. Most days, I'm patient and wait until the chocolate cools before adding the corn syrup, but on occasion I rush and pay the price with greasy modeling chocolate. I'm always able to fix it, though, so take a break and come back in a bit and hopefully it will work out well.
Thank you so so so much for your prompt reply. I went back to knead it and like you said the oil incorporated back in easily. But the texture of the MC is still coarse. I added corn syrup to soften it. It is soft but not smooth at all. I don't know its like that.
Because so much oil seeped out, it may be a little more brittle. I would try adding a bit more corn syrup then let it rest for a while, then knead it again. I've even added corn syrup to modeling chocolate that was made weeks before. It's never to late to add more to get a smooth texture. Good luck.
Oh gosh! I went back to check on it after replying to you now. MAGIC! Smooooth!
So "Waiting" is the Key!! Anything not coming together, just "wait" and go back to it.
Sorry for bothering you so much. Thank you for your precious knowledge.
Yay, I'm so glad it worked! Have fun making your project. Don't ever worry about bothering me. I love helping.
Yes adding more corn syrup really helped!! Thank you so much for your instant help. I would've burst into tears otherwise.
Hi, I'm using Wilton candy melts with the pirate lollipop molds. I paint the first layer, make sure there are no bubble and put it in the freezer before filling the mold with chocolate and freezing for 10-15 mins. However I am running into two problems. Firstly when I pour the chocolate to fill the mold, I see air bubbles form in the painted base layer. Secondly, some of the color of the painted base layer starts to bleed. Any suggestions? Thanks
Air bubbles are common, they form when you pour the candy melts into the mold. To remove them, tap the mold on the counter a few times. If that doesn't do it, then use a toothpick to pop them. I carefully hold the mold up over my head, keeping it perfectly horizontal, so the candy melts don't spill, then I look to see where the air bubbles are, and pop them.
If your painted color is bleeding, the candy coating you are pouring into the mold is too hot. Allow it to cool slightly them pour it in. If you are keeping it hot in a skillet, turn the heat down. If it's down as low as it will go and the candy coating is still too hot, then remove the jar for a few minutes, to allow it to cool, then pour it into the mold. The closer to the bottom of the jar you get the hotter the candy coating will be, so it's helpful to stir it before you begin pouring.
Thank you so much 🙂
Good day!
I am trying to make chocolate lollipops, i packaged them in plastic and seal with ribbons. Problem is my chocolates are sweating. Here's how I do it.. After filling the mold w/ chocolate I put them in the freezer for 10 mins then take them out, put each lollipop in plastic bag, tie it with ribbons, some of the chocolates are already sweating at this time but i still put them inside the plastic bag. After a few minutes i see sweating so i put it back in the fridge for 24 hours but I still see sweating after.
How can I avoid this, please help me, Thanks!
The sweating is actually beads of condensation created by the moisture in a freezer or refrigerator. It can also be caused by changing the temperature too quickly. If your house is really warm, you may want to freeze the pop for about 8 minutes, then move them to the refrigerator for 4 minutes before bringing them into your room. It's very important to allow the lollipops to come to room temperature before packaging them in bags. Let them sit at least 30 minutes. I usually let them sit for an hour or so. DO NOT put them back in the freezer or refrigerator. You will definitely get sweating if you do that.
If the pops do sweat, allow them to sit in a cool (about 70 degrees F) dry place until the sweat has completely dried. Your lollipops will look like they have a mat finish instead of a glossy finish, but at least they wont smear.
Good luck.
Hi, I wonder if you can help. I am trying to use PME candy melts in a silicon mould of an anchor and for the life of me i cannot get it out without breaking it. I have tried popping it into the freezer and using cake release and cornstarch but it always breaks. Can you offer any suggestions? Thanks
Hi Jackie,
I've never used PME Candy Melts, but have used lots of other brands and they should all just pop out of the molds once set. You should never use cake release or cornstarch. You shouldn't have to. Once the candy hardens it should shrink enough to pull away from the mold. The problem is probably the design of the mold. I've had molds that just never work. If an area is too thin and not engineered correctly the candy will crack. So I'm guessing the the thin part of the anchor is the problem. You'll probably need to get a different mold.
Hi. I wonder if you can help. I am trying to use PME candy melts in a silicon mould of an anchor and for the life of me i cannot get it out without breaking. I have tried popping it into the freezer, also tried using cake release but they always break. Can you offer any tips? thanks
Hi don't have any marble to work on! I do have AC and can cool my kitchen down to what I need, so can I work my modeling clay on my small laminate table on parchment paper??
The best thing to use if you don't have marble or granite, is use a metal baking pan. It's reasonably cold which is what you need to cool down the modeling chocolate.
Thanks for your reply, Beth. I appreciate your time.
Hi Beth,
Many thanks for this helpful article. This might seem like a strange question on a chocoloate site but I'm hoping you might be able to help me with something due to your experience with colouring chocolate. I have been using oil candy colors to color homemade crayons. Overall, I've been happy with the results and most of the colors have mixed really well with the wax I use. However, I'm still having some trouble with the blue, green and purple colors – the dye can transfer onto hands from a set crayon. I was wondering if you might know why this happens with these particular colors when all the others are fine? Have you ever experienced any differences with these shades?
I look forward to your reply. Many thanks in advance.
That is very interesting. I really have no idea why that would be happening with just a few colors. The only issue I have with some colors is that they fade, in particular bright pink and sometime bright purple. Pretty much any coloring that ends up on my hands stains, so I guess I'm surprised that when used for crayons they don't all stain.
Sorry, I'm no help with this issue.
I love your blog And your candy. Thank you for sharing..
Hi Beth…I've made some bourbon and bacon flavored chocolate covered caramels and topped them with a little sea salt and bacon crumbles. After trial and error I've gone to the Wilton melts to get the chocolate to set up properly. I will be traveling with them and will be using them in a contest in two days. I feel like I need to refrigerate them….I will be in an RV and the temp will probably be 76 plus…any suggestions for refrigerating them? Do the Wilton melts get bloom? Thanks !
Hi Kathryn,
That is going to be tricky. If you refrigerate them, they might bloom and will most probably end up being sticky. Candy Melts get sticky when they've been chilled for too long. They develop condensation which will dry and make the candies look dull. I would suggest you keep them cool just by running the air conditioner. If you by any chance have a cooler that plugs in, this is a better option than a refrigerator. If you just put the chocolates in the cooler (wrapped and packaged in boxes) then you should be alright. I've done this before on long trips. I will often leave the lid open as we drive, then just close it when we get out to go to dinner or something. This works pretty well.
I hope this helps.
Hi Beth,
You have such great ideas and instructions. I can't wait to try them all. I have been making chocolates for many years using Merkens wafers and molds. I've bought the pre-made fondant and didn't like the taste, so I can't wait to make some using your instructions. I do have a suggestion, when I needed to have small amounts of different colors to "paint" the molds, I tried many times to use the hot water bath and many times I get water in the chocolate. I have since found a couple of different ways to keep the chocolate melted. I've used a heating pad but then I found an electric griddle that has a thermostat so you can set it on a really low temperature so it just stays warm. This has worked for me the best, no water to drip in my chocolate. I have even set the plastic bottles on it and it didn't melt the bottle, but kept the chocolate melted. I still use the microwave to initially melt the chocolate, but then use the warmer to keep it melted.
Have you ever tried this?
Hi Could you direct me to a site that sells the bunny sucker with the bow tie?
Sorry to say the company that made that mold went out of business last year, so it's no longer available.
Can you recommend me a plastic brush like yours, preferably from amazon?
Yay! I actually found the same paint brushes that I use. Here is the link on Amazon.com:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006N6OGU/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0006N6OGU&linkCode=as2&tag=hungryh-20
Hello, thank you for your instant reply, I found the following but are not plastic, ( I bough the second one) Now, I will buy this that you propose me 🙂
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0050B1HR4/ref=gno_cart_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1GXT7IMS99GT
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00076TPKI/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Sent from my iPad
Hello, I am looking for the plastic brushes that you use, can you recommend me one, preferably from amazon?
Hi Beth!
Thanks for all the excellent information. I did try looking through all the comments to see if someone also posted this so forgive me if you've already responded to this question.
I would like to try using those chocolate transfer sheets or the textured sheets for chocolate but its seems like there are so many different versions out there (and so many different prices as well). Could you recommend good kinds and also good places to purchase online? Thanks so much!
I love working with transfer sheets. I buy mine from a wholesale company, but there are quite a few places you can buy them on-line. Here's links to two of them – http://www.chocotransfersheets.com/shop/category.aspx?catid=27
http://www.countrykitchensa.com/shop/food-items/chocolate-transfer-sheets/46/624/1544/
Hi, I have just started making things from fondant for my cakes. I've done well with flowers and toys, but realistic faces and animals do not turn out as well. I've practiced with regular clay and like how you can blend it together to make seamless joints and add features and muscles. Can modeling chocolate be used the same way? Would it work better on it's own for this or mixed with fondant or gumpaste? Thank you for sharing your expertise. Lynn
Modeling chocolate can be used the same way as clay. I've never mixed it with fondant or gumpaste. I like it just the way it is, and don't see the necessity to mix it. I like that modeling chocolate is easy to sculpt but hardens and holds it's shape really well, plus it tastes great.
Hello Beth! I'm trying to buy a candy and deep fry thermometer but I'm not sure which one to buy. Is there any brand you recommend? 🙂
Hi Natalie,
I have used both Wilton and Taylor candy thermometers and both are good. The very best thermometer I have is by Thermapen. It is very pricey, but I love it.
Wow! I'm impressed and excited! Can you use anything besides corn syrup to make modeling chocolate? I'm looking for something 100% natural or organic. Stopping by from Tell Me About It Tuesday!
HI Melissa,
I have successfully used honey (https://hungryhappenings.com/2011/05/how-to-create-school-books-using-corn.html,) jelly (https://hungryhappenings.com/2013/05/strawberry-basket-gifts-for-mom-teachers-friends.html,) dulce de leche (https://hungryhappenings.com/2011/06/celebrate-end-of-school-year-by-making.html,) and even peanut butter (https://hungryhappenings.com/2012/11/chocolate-peanut-butter-fudge-or.html) to make modeling chocolate. Take a look at these posts to see how I did it.
Hi, this is very interesting. I want to try making a modeling chocolate. My question is, can I Substitute the corn syrup with e.g. maple syrup? I live in Germany and haven't seen corn syrup on the shelf! What other substitute may I use??
I have successfully used honey (https://hungryhappenings.com/2011/05/how-to-create-school-books-using-corn.html,) jelly (https://hungryhappenings.com/2013/05/strawberry-basket-gifts-for-mom-teachers-friends.html,) dulce de leche (https://hungryhappenings.com/2011/06/celebrate-end-of-school-year-by-making.html,) and even peanut butter (https://hungryhappenings.com/2012/11/chocolate-peanut-butter-fudge-or.html) to make modeling chocolate. Take a look at these posts to see how I did it.
trying to substitute unsweetened cocoa/sugar & oil for semi sweet chips for a light frosting. The sugar is making the chocolate too grainy …any solutions?
It's hard to dissolve granulated sugar in a frosting. You could try using powdered sugar instead.
Many thanks Beth for the detailed explanation. You are awesome.
This tutorial was a lifesaver-I was making a damask wallpaper cake this weekend, and I used your tutorial to sculpt all of the individual components! Thanks so much 🙂
Hi Jane, I'm so happy you found my tips helpful. I hope your cake turns out great!
Hi, I need to know the temperature of the white chocolate when I put the color in it. Thanks for your help.
If you are using pure white chocolate (made with cocoa butter) the chocolate should be between 88-90 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are using white chocolate coating (made with hydrogenated oil or palm kernal oil) it should be between 100-110 degrees fahrenheit.
HI, I need to know what should be the temperature of white chocolate when put the color in it, because looks like the color not mix very well when the chocolate is hot. Thanks for your help.
Hi, I need to know the temperature of the white chocolate when I put the color in it. Thanks for your help.
Hi, Thankyou for the awesome post. I tried making molding chocolate by using 50 gms white chocolate compound and 1 tbsp light corn syrup. Morde's Chocolate compound available in India contains sugar, milk solids hydrogenated vegetable oil and antioxidant I wanted to try making flowers to decorate my cake (I dislike fondant). I now understand why so much fat got released (excellent skin softner btw!!) . I used the chocolate dough anyway, since it was still very pliable. The flowers came out beautiful, but some how did not harden and became a little soft when I placed them on a cake covered with whipped cream. I was searching the net for " how to make chocolate molding flowers stiff when I came across your excellent post. How do I get the flowers to become stiff. Pl help, I would like to make cake decorations with chocolate instead of fondant.
First, I would make a flower and let it sit for at least a few hours to dry before putting it on the cake. All modeling chocolate will soften a bit once added to a frosted cake. If you give the flowers plenty of time to really dry, it will take much longer for them to soften once on the cake.
If your modeling chocolate is just too soft and wont dry hard, you can do one of two things. The easiest is to just knead in some powdered sugar (confectioners sugar) to help dry things out a bit. Then make your flowers and allow them to dry before putting on your cake. Another method would be to knead in some melted chocolate. If you do this you need to make sure the chocolate is just barely warm (88-90 degrees Fahrenheit) before kneading it in to the modeling chocolate. You probably don't need much, to give your modeling chocolate more structure. I've had success doing this, but it can be tricky.
I hope this helps.
CAN U SUGGEST DT MORDE BRAND CHOCOLATE COMPOUNDS CAN B USED INSTEAD F D MODELLING CLAY?
I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with DT Morde Brand Chocolate. You can use any brand or type of chocolate to make modeling chocolate/chocolate clay. You can not use regular chocolate in place of modeling chocolate/chocolate clay. Chocolate clay is flexible like fondant and can be sculpted like clay. I hope that answers your question.
thanks for you wonderful site, made the white modeling chocolate today, almost gave up, it was very very crumbly, until I found your site, then just added way more corn syrup, voila, it worked am soooooo excited, and can't wait to get to work on my nieces Dolly Varden cake. THANK YOU soooo much 🙂
I'm so glad you didn't give up and that you found my advice helpful. Once you figure out the formula to make modeling chocolate using the brand of white chocolate you are using, it will go so much smoother. I love working with it and just finished making several new recipe posts featuring modeling chocolate.
Hi! I am new for chocolate . What is the different between compound and converture chocolate? Can i use compound chocolate for modeling?
Compound coating is made with hydrogenated oils like palm kernal oil, while coverture is made using cocoa butter. I use both to make modeling chocolate. I almost always use white coating to make it, and always use pure milk and semi-sweet chocolates. As I mention above, the amount of corn syrup you'll need with depend on the type and brand of chocolate you use. You just have to play with the amounts until you find what works for the chocolate or coating you are using.
Just joining in with everyone to thank you for such amazing information.
Question – would you think chocolate chips are considered "chocolate" or would you only use chunks of "real" chocolate?
Any chocolate, including chips, that are made with cocoa butter, and not vegetable oils like palm kernal oil, are considered to be pure or real chocolate. Just note, that chocolate chips are formulated to stay in a chip shape even at high temperatures. You can melt them, but they don't melt as easily as a chocolate bar. You also need to temper the chocolate chips if you melt them and want it to set properly and have a nice shine.
Hi Beth,
I was wondering what you used to make the chocolate cups and popcorn bucket. Did you use regular chocolate molds?
Thank you!
You can use anything that is plastic and has a smooth surface. I have used containers like tupperware, plastic buckets, and plastic cups. Be sure they haven't had anything in them before other than food. Wash them and dry them well. Be sure the containers are smooth near the open edge so the chocolate can easily slide out. I have a tutorial showing how I made a small bucket here, https://hungryhappenings.com/2011/10/how-to-make-chocolate-canisterbucket.html
Thanks so much for the quick reply! I have been at this cake all day but am almost there. How do you apply modeling chocolate to modeling chocolate? My end result won't be the prettiest but I'm getting good practice. 🙂
Brush the modeling chocolate lightly with water, then press it against the other piece of modeling chocolate. You might need to hold it until it dries, but that should happen quickly. You can also use royal icing, if you have some on hand. I'd love to see your cake when you are finished. You can send a pic to beth@hungryhappenings.com.
Hi Beth,
This is my first time making modeling chocolate. What do I do once my figures are made? Can they be applied right away, or do they need time to dry first? Thank you!
You can use modeling chocolate like you do with fondant. If you are putting the figures on a fondant covered cake, you can apply them right after your sculpt them. If you are putting them on a frosted cake or cupcake, I would allow the piece to harden first, then add it, just so the fats from the frosting don't get absorbed into the modeling chocolate.
Thank you! I was told by the manufacturer of the coating to wither add a little cocoa butter (2oz per 1lb of coating) or add some real chocolate to enhance the flavor. I have tried adding the real chocolate and it definitely enhances the flavor.
I'm sure it would make the coating taste better. Have you had to temper it? I remember years ago someone telling me to mix the two together, then someone else said don't. At that point I had purchased tempering machines and didn't use coating for much other than painting lollipops, so I never tried it. I do use it a lot for my blog projects, just because it's much easier to work with for the home cook. I want to make sure whatever I'm making can be replicated at home.
Hi…Have you ever added pure cocoa butter to compound chocolate for a richer flavor?
I have on occasion added cocoa butter to chocolate that already has cocoa butter in it, just in order to thin it out a bit. I have never added it to compound coating (a.k.a. confectionery coating) that has hydrogenated oils in it, and am not exactly sure how they would mix. By adding the cocoa butter, you would then have to temper the coating just like you would pure chocolates. It would also thin it out considerably.
Hi – can you verify if chocolate was or can be made with potatoes int he recipe. Someone I know is sure chocolate used to be made with potatoes.. I doubt it but would like your thoughts.. thanks!
Chocolate itself is primarily made from cocoa beans and sugar. I know you can make candies using potatoes and it's possible the recipes call for chocolate. I've never had them, and am not really familiar with the flavor profile of the candies.
Hi, love your site! I made modelling choc using liquid glucose and golden syrup and it's impossible to get light corn syrup over here, and it was a complete success, however milk choc not so good! It is very, very runny. Is there anything I can add to it to use now as a coating for a cake so that it won't running off? Hate to not use all that lovely chocolate because it tastes Devine!!
Thanks, John. Milk chocolate has much more cocoa butter in it than dark chocolate, so it does take less of the syrup to make the modeling chocolate. Once, when my modeling chocolate was too soft, I was able to melt some more chocolate, allow it to cool to about 88 degrees then very quickly kneaded it into the modeling chocolate. If I remember correctly, it did end up a bit greasy, so I had to work it as I've mentioned above using a bench scraper and a granite counter top. I know it worked, but it did take some time. Another option, which will change the color a bit and the flavor a bit is to knead in some powdered sugar (confectioners sugar.) I've done that with the white modeling chocolate before on a hot day, when I wanted to make sure it would hold up. I'd love to hear what works for you. Good luck.
I would like to create a river coming from a fountain. My question is, how to keep the chocolate from hardening in the "river area" pipe? do I put sterno under pipe to keep it hot?
You wouldn't want to use just melted chocolate, you would need to make a chocolate sauce or very thin chocolate ganache in order to keep it flowing.
Hello Dear
My name ıs Sophıa, I love chocolate ,i was wondering , is there anyway of make cold chocolate .what i know is that cocoa mix with milk and sugar.but this is too simple. i was wondering if you know how to make best chocolate in cold form . because I want to try it on a machine with degree at -6. just imagine the thickness as much as frozen yogurt. I would be so much appreciate if you can give me some feed back about it.
Hi Zulfiye,
I'm not exactly sure what you are looking for, but it sounds like you want something to drink. Is that right? If so, I would make my version of hot chocolate then allow it to cool in the refrigerator. I mix heavy whipping cream with some chocolate then pour it into hot milk. I don't really know the exact measurements as I just mix in enough until I like the taste. You can drink it hot or wait until it's cold. It's great either way.
Thanks Beth, will try what you suggest
Hi Beth
I hope this is not a repeat of my first request… (was not signed in)
Help please…. I made a batch of white modelling choc today and when I kneaded it a lot of oil came out, which I discarded. (This was before I came upon your extremely helpful site). I then microwaved to soften and added more corn syrup. It is now so hard that I cannot even knead it. Is there any way of saving it?
PS: Had an old batch of dark modelling choc (since Jan) and was crumbly, so followed your advice and it came out perfectly (thanks again)
Sarah
If your modeling chocolate is really hard, I suggest breaking off really small pieces and trying to knead them. If that doesn't work, then put it in the microwave on the defrost (or lowest) setting for 4-6 seconds. Try kneading again. Re-heat for 3-4 seconds if needed. You just want to soften it up slightly. Don't overheat or the oils will come out again. I've been able to get rock hard modeling chocolate to work using this method. I hope you're able to fix it.
Help p-lease…. Made white modelling choc this morning and as I was kneading, a lot of oil came out (which I discarded) – this was BEFORE I came upon your site – lots of lessons learned (thanks). I then threw the batch back through the microwave and added more corn syrup. Now it is very hard and extremely difficult to knead. Can I fix it?
PS… also had a batch of dark modelling choc that was in the fridge (since Jan) – was crumbly, so followed your advice (added syrup and kneaded) and came out perfect (thanks again).
Sarah
Hi I've been making modeling chocolate with wilton candy melts but find that the end result has alot of tiny wax pieces in it. Eventually I am able to knead then out but it takes forever. Do you have any advice as to how I can eliminate this problem? What I do is once the corn syrup is mixed into the chocolate, I try not to use more that 15 stokes to incorporate it, i then pour it out onto clear wrap and let it sit over night. I have never kneaded it like you mention because I've always read that if you over work it the oils begin to separate from the chocolate. I hope you can give me some good advice 🙂
Thanks
Maria
What you are seeing in your modeling chocolate isn't wax, it's just bits of hardened candy melts. I've had this happen several times too when I didn't mix the corn syrup in well enough. If I allow my chocolate or candy melts to cool to 90-91 degrees Fahrenheit before stirring in the corn syrup I don't have trouble with the oil seeping out. Then I can mix enough to make sure all the chocolate is combined with the corn syrup. When I rush it and do happen to end up with little lumps, I will just pick them out, but this is a time consuming process. If you roll the modeling chocolate out really thin, you can easily see the lumps and can pick them out.
Love your idea for the Handmade Chocolate Tree Box! How do you make the chocolate truffles inside?
Thanks, Meline.
The truffles are made in a hard polycarbonate chocolate mold using chocolate transfer sheets. I have not done a tutorial on creating these chocolates, but will have to consider doing one!
Wow! Great!
Can you crush the opal dragees to make silver dust?
I suppose you could do that, but you can also buy silver luster dust and opal luster dust. I use them often and love how they make my food sparkle!
Awesome! I wanted the "look" that fondant gives without the taste for my daughter's Cinderella cake. How much would I need for a basic two layer cake? Will this recipe be enough?
One recipe should be enough to cover a 2 layer 8 inch cake.
Thank you so much for your web page. I need to decorate a three tier cake with soft draped modelling choc and I was panicking big time(of course I told my client I can do it). I've only worked with modelling choc once and it was a disaster. With your online help I have the courage to try again. I do so hate fondant and often get requested not to decorate cakes with it. Hold thumbs for me, going to buy choc now and try a drape.
You are welcome! I'm glad my information was helpful. I always prefer to work with modeling chocolate. I hate fondant too. You will cover the cake with modeling chocolate just like you do with fondant. Just be sure that your house is cool. If it's too hot you'll have a hard time rolling it out and picking it up. Good luck. I hope your cake turns out great!
Can I use modeling chocolate in place of fondant to cover a cake? If so would I still frost a layer of buttercream first?
I was wondering if I could use modeling chocolate as if it were fondant for covering a cake? If so would I still need a layer of buttercream or will that affect the chocolate?
Yes, you can use modeling chocolate to cover cakes just like you would use fondant and yes you still need a layer of buttercream on the cake. Just be sure when you are working with that much modeling chocolate that your room is quite cool. I keep my kitchen between 68-70 degrees Fahrenheit. My hands are always warm, so I will take breaks as I'm working with it, in order to allow the modeling chocolate to cool down. Rolling it out on a stainless steal table will also help to keep it cool. Good luck!
Hi
This may seem like a very random question but do you know the best way to rapidly harden chocolate / caramel.
I want to make some toffee or 'candy' apples for an event and allow people to make their own. As such I cant wait the 15-20 mins it takes for the hot chocolate dipped apples to harden at room temperature.
Do you know if a blast chiller would work….or even dry ice??
Many thanks
Usually, you wouldn't want the chocolate to harden too quickly as it can throw it out of temper, but if you are just having people dip the apples then eat them right away, it really wont matter. You can use a refrigerator or freezer to harden the chocolate. If you have a blast chiller, it would work too. Dry ice should work as well, but be careful none of the chocolate apples touch the dry ice. You can also buy food grade cold spray which chefs use when making large chocolate sculptures, but it is quite expensive. Good luck!
Hi Beth, just loved all your explanation, I want to make a cake pop Flounder, Sebastian i'm going to buy a silicone mold of those characters, my questions is since the mold doesn't have a place to put the lollypop stick do you have any idea how should i do, cause i looked every where for some tutorial on how to make that cute fish and i didn't find it, and the mold will look very cute.I'm located in Brazil ,here i can find somethings that i need but the price is sky-high, and my passion is to bake, create things and it's a way to make my living.Thanks a lot.Best regards from Klaudia Amaral
I have seen where people cut a very small hole in bottom of the candy coated cake pop using a sharp knife, then they dip a lollipop stick in the melted candy and insert it into the pop. I've not done this but many people get it to work nicely. That way you can paint the mold with candy coating, create a shell using the candy coating, fill it with cake ball mixture, then top it off with more melted candy coating. You can see how I did that in my Cake Ball Brains post (https://hungryhappenings.com/2012/10/creepy-halloween-sweets-cake-ball.html) After you pop them out of the molds, allow them to come to room temperature. Then cut the small hole in the bottoms and insert the stick. Good luck. Let me know how they turn out.
Love the modeling chocolate thanks for the reciepe
How do I fix modeling chocolate that is too sticky to work with?
The easiest thing to do is to flatten the modeling chocolate into a disc, and allow it to sit at room temperature for about an hour. It should dry out and be easier to use. Depending on how sticky it is, it might need to be re-shaped and dried a bit longer. If you are really in a hurry you can add some powdered sugar or cocoa powder to the modeling chocolate, but use it sparingly.
wow, you are a wealth of information, I will be referring to this a lot! Thanks for putting all this together Beth
Thank you! Yes, I usually freeze the candy coating for about 15 minutes, then allow it to sit for about an hour, then put the lid on it and just keep it at room temperature until I need to use it again. Then I just reheat it and use it.
This site is wonderful! Thank you for sharing it with us! If I have left over melted candy in the jars in the skillet, can I save it and reheat to use another time?
We're will I get candy colour in India?
Hi Aditi,
I usually order mine from Amazon.com. If you have access to their site, then they have everything. I'm not familiar with the types of stores you have in India, but here I could buy the candy color from a cake decorating store or a craft store, but I still will usually just buy it on-line.
hi, i am trying to make a molding chocolate using milk chocolate. the mold is soft enough as i knead it with my hands. as i work it, there's a bit of oil on my hands. i am trying to make small roses, i can form the mold into petals but moments later it would crack. i already tried adding more syrup drop by drop, it still cracked. so i tried adding a few drops of honey to make it smooth, still the same problem. any idea how i can make it smooth, without making the mold too soft and oily? thanks in advance.
If it's cracking then it is too dry. I suggest you wrap it up and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour. Then try to knead in some more corn syrup. The oil is seeping because it is too warm. If you hand are hot or your room is just too warm, it will be hard to keep it from doing that. Wash your hands in really cold water before kneading the modeling chocolate. If you have a marble or granite slab, try to knead it on the slab using a spatula. Once you get the right amount of corn syrup in the mixture, it should work perfectly without cracking.
Hi. I read this tutorial. Its very informative I'm from India. Pls help in sharing one how u have made chocolate popcorn. N what u have used inside the glass pot of lili flowers.
Hi Srikanth,
Here is a tutorial on making the white chocolate popcorn. – https://hungryhappenings.com/2011/09/do-you-think-you-can-handle-eating.html
The calla lilies are made out of modeling chocolate. The flowers are attached to lollipop sticks that I painted with green candy melts. The leaves are created from the same. The bowl is filled with sugar, so that the flowers stand up nicely.
How can I pin this to Pinterest? It will only let me pin all of your pinterest and not just this how-to. Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks!
If you click on the Pinterest button (a red "P"), that is just below the blog post, above the comments, and in a row with Facebook and Twitter buttons, you will go to Pinterest. There you can just click on the picture that is most relevant to what you want to pin. I just checked it out and pinned the picture of the electric skillet filled with jars of colored candy melts. Once I clicked on the picture, I was able to select the board I wanted it pinned to, which was my Edible Crafts Board. I then wrote a description and clicked on the pin button. I hope this helps.
My first attempt to make modeling chocolate turned outto be a nightmare. My batch is oily AND dry 🙁 i have no cold work surface to knead on an i have no clue how to fix this. I used white chocolate for baking. It would be great if you can help me find a solution.
Thank you
Cornelia
Hi Cornelia,
Your modeling chocolate is greasy and dry because the melted chocolate was too hot and it needs more corn syrup. If you don't have a marble or granite slab you can also use a metal cookie sheet to help cool it down.
I suggest you wrap the modeling chocolate in plastic wrap, let it sit an hour or so, then try to knead in some corn syrup. Letting it rest often times helps it cool down so you can continue kneading it. You may end up with small chunks of hardened chocolate or even tiny bits of hardened chocolate in your modeling chocolate, but they can be picked out. It's time consuming but at least you can save the batch.
Thanks for the tip. I had the same issue today again but i made dark and white chocolate this time. It only happenes to my white batch 🙁 i could save it last time with kneading it inside a metal bowl that i cooled in the freezer. But good to know that its because i used the chocolate too warm.
I'm glad you have found inspiration and will put your cutters and molds to good use. Yes, you can cover marshmallows in ganache. You'll need to make the ganache pretty firm so it sets up and wont be sticky. A pound of semi sweet chocolate to a cup of heavy whipping cream should work.
Beth I've been collecting cookie cutters and molds for more than 50 years. Now thanks to you're great ideas and wonderfull examples (yours to Nina) I have been so inspired to make chocolate suckers and what ever. Can marhmellow be covered in ganache? Thanks -A – Bunch MLM
You might try using shortening instead of oil. I have not tried this, but being shortening is solid at room temperature, like the Paramount Crystals, so it should help to keep your candy coating more firm.
As far as working with the candy melts, be sure they don't get overheated, that can also cause it to thicken. Try melting the wafers just until about 2/3 of them are melted. Then stir until everything is melted.
If you are making cake balls you could dip them in icing, but they wont have the same taste. But, if you are having such difficulty with the candy melts, you might want to give it a try.
Hi Beth, thank you so much for the fast reply. The thing is I live in Indonesia so we dont have that Peter Brand, even Wilton Candymelt cant be found here, I order them from some baking supplier, I have 5packs and they're all giving me the same result. I'm so frustrated with them. As for Paramount Crytals, we dont have them for sure:( Do you maybe can suggest any other coating besides candymelt? Chocolate is fine but i need to color them, and i think white chocolate just doesnt taste that nice,or are they? Or maybe coating with icing? Is that okay?
Thanks again,
Ike
Hi,
Often I find that Wilton candy melts do seem to be thicker than many other confectionery coatings, but other times they seem to be normal. I think some packages of the coating end up thicker when melted because of improper storage. If candy coating is not stored in a cool dry place the texture of the melted candy will be effected. I think that often happens with candy coating that is purchased at craft stores.
I use Peter's chocolates and confectionery coatings and rarely have any trouble with them, but realize they are harder to find. You need to buy them at a cake/candy decorating supply store or on-line.
I highly recommend buying a package of Paramount Crystals to use instead of vegetable oil to thin your confectionery coating. The crystals are solid fat that melt easily in the candy coating. Your coating will set better if you use the crystals verses the oil. Oil can make your coating soft.
I don't ever store chocolate or confectionery coating in the refrigerator as it will develop condensation and can bloom or develop white spots. As far as oil seeping from your cake pops it is coming from the actual cake. If your candy coating doesn't seal well around the cake ball you will have this problem, so be sure to coat them really well and make sure there are no holes or air bubbles. If I make cake pops I store them in an airtight container on my counter.
Hi Beth, I'm so lucky to stumbled upon your site and read all this useful information. I have a huge problem with my wilton candymelts,they don't melt properly,I've followed the instruction carefully and still couldn't get them to the coating consistency,unless I add a lot of vegetable oil to it,I mean a lottt. But then the problem is after they have set on the fridge and I took them out,the oil seems to be melted and dripping down the sticks,oh nooo….such a horror. What should i do? Another question,after they're fully set,they're not supposed to be kept in the fridge?or can they? My cakepop is quite soft,if i keep them in room temperature they can get way too soft,so what's the best way to store them since i need to make them and decorate them at least 1day before. Thanks Beth!
You are welcome, Tina. Yes, if you use white chocolate or confectionery coating (pink candy buttons) then it will be softer than modeling chocolate made with dark chocolate or even milk chocolate for that matter. This is why my recipe is only a guide. Every brand and type of chocolate or coating is different. I usually ere on the dry side adding less honey to begin with, then add more corn syrup or honey as needed. It's much more difficult to add melted chocolate to excessively soft modeling chocolate. I've done it before, but it is even harder to work with as the chocolate can harden in tiny pellets throughout the modeling chocolate.
Hi Beth,
Thank you so much for your swift and detailed reply. Much appreciated. It's indeed scary to salvage MC by reheating or adding more honey not knowing what the consquences might be. But your explanation is so clear I feel I can attempt to save my batch.
Also one further point I used pink coloured button chocolate for melting to cover cakes – not any particular brand, would this therefore determine the amount of honey I needed to use as it might be softer chocolate and therefore I needed more honey?
Ones again Thank you very much!
I absolutely love your creations!
Tina
Hi,
I used your Honey recipe to make chocolate modelling. When I added the honey to the chocolate and stirring it in gently to incorporate it well the mixture came along fine i.e. leaving the edge of the bowl. At this point I put the dough in a Ziploc bag as a ball and put placed it in airtight container as a nice soft ball on my counter top. About an hour later I could see honey/oil rising up – I still left it to set. But in when I checked in the morning it is ROCK Hard. This was my second attempt the first one I used golden syrup as I cannot find glucose or corn syrup in any of my local stores. With this my MC was crumbly mess. With the honey I get a rock hard ball. Why can this be? What am I doing wrong and is it wasted or can I fix it?
Another question is if MC becomes very hard would the figures / shapes / 3D art stay soft looking on a cake and would it be soft enough to be eaten. I am desperately trying to be creative with my baking and decorating as I enjoy it and at the moment want to get it right as I’d like to make and decorate my daughter’s 6th Birthday cake.
Any help and guidance will be hugely appreciated.
Tina
tinatinu01@gmail.com
Hi Tina,
Modeling chocolate will harden and can be kneaded until soft enough to use to sculpt. I often want really hard modeling chocolate to create boxes and things that need a lot of structure. It can still be eaten and softens in your mouth immediately. If you want it softer, you can add more honey to the mixture. At this point, your modeling chocolate can be salvaged. Cut it into pieces and try to knead it. If you can't, put it all in the microwave and heat it on defrost for 5-10 seconds. Then remove it and try to knead it again. Don't over heat it or the oils will come out. Once you get it soft and pliable, add some more honey, a small amount at a time. At first it will be very sticky, and you may need to scrape and wash your hands before continuing to knead. You will be able to salvage it! Get it soft enough to work with, but not so soft that it wont hold it's shape. I make and store my modeling chocolate and re-work it all the time. The white usually stays softer than dark modeling chocolate. I break off what I think I'll need and go through this process.
Once you do sculpt with the modeling chocolate, anything made out of white or milk chocolate will look very much like fondant. Dark chocolate can harden a bit more stiff, so you can just make it a bit softer with more honey if you want. But no matter how hard the pieces get, just like with regular chocolate, once they get into your mouth they melt.
Oh, yes, and your dry crumbly modeling chocolate can be fixed as well by doing the exact same thing as listed above. It needs more honey or golden syrup. Use your hands as much as possible to knead and soften it. Use the microwave cautiously. If you get a really hot melted spot, just cut it off, set it aside and let it cool before kneading it and go about kneading the rest.
I hope this helps. I really have not had to throw any modeling chocolate out since I figured out how to fix every batch, no matter the issue. Once you feel like you've mastered it, there will still be times when you have a botched batch that you have to fix. It all comes together in the end.
Good luck!
Incredible. I just stumbled on this site; was looking for ways to decorate marzipan eggs.
Hi Beth
That's excellent information you have here.Is it ok to keep the modeling chocolate figures in the refrigerator till they are ready to be used on the cake.
Thank you.
Modeling chocolate doesn't usually do well in the refrigerator as it picks up condensation, so it will look like it's sweating when it's removed from the chiller. If the figures are small you won't notice much, but if they are large it will be quite noticeable.
I'm wanting to use modeling chocolate for flowers on cupcakes at an outdoor event in May in Texas. Does it melt at the same rate as candy? I'd hate for my cupcakes to have wilted, melted flowers!
Sad to say modeling chocolate is going to get soft and lose it's shape in the heat. It wont melt like chocolate and turn into a puddle, but the flowers will get very soft. If they are small and are not handled once warm, they might just hold their shape, but larger flowers will probably wilt. If you make them set them in the shade and if you can have a fan nearby that will help.
HI Anita,
Compound chocolate is very similar to Candy Melts, as it contains cocoa, vegetable fat, and sugar and it will work fine in this recipe. You can also use any pure milk chocolate containing cocoa butter. The recipe will taste better when you use pure milk or dark chocolate, but coating work well too.
I am not familiar with your corn syrup product, I think your problem is that the mixture got too hot because you had to warm up the corn syrup which is what causes the oil to seep out. Yes, it is normal for oil to seep if the modeling chocolate gets too warm. Wrap your modeling chocolate up in plastic wrap and allow it to sit at room temperature to cool for a while. Then try to knead it until smooth. If your hands are warm, then try to knead it on a marble or granite surface. If the modeling chocolate is still grainy I would usually suggest adding some more corn syrup, but you can't add it hot. Do you have any honey? If so, you could add a small amount of that and knead it in. Add just enough until the modeling chocolate becomes smooth.
If you make this again, try to warm up your corn syrup so it's liquid, then let it sit to cool to 89-90 degree Fahrenheit (32 degrees C) before mixing it in with your chocolate. That should help.
Hi Beth,
Thanks for your prompt and detailed response! I agree – compound chocolate doesn't taste anything like real chocolate. Can I use any chocolate(like a Lindt chocolate bar maybe) to make modelling chocolate? If I use the chocolate bar, would I have to temper it? Or do I just melt it and add the corn syrup?
Another thing – I don't fancy using the crazy corn syrup that I have. I like your idea of using honey. But I was wondering if I could use a simple sugar syrup instead? Or does it have to be "invert" sugar syrup? Do you think the sugar syrup (invert / regular) would work?
Oh and I made another batch of dark modelling chocolate (compound) and it was a big disaster at first – crumbly and grainy. I followed your instructions, added a bit of corn syrup and kneaded it for a while and it was fixed! I could even make a few roses using it. Yayy! Thanks a bunch! 🙂
Anita
HI Anita,
I only use pure chocolate when making milk or dark modeling chocolate. The only time I use candy coating is for white modeling chocolate, mostly because I prefer the flavor, but you can certainly use pure white chocolate also. Bars are perfect and you don't have to temper it, per say, but you do always want to cool your chocolate to about 89-91 degrees Fahrenheit before adding in the corn syrup. This keeps your modeling chocolate from becoming greasy.
I've had a lot of success using honey, dulce de leche and some other thick syrup. The first time I made modeling chocolate I did create my own simple syrup which I cooked until thickened. I actually learned this technique from Ewald Notter, a world renowned pastry chef. I felt it was a lot of work, being I have access to corn syrup, but it does work. I don't know where the recipe is and I couldn't find it on-line, but I vaguely remember that he cooked the simple syrup until it was very thick, probably at the soft ball stage, then he mixed it into the white chocolate. He then spent 30 minutes kneading the cocoa butter back into the modeling chocolate. It seemed like a lot of work, so be sure to allow the syrup to cool. You might give the invert sugar a try. I've not had any experience with that in this recipe but have used it to make marshmallows.
I'm so happy to hear you were able to salvage your dark modeling chocolate. As I mention in the tutorial, my recipe is only a guide as every chocolate is different. I almost always have to add more corn syrup, but I like to feel it as I go and add it as I need it. I always end up with great modeling chocolate now that I know how to fix all the possible problems.
Thank you for this fantastic tutorial. I just made a batch of modelling chocolate with Milk chocolate. The chocolate dough has come together,but the dough feels grainy and not very smooth. Also when I try to shape/knead the dough using my hand, the dough becomes soft and oily very quickly. Is this normal or have I done something wrong? Is it normal for some oil to be released when you are working with the chocolate dough while shaping it?
Just some background info about the ingredients that I used. I am based in Hong Kong so candy melts aren't easily available here. I used a bag of milk chocolate discs that were labelled as "Compound Chocolate – used for decoration". I used locally made corn syrup that is not pourable at room temprature – you could hold the container upside down and nothing would drop out! So I had to warm up the corn syrup in the microwave to make it pourable, but it sets up and hardens very quickly so I had to add it to my melted chocolate while the syrup was still warm. Hope this info will help you to help me 🙂 Thanks a ton! Look forward to seeing more wonderful posts from you. Regards, Anita
Wrapping Cakes with Chocolate? Any tips would be helpful — such as how thick should it be — how to attach to cake? Thank you, Susie
Are you spreading a thin layer of chocolate on acetate then wrapping it around the cake or are you covering a cake in modeling chocolate?
Hey, I just started playing with chocolate and decorations. Thanks for all the advices. Your work is amazing. I invite you to my blog:
http://ausschokolade.blogspot.de
I stopped by your blog. You've done some really amazing artwork in chocolate.
Hi Beth. I found ur site while looking for help with keeping numerous colored chocolates warm for an extended period of time – great with the water bath concept! Thank u! I am about to attempt the project again, but wanted to hear what your thoughts are about using plastic "squirt bottles" instead of glass jars or bowls when keeping the chocolates warm and usable. I was thinking of maybe putting a dishcloth in the bottom of the pan to keep the plastic bottle from too much direct heat. Any advice? Thanks!
Hi Mikol,
I do use the squeeze bottles on occasion. The only thing I don't like about them is that the chocolate in the tip hardens and I have to clean it out constantly. If I'm doing something were I will use up most of the chocolate in the bottle quickly, I'll use them. If not, I use the jars. I do think you could keep the squeeze bottles warm by using the water bath in the skillet method. If you keep the skillet on the lowest setting, it shouldn't get too hot for the plastic bottles, but a dishcloth on the bottom is a good idea. Just be sure to dry the bottle each time you pick it up out of the water.
If you try this, let me know how it turns out for you.
I use Peter's Chocolates for all of my professional candy making, but they aren't often easy to find for the home cook. If you have a cake/candy supply store in your area, you can ask if they carry the Peter's products. I tend to use the Peter's White Caps confectionery coating to make my modeling chocolate as I like the flavor. It does have a cream color instead of white. I have also used their pure white chocolate which has a really rich cocoa butter flavor but it is even more cream colored.
Since Peter's is harder to find for most people, I tend to create a lot of my recipes for my blog using Wilton Candy Melts. They can be found in craft stores and in places like Walmart. The flavor is quite a bit sweeter than the Peter's but the advantage to it is that it is bright white.
Hi very thanks for the info and tips. I was wondering what brand of white chocolate you use for making modeling chocolate.
Hi Beth,
I am planning on a chocolate making party for 9yr olds. Id like to add some colours but im confused about doing that. Do i buy white chocolate and liquid/powder colouring? or is the coloured chocolate a different product altogether?
I here talk of 'candy' but not sure what that is comprised of and if it works with Chocolate (im in Australia)
Kind regards,
Sarah
Hi Sarah,
I'm not exactly sure what products are available in Australia, but if you are having children make candies, it will be much easier to work with confectionery (candy) coating than pure chocolates. Here in America we can buy the candy coating already colored or we can buy white coating and color it ourselves using candy coloring or powder coloring. You have to make sure any coloring you use does not have any water in it, so look for candy or chocolate coloring.
If you use the confectionery coating, you can melt it using my instructions above. If you buy pure chocolate, you should temper it in order for the chocolate to set properly. Tempering can be very challenging, that is why I would recommend having the kids use the coating.
I hope this answers your question.
Chocolate Calla Lily Bouquet!!!! I am so fancinated by this. Could you please send me the directions on how to make this beautiful bouquet.
Thanks,
Connie
cmail64@msn.com
Thanks Connie. I will do my best to work on a step-by-step tutorial for this project sometime this spring.
Thank you for the detailed information provided about chocolates and their variations. Very helpful for a beginner.
I am glad I found your site. The information is so clear and detailed. Thank you.
Hi, i'm new to chocolate making, I've tempered some chocolate and used some just poured over some ginger which looked fine but then i poured the same chocolate into a silicone mould and these all went cloudy. Any advice on why the silicone went cloudy and the poured over didn't. Thanks
There can be a number of factors involved here. It could simply be that by the time you poured the tempered chocolate into the molds it had cooled down to a point that it was no longer in temper. It is tricky keeping hand tempered chocolate in perfect temper while you are working as you only have a few degrees to work within (which depends on the chocolate you are using but is usually somewhere between 88-91 degrees Fahrenheit.) If the silicone mold had any residue in it that can effect the look of the chocolate as well. If the mold was cold or warm it can effect the outcome as well. I'm sorry I can't give a specific reason for your problem but I hope this helped. I suggest you keep an eye on the temperature of the chocolate at all times. That's the most important thing. If needed warm the chocolate back up by using a blow dryer to warm up the bowl (don't blow into the chocolate, rather around the edge of the bowl.) Just warm it briefly as you are just trying to raise the temperature a degree or two.
Good luck.
Karen, here is an explanation from a chocolate maker that is really well written. His comments where in response to someone having trouble with hand tempering.
Hand tempering is difficult because building the correct crystal structure can be thrown off by many things. Two things that are crucial to tempering are temperature and moisture. Assuming you have the precise recommended temperatures for the kind of chocolate you are using, the moisture level in your environment is most likely the culprit. Moisture in the air(too much or not enough)can be a challenge when working with chocolate(and that factor changes day by day because of weather, heating, etc). I'll explain: imagine a tinker toy tower designed by a 5 year old child; he/she manages to get a tower together upright on Monday. Give the same 5 year old the same pieces on Tuesday thru Friday; the tower will stand 5 different ways likely looking as if it will fall at any moment. This is what much of the tempering out there looks like. All the variables will work on any of the five days but if the conditions change, it may not work like the day before. So too with CHOCOLATE. There are six beta crystals one needs to place in order to temper and, like the toy tower, various conditions in your space will dictate which crystal could become out of joint. If only 4 crystals are lined up no temper will result; If 5 crystals, maybe or maybe not; but 6 Crystals = perfect temper every time. (By the way, the line up for each crystal is temperature; exact temperature is essential.) Use a thermometer if your business depends on it. People spend years to perfect this science so don't become discouraged. A dehumidifier might also help if you have too much moisture in the air, which is a common frustration. Good Science too you, Eric W. Case
I have had recent problems with my modeling chocolate but all otger web resources have been vague or contradict each other. This page has by far been the most helpful yet and will definitely be bookmarked!
Thanks Sunni. I'm glad I can be of help. I've encountered so many issues with modeling chocolate over the years and have learned how to fix every problem. I hope you now have the knowledge you need to be successful in making modeling chocolate.
What a great webpage you have here! You are obviously a perfectionist, as am I, and you need to be to turn out the fussy little details which I love! I don't know what to try to make first! Thanks for inspiring me.
Oh, I am totally a perfectionist. Some days that's a great thing, others, not so much. I spent 9 hours yesterday working on a recipe that I had been thinking about for over 6 months. It had to be perfect, and I had a few failed attempts early in the day before I got my perfection! I'm glad you can understand and relate:)
Hi,
I just got connected to your blog and found it to be a HUGE help in understanding and working with chocolate. I started experimenting with it about 2 years ago and done small things but now I am ready to up the challenge. Is there a way to infuse flavors into the chocolate without messing up the setting process? and where do I find these flavors and can you give me some flavoring ideas? I usually use Ghiradelli's chocolate blocks that I buy in bulk don't know if that will help to know what kind of chocolate I usually work with. I don't particularly like to work with the colored wafers because they lack flavor in my book and seem to have a waxy after taste. I just use the White Ghiradelli chocolate and use the chocolate coloring to make the colors I want. I also love the idea about the water in the skillet and using jars, that will help sooooo much, I hate running out of bowls.. LOL
Tami from Missouri
I love working with pure chocolate and agree that the flavor is so much better, but find most home cooks prefer using the confectionery coating because it is so easy to work with, so I do a lot of projects using them. For the most part, if you can temper chocolate you can always swap out pure chocolate for the candy melts in any of my projects. As far as flavoring goes, Lorann Oils does make an oil specifically for chocolates. If you click on this link, you'll go to Amazon and see the Irish Cream Chocolate Oil. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MS69CS/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=B000MS69CS&link_code=as3&tag=hungryh-20
LorAnn makes quite a few flavors of chocolate oils like Royal Raspberry, Kona Coffee, Orange Brandy, and Canadian Maple. I have tried these, and they have really good flavor. Don't use LorAnn hard candy oils, they wont work well in chocolate. You can't use anything that has any water in it either. Dry spices work well too. You can use wet ingredients when you are flavoring chocolate truffles. Fruit purees are great as are things like Rum, Frangelico, etc.
Hope this helps. Have fun and let me know if you have any more questions.
How do you temper the pure chocolate
Debbie, I have listed one simple way to temper above in the text, but there are several ways to do it. Scroll down the page just a little way until you see Simple Tempering Method. The instructions are there.
Hi – this is a brilliant site. If you are making chocolate shapes using a silicone mold does it matter if you leave the cholocate to harden at room temperature or is it best to refrigerate? Thanks
Thanks! If you are using pure chocolate (with cocoa butter in it) then you can leave it at room temperature to set. I use the refrigerator just to speed up the process. If, however you are using candy coatings (with palk kernal oil or some other oil) then you do need to freeze them so that you don't end up with spotting or streaking in your candies.
Oooo… That sounds lovely! Coffee is one of my favorite aromas. Was that instant coffee grounds or brewed coffee? I found a recipe for coffee syrup the other day. It's similar to chocolate syrup. You mix it with hot or cold milk to make a coffee beverage. By itself it might make an interesting center to a dark chocolate candy. I'm afraid the concentrated coffee flavor would be to strong for a milk chocolate. I'll admit, that although my palate is very limited, planning flavor profiles and combinations is a lot of fun to me. Now I just need to get in the kitchen and explore them.
I sprinkled on ground coffee, that I ground myself from fresh beans. Use a really good quality coffee. I too love playing with flavors and understand your desire to experiment!
Thank you for your timely responses! I find that to be as impressive as your fantastic chocolate creations. I plan on trying it tomorrow. If all goes well I will send them in a care package to our church's college kids.
I was thinking back to a bark I used to make – I spread dark chocolate in a thin layer, sprinkled on some coffee, then drizzled on some milk chocolate. It looked pretty and the coffee lovers really enjoyed it. Just be sure to package it separately as it will be very aromatic.
I am playing with candy melts and chocolate chips. I really want to infuse coffee into my chocolate. I don't want to use coffee grounds or add a ganache to the center. I was thinking of adding instant coffee grounds to melted shortening, then adding the shortening to the melted chocolate. Is this a feasible idea or would this leave the chocolate to soft to harden properly?
You wont be able to add shortening to the chocolate, but you can just stir in the coffee grounds. Make sure you use really good quality coffee. I have done that before with a lot of success.
I was looking at the pictures of your favorite creations. I love your packaging! Is the egg also chocolate? If so how did you get the two hollow halves to fit so perfectly?
Hi, Yes the egg is chocolate decorated with luster dust. I use plastic molds that were made to create sugar eggs and the two halves line up perfectly. I bought the plastic eggs years ago.
Thanks so much for your help Beth! How do you attach the design to the cookie after it dries on the paper? Thanks again!
Nina
Just pipe a bit of melted chocolate onto the cookie and press the design down onto the cookie.
Hello 🙂 I was wondering if I could decorate sugar cookies using melted chocolate instead of icing? I love you tutorials and use them often.
Nina
Hi Nina,
Yes, you can decorate with melted chocolate. You can pipe on designs, just be aware that it is a bit more challenging to pipe than icing as it will run a bit more. One suggestion would be to pipe your design onto a piece of parchment paper then add the design to your cookies once it has set. I might just do a tutorial on that technique!
Good luck and have fun.
Sorry it took me a fat min. to get back to you! The baby shower went really well. I made 55 cake pops, and 55 cheesecake pops. The crock pot worked like a charm! Thank you so much for all the tips! I'm not sure I would have had such a good outcome otherwise! If I knew how to post a pic. I'd show off a little…:) Thanks again! Stefanie
So glad to hear it worked and that everything went well 🙂
hi beth! great article! very helpful!! thanks….
ib been trying to make chocolate bouquets,,, i bought merkens chocolate buttons…. melted them and put them in molds… freezed for a short while just till set and took them out… waited till room temp and then tried to wrap them,,,but they were still slightly melting in my hands…
what can i do abt that? i want to wrap them in colored foils and make a bouquet so i cannot refridgerate them, becuse i need to gift them out. pls help…it would be greatly appreciated. it is happening becus i live in a warm place like panama? if so what can i do? and how to store them till i gift them out?
Hi,
Did you use merkens pure chocolate with cocoa butter in the ingredients or their confectionery coating with hydrogenated oil in the ingredients? If you used the first, it needs to be tempered in order to set up properly. If it isn't tempered then it will always be soft, it will never harden properly. If you used the confectionery coating and it pops out of the mold but later feels soft, it has gotten too warm. The only thing you can do is to cool your room where you are working. It's best if your room is between 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit, but that is a bit chilly for most, so 70-74 degrees would be alright. Anything above that, and you will have trouble with your candied melting. I never suggest refrigerating candies, as they will develop condensation, but if you just can't get your room cool enough, you may need to store them in a refrigerator, just be aware that they will become a bit wet upon removal.
I made rum balls but the chocolate coating kinda melts (sticky) the moment i took them out from fridge. What shall i do?
Hi Hermes,
The reason your chocolate is sticky, is that it probably wasn't tempered correctly. When working with chocolate that has cocoa butter in it, you must work using exact temperatures. You need to melt it and heat it to 100-115 degrees fahrenheit then it needs to be cooled down to 88-91 degrees, depending on the type of chocolate (dark is usually 90-91 and milk and white are 88-90.) There are several different tempering methods and you can do an on-line search to find all sorts of resources regarding tempering chocolate. There are lots of videos too. I have two machines that temper my chocolate for me, that is why I didn't add tempering directions here on this page. I don't feel I'm an expert at it, being my machines do all the work for me. Good luck.
This is an excellent article on molding chocolate!!! I love it, thank you!
Your post on the modeling chocolate is so sooooo helpful. I made it using dark chocolate and was very excited to use it but somehow ended up not using it and it's been in the fridge for quite a while now. I definitely don't want to use it for any cakes now since its been so long but I thought I could some how use it to just practice roses. It has bloomed a lot sitting in the fridge. It was pretty hard and so I cut it into pieces literally hammering the knife. I tried to soften a couple pieces but they are crumbling big time and oil starts to show through a bit while I try to knead it. Is there a way to recover it at all? Or should just discard it and try making new one again….just didn't want to waste it 🙁
Your post on the modeling chocolate is so sooooo helpful. I made it using dark chocolate and was very excited to use it but somehow ended up not using it and it's been in the fridge for quite a while now. I definitely don't want to use it for any cakes now since its been so long but I thought I could some how use it to just practice roses. It has bloomed a lot sitting in the fridge. It was pretty hard and so I cut it into pieces literally hammering the knife. I tried to soften a couple pieces but they are crumbling big time and oil starts to show through a bit while I try to knead it. Is there a way to recover it at all? Or should just discard it and try making new one again….just didn't want to waste it 🙁
I don't ever refrigerate my modeling chocolate. I just wrap in in plastic wrap or a zip top bag and store it in a Rubbermaid or Tupperware container. Modeling chocolate by nature will harden as it sits and will definitely harden if it's cold. You can certainly use it to practice with, you'll just need to get it to soften up. You can microwave it on DEFROST for a few seconds, then try to knead it. Then into the microwave again for a few seconds on Defrost then try to knead it. You do not want to get it so hot that it really begins to melt, or you'll end up with a greasy mess. You can also put it in a zip top bag and set it in a bowl of room temperature water, not hot or warm water. Try to knead it after a while. You should be able to salvage it, at least to practice with. Taste it, and if it tastes good, and you get get it softened and workable, then by all means use it for a project. Good luck.
Hi.. i made some chocolate lollipops… It is good. my problem is when i am trying to pack them and put some ribbon… it became greasy.. So what i do… I will put them back on the fridge… so it will set again… What should i do? I need your help… Thank you.
Hi, the problem you are having is that condensation has built up on your lollipops. They were in the freezer for too long, and they get sticky or wet when that happens. There is nothing you can do about this, other than let them sit at room temperature until they completely dry. They will have a bit of a texture once dry, because the beads of condensation will dry but wont really go away. You should only leave your lollipops in the freezer for about 5-10 minutes, until set.
I was told if you leave your chocolate wrapped until they come to room temperature, they will sweat less
Yes, if you buy boxes of chocolate and store them in the refrigerator, it's best to leave them in the box until the chocolates come to room temperature, but if you are making lollipops and they have sweat on them before you package them, this process isn't going to help. I never recommend storing chocolates in the refrigerator or freezer, but do know that people often do.
Thanks so much with a quick response! I'm doing as much homework as I can before hand! I'm planning a trial run this coming week, I'll let you know how it goes! You really do clean, beautiful work! Again, Thank you! -Stefanie
Thank you! I hope it all works out for you and that you have fun with your project.
Could I use my crock pot in place of the skillet? I'm going to be dunking about 100-150 cake pops and cheesecake pops, but I don't have an electric skillet. Thanks- Stefanie
Hi Stefanie, as long as you fill the crock pot with water then set jars or bowls of candy coating in the water, it should work. Crock pots are usually quite a bit taller than a skillet, so it will be more challenging to work with, but I do think it will work. Let me know how it turns out. God luck with your cake pops.
Love all the tips AND the pictures – will be coming back here to read more when I have some free time! Tara Lidell
Hi Tara,
I have successfully used honey, dulce de leche, and rootbeer flavored ice cream toppers. Here are the links the recipe posts:
https://hungryhappenings.com/2011/05/how-to-create-school-books-using-corn.html
https://hungryhappenings.com/2011/06/celebrate-end-of-school-year-by-making.html
Thank you for sharing all your awesome knowledge. I will most definitely be tring the skillet idea once I steal the electric skillet frommy mom..lol
Thank You so much. I have tryed the candy molds last year and said never again because of the work involved in keeping it warm enough to work with. Water in the skillet is a great idea. I will be trying that idea out. thanks again
I've made tens of thousands of painted chocolate pieces in my lifetime and have been using the skillet the whole time. I can't imagine making them without it. It's worth the $20 investment.
Thank you very much for all this information, pictures and helpful tips. Love this!!
Just brilliant!
Disa from Iceland.
This is so helpful. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and also for providing an alternative recipe for people in England who don't have corn syrup. Your troubleshooting section is excellent. Thanks again
I'm so happy it helped!
I cannot find the alternative to corn syrup. Could you point it out or post here to tell me? Thanks!
In the UK we use Liquid Glucose, if that helps.
Thanks for the information, Chantelle.
You can get Karo corn syrup in the UK from Waitrose and Ocado.
I usually get by when working chocolate into my projects. I've never really thought about what the differences were in products, I just follow the recipes I find. Thank you for explaining all of the chocolates! I now understand why I've had difficultly sometimes. This is a great resource that Im going to share with friends 🙂