ate covered cherries, filled candy, how to, peanut butter cups

CHOCOLATE CANDY MAKING 101

    

 

COMPOUND COATING, ALSO KNOWN AS SUMMER COATING OR CONFECTIONER'S COATING IS VERY EASY TO WORK WITH AS IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE TEMPERED.  ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS MELT IT AND USE IT.    THESE COATINGS MELT AT 93º - DO NOT OVERHEAT THEM. 

TWO METHODS OF MELTING:

DOUBLE BOILER METHOD:

Place water in bottom portion of double boiler.  Heat until water is boiling vigorously.  REMOVE FROM HEAT.  Put compound in the top portion of the double boiler.  Stir frequently until the compound is entirely melted.  Re-heat as needed to keep the melted compound in a pourable consistency.  (Remove the top portion when re-heating water.)

MICROWAVE METHOD:

Put approximately one pound of compound in a PLASTIC container.  Heat for l/2 minute. TAKE OUT AND STIR.  Repeat this process  15 seconds at a time until the compound is fully melted.  This should take from 1 l/2 min. to 4 minutes according to your microwave.   Don't try to take a shortcut and put it in for longer at a time - it will burn.

 

DIPPING:

This is as simple as it sounds - drop the item in the chocolate, fish it out with a tool of choice - and place on wax paper - if you want a nice shine to your piece place it in the refrigerator for a few minutes until it sets.

MOLDING:

Candy molds come in thousands of shapes and sizes - the modern ones are plastic and very easy to use.  You do not need to treat them, they are used clean and dry.  Just fill each cavity with melted compound, using a teaspoon or a squeeze bottle, tap lightly on the counter to release any air bubbles trapped between the mold and the compound, chill in the freezer or refrigerator.  Time will vary on how long you will chill according to the temperature of the chocolate and the size of the molded piece. 

"PAINTING" IN COLORS ON MOLDS:

To color in parts of a mold, you "paint" the area with colored chocolate. This can be done with a paintbrush dipped in colored chocolate, with a toothpick for very tiny areas, or with Candy Writers. The candy writers are tubes of chocolate which can be heated in a cup of hot water, wiped dry and used like a pen to "paint" This "painted" area should be allowed to dry without putting it in the refrigerator or freezer, the rest of the mold can be filled with the main color. .

Eyes (not the type here -these are snowman eyes -but the white ones with black spots - candy eyes) can be added to molds after they have come out of the mold by putting a dab of chocolate the same color of the background or the same color as the eye (white) and placing the candy eye on the chocolate.

Here's a sample of an eye added after the piece came out of the mold.

COLORING CHOCOLATE:

Compound coating can be colored with oil based color made for this use, or with powdered coloring. Both may be found in the section "food coloring" on this site. If you're really clever, red, yellow and blue will do the trick. But, truthfully, black and brown are a wonderful help!

PENCIL POPS:

Instead of a lollypop stick a small plastic pick that will fit over the eraser of a pencil is placed in the mold.  The chocolate (or hard candy) is then poured over the pick and when the piece has set it attaches to the top of a pencil.  

Ideas for using pencil pops:

 

FILLED MOLDS:

There are two ways to make the shells to hold the filling - one way is to put a small amount of compound in the cavity and "paint" it up the side with a paintbrush--the other is to fill the mold completely, refrigerate until you can see that it has set enough at the edge to create a shell, invert over a cookie sheet, and using a circular motion help the still melted compound spin out of the center of each cavity.  You can re-melt this and use it again.  (I clean up the top edges of my shells by starting in the center of each shell with an angled spatula and cutting the drippy edge marks flat with the top of the mold.  From center to left, from center to right.)

RECIPES TO USE WITH THE FILLED MOLDS:

BASIC CREAM CENTER:

(this one can be used as center for the mold or rolled into balls and dipped)    
            Mix and knead together:

PEANUT BUTTER CUPS:

Mix peanut butter and softened butter together with a spoon.  Add sugar and kneed with hands until smooth.  This mixture can be rolled into a ball and dipped in chocolate or used for centers in the bon bon mold.  To make peanut butter cups, put a small amount of melted chocolate into the bottom of the peanut butter cup mold, add a patty of this peanut butter mixture, then cover with more melted chocolate.  Put into the freezer section of the refrigerator for about four minutes then turn over and tap out finished candy.

 CHOCOLATE COVERED CHERRIES:

Step One:  Prepare fondant syrup by mixing together 1/2 Cup dry fondant and 3 Tbsp. maraschino cherry juice.

Step Two:  Make chocolate shell with mold (either by painting with brush or filling the mold to the top, and draining excess chocolate after the desired amount has adhered to the mold)

Step Three:  Spoon into each cavity 1/4 to 1/3 tsp. of the fondant-juice recipe.

Step Four:  Place a drained maraschino cherry into each cavity.

Step Five:  Add more syrup if it will fit-leaving enough room for a layer of chocolate

Step Six:  Spoon or squirt melted chocolate on top and spread around being sure all edges are sealed so finished candy will not leak.

Step Seven:  Place in refrigerator  to chill -  This will take longer than most other candies as it takes a longer time for the center to cool down.

FOR SUPPLIES SEE: candy making supplies