Candy making can be a lot of fun but there are some things that you need to know about it before you start investing in the tools of the trade. There are more than a few success stories in my area of stay-at-home moms who have started custom cookie and candy businesses; before you start seeing dollars signs and easy money you have to consider the time, money, marketing and advertising that they have put in to their small but successful companies.
Time is one of the most important factors to consider. If you think that all it takes is melting chocolate and pouring it in to molds you are in for some harsh life lessons. You need to have a pristine working environment, be able to keep up with the demand for product and be able to crunch the numbers so you can sell in a competitive market but still make a profit.
Candy Making Basics: There are literally hundreds of books about chocolate. From picking out the one that will work best for your needs to gourmet selections. If you are new to making chocolate treats, working with molds or doing seasonal offerings then you are going to want to get a book that explains everything about the process. It is also helpful to read about how chocolate is made as well as the different types of chocolate. To know the background and what the differences are to them can help you when you get in to advanced candy making.
Try to find a book that has photos and strong text; one that has a glossary and reference page is helpful too. The golden rules of candy making are simple.
1. Never overheat chocolate because it will scorch and if that happens the batch is dead. Microwave it for no more than fifteen seconds then stir. Even if the pieces look solid, looks can be deceiving. When using a double boiler make sure that there is enough water in the bottom pot and that you remove it from the heat when it reaches a liquid state.
2. Water and chocolate do not mix. Make sure everything you are going to be using is clean and dry before you start. You will also want to make sure you have enough bags, sticks and other accessory items before you start. No one wants to stop mid-process and have to run to the store to get more of something.
3. You can’t rush perfection. Don’t pick out candy molds or lollipop molds that are too intricate or detailed for your skill level. Even though they look cute and are nice to give as gifts, making something that requires seven or eight colors of chocolate will frustrate you to no end if you can’t multi task the different colored chocolates.
4. Give yourself enough time to get things done. Don’t wait until three days before Halloween to make treats. You can make most candy, covered pretzels and lollipops weeks in advance if you know how to store them so they are in perfect condition when the special day arrives.
Chocolate! Chocolate! Chocolate! Ahh, chocolate! When it comes to candy making there are people that think that you need to buy top shelf gourmet chocolate to get great results. I have used everything from Hershey Milk Chocolate Bars to the top of the line, fifteen dollars a pound chocolate. Yes, there are some taste differences to them but most people aren’t going to pick up on the differences between them.
Store Bought Chocolate: If your local grocery store has having a huge sale on chocolate bars it might be worth your time to stock up on them. Several grocery stores in my area have plain milk chocolate and dark chocolate bars on sale every few months for a quarter – that’s less than half the regular selling price. Now all you have to do is find a place to store it all!
Gourmet Chocolate: It is more expensive but if you are making pieces for a treat tray or something that will be served at a wedding then spending the extra money is worth it. I do not suggest using gourmet chocolate for wedding favors because most people will not eat them as they are kept as a memory of the special day.
Candy Melts: Wilton has a great line of Candy Melts. These are not a necessity when using Wilton candy or lollipop molds but the color selection is massive. I like the way that they melt regardless of the method and I know that I am getting color consistency from bag to bag. They also have two new colors for Halloween, my personal favorite is the Spooky Green color – perfect for rotting flesh, monsters and mossy gravestones.
Chocolate Bark: No, this has nothing to do with dogs! Chocolate bark has more wax in it. It isn’t something that you can taste but it helps it melt and set up faster. This type of chocolate is great to use as a fill for molds because it is inexpensive, sets up fast and has a good taste to it.
Essential Tools: Candy making can be expensive when you first start but once you get the tools needed the only things you need to purchase over and over are the chocolates, pretzel bags and sticks for lollipops.
Double Boiler: This is not a necessity but if you are doing a lot of molds it can be nicer than having to microwave the chocolate. A double boiler is two pots that nest inside each other. The bottom one has water in it that heats the top pot where you place the chocolate. Double boilers can also be used to melt butter, to reheat cream soups without having them burn and for melting cheese so this isn’t something that is only going to have limited use with candy making.
Glass Bowls: I prefer Pyrex bowls but any solid glass bowl that is rated microwave safe can be used to melt chocolate. Having something that is large enough that you can stir the chocolate properly is essential. Make sure you use oven gloves when removing the bowl to stir it as there may be hot spots. A clear bowl also allows you to see the contents of it; plastic bowls generally cloud or fog the melting process from view and that could lead to burnt or scorched chocolate.
Candy Tools: There are some nicely done kits to help you get the job done. If you are going to make chocolate covered pretzels, strawberries or other items you will need something to get the item back out of the chocolate. Likewise if you are going to work with different colors of chocolate a candy melting tray can be a blessing.
Squeeze Bottles: These are inexpensive tools that can help you fill cavities quickly and are a must if you have kids that are helping you in the kitchen. Squeeze bottles also allow you to have different sized tips to control the flow of chocolate. I always keep a pot of water on simmer when working with plastic squeeze bottles; I can pop them into the water bath if the chocolate starts to cool off so I don’t have to microwave them. If you are going to do this make sure you put a round rack on the bottom of the pot so the plastic does not touch the bottom. You should only leave these in the water for thirty seconds and wipe the bottle off completely so you do not end up with water in your molds or on other pieces of chocolate.
Picking A Mold: Most molds used for candy making are plastic but there are some that are made of flexible silicone. These cost more but they have the potential to last longer. The average life of a plastic candy mold is about a year depending on how often you use it. You need to check the molds before you fill them to check for cracks, dents or tears. Storing the molds properly can also help extend the life of them. I use a large plastic tote with cardboard dividers; stand the molds up and section them by holiday or theme so you can weed through them easily.
Depending on your project you may need an oversized mold; that doesn’t mean the size of the mold is larger but rather the cavity that is being filled. This is something that you have to consider when buying and using specialty molds because if they are larger than normal they will take longer to set up and harden.
The average selling price of a plastic mold is about two dollars for a regular size. The ones from Wilton are usually in that price range but you can get them on sale afer Christmas, Halloween and Easter if they have overstock. You will want to make sure you are getting the correct type of mold if you are purchasing these online. Lollipop molds and candy molds might not get listed correctly so if you are familiar with the inventory of a product like Wilton you can use their product numbers to double check the mold.
Basic Candy Molds: Candy molds are a great way to get started with candy making. There are some molds that are made for hard candy or hard tack candy and those are thicker than regular molds. I do not suggest buying those for chocolate pieces because they can be a little hard to twist to get the pieces out of. There are candy molds for every season, theme and event you can imagine. It might take you a little bit of time to find specialty molds but rest assured, even if it is a completely bizarre theme you are working with – someone, somewhere has already made a mold for it. You can also get molds for day to day treats as well as ‘blanks’ that you can use for making peanut butter cups and truffles.
One of the newest crazes for parties and party planning is the edible candy pick. This is made the same way as a regular piece of chocolate only the end result is something that you can use as a decoration. Wilton has several of these that look great when pressed in to a cake, cupcake, brownie or other edible item. The Princess and Pirate themed edible picks are incredible but the Halloween Bat pick made my jaw drop!
If you have a mold that has a cracked or dented cavity you do not have to throw it away. Simply use a permanent marker and make an “X” over the one that you need to avoid filling. If the mold gets too tattered to use you can recycle it with your plastics or use it for other craft projects. Once you use a plastic candy mold for something other than making chocolate pieces you should not try to use it for food based items again. I recycle my old slightly dented candy molds and make soaps with them. I use a thick red permanent marker on the edges of the mold so there is no way it will ever get confused with one of the good molds.
Lollipop Molds: Making your own lollipops are a great way to show off your creativity as saving money over buying the gourmet lollipops. You do need to buy lollipop sticks in order to make these but they are sold in a lot of different colors so you can match them to your product.
Filling a lollipop mold is not hard. I prefer to add the chocolate then press the stick in to place. To ensure that the stick stays in place you need to rotate it so that it gets covered with chocolate. If you find a lollipop mold that you really love and want to use it to make chocolate treats with it you can try this little trick. Use a plastic squeeze bottle and put a drop in the stick section to block it off. Allow this to harden completely then fill with chocolate. You won’t have to worry about the chocolate leaking out and you essentially doubled your mold inventory.
Some of my favorite molds to work with to make lollipops are the Halloween themed ones. You can get dancing skeletons, pumpkins, harvest themed molds and even tombstones. These are great to use if you want to make a seasonal gift basket for someone as well as something that you can add to presents or a treat tray.
Lollipop molds generally have less cavities than a candy mold; this is because of the need to have a tube section for the lollipop stick. Even so, they are still a great thing to have on hand for making home made items. Another essential item to have for giving these as treats is lollipop bags. If you are only doing a handful of lollipops you can get an all inclusive kit. These are a little more expensive than buying the sticks and bags in bulk but if you are not planning on making them on a regular basis then a lollipop wrapping kit is a better choice.
Pretzel Molds: If you love chocolate covered pretzels then you will flip when you see the designer styled molds that you can buy and make at home. Not only are you saving a ton of money making yor own but you can use the finished products to make custom gifts, add to treat bags or use with other homemade goodies.
The plastic pretzel molds are about two dollars a piece and have four to six cavities. All you need to make them are chocolate, pretzel rods and a little bit of patience. These are used the same way as regular candy molds but you have to allow a little bit of room to slide the pretzel in to the mold after you have added the chocolate to it. You can get molds for almost every season as well as for baby showers, general day to day themes and wedding and graduations. I prefer the Wilton pretzel molds but there are a lot of different companies that make them.
Bag Those Treats! Treat bags can be a great investment and can protect your hard work. You can get them for pretzels, candy and lollipops so no matter what you are making there is a way that you can keep the pieces looking great. Wilton Lollipop Bags only come in one size and are made for people who are only making a mold or two. There are several companies that sell comparable bags in bulk with a final cost of less than a penny each. Make sure you have a need for a gross of them or have people in your area that are willing to split an order with you. Make sure that bags are stored some place that is free of scents or spices as they can absorb the odors and ruin the bags.
For pretzels you are going to need bags that are longer and thinner than those for lollipops. If you are using a specialty mold that has a lot of detail to it you may need to buy special super wide bags so you can get the pretzel inside it without having to worry about anything breaking off or cracking. Wilton makes a great pretzel bag but if you are making a ton of them for school or fundraising you are going to have to buy them in bulk to get the best price and make it something affordable.
Making candy for various seasons can be a great stress reliever as well as a way to make personalize homemade treats that can end up saving you a lot of money over buying gifts. Almost everyone loves chocolate so spend twenty dollars on some molds, chocolate and extras and give them something that they’ll remember a lot longer than a set of pot holders or another bag-o-socks!
