The munchkin’s 1st birthday party is coming up and I’ve decided to make candies to go with the theme. Being a prepared dad, I’ve already made the first batch as a test and things seem to be going okay so far. Here’s my question, I’m using the quickie candy “melts” that you buy in the craft store and they seem kinda oily/melty after molding. Is there a coating I can put on them to make them more user friendly or should I just keep 'em cold until right before the main event?
Good idea. Don’t trust any of the candies that come out of Wonka’s factory.
Rumor has it that his employees don’t take kindly to munchkins.
I assume you are talking about chocolate melts? There are several different brands of the melting chocolate that you can get. I made filled chocolates with Mercken’s brand, which were only available locally through a candy making/cake decorating store. They are really tasty, and I didn’t have any problems with an oily feeling.
How are you making the chocolate? In the class I took, we were taught to freeze the chocolate after painting the molds until it was firm. Have you been doing that? Maybe it would help.
Not freezing it, but I am putting in the fridge to firm it up. We’re using Wilton chocolate. It’s what the craft store had. We don’t have a bunch of choices here…
As Mithril said, use Mercken’s brand if you can get them. They’re the best I’ve found for this type of thing.
I pour the candy into the molds, tap/drop the molds gently onto the counter a few times to get rid of any bubbles (a toothpick is helpful, too), and put them in the refrigerator immediately. I leave them there until they’re solid (depends on the mold and how thick it is), and then tap them out onto wax paper. I usually do store them in the refrigerator when I’m all done, but I’ve left them out on the counter at room temperature with no ill effects.
If you want to avoid any possible sullying of the pretty candies, use rubber gloves (or plastic baggies) to handle them once they’re molded. No fingerprints, no smudges.
I love doing molded candies. People always seem to like them, and they’re not hard at all. They just take a little time.