Painting Molded Chocolates

[3piggles]

I used to have a candy business where I painted molds for chocolate with different colored candy melts. Off hand, I don't remember what's in the melts, but they melt well enough to use a paint brush to paint the colors into mold designs, or to use a squeeze bottle do draw lines and shapes on plain chocolate. Once the painted mold is filled with melted chocolate, and allowed to set, the chocolates pop out with the painted design in the chocolate.

These disks of white, green and red are the melts, and melts come in many colors. They are not chocolate, and cost a fraction of what chocolate costs. Behind the melts is the melter. New since I had the candy business, it has a removable pot with pouring spouts to fill molds or squeeze bottles, and an electric heater to melt the melts. I'm looking forward to trying the squeeze bottles, which I will post about next, as I used paint brushes, which was very labor intensive.

White melts can be colored with food coloring to make any shade of any color desired, so while I'm using Christmas colors, they could be colored pink for Valentine's Day, orange and yellow for Fall colors, etc

[Bean]

Looking forward to seeing the process of this being made!

[3piggles]

Been an interesting day of trials and errors. First, I found my old eyes aren't as good as they were 30 years ago, when I had my candy business. Painting the molds with my glasses on was a mistake. So now painting without my glasses. Definitely clearer up close.

I also tried the squeeze bottles. I think they will be great for filling small molds, but not for what I'm doing. I did one line on the sleigh, using the squeeze bottle, let it set, chipped it out and redid it with the paintbrush.

The melter is wonderful. I've had it by my work station, and have been able to stay seated, and just continually dip the brush into the melted confections, and paint. I still haven't figured out how to get the melted confections out of the squeeze bottle, so that's soaking in the sink.

[3piggles]

First round painting the white parts is finally done. Pictures show the sleigh molds. Only two pieces of which need painting. I paint the confection melts into the places I want painted. It's almost impossible to get exactly the right amount of melts into the spots, so once the melts set up, I use a toothpick to clean off slips, and sharpen edges. I will repaint them tomorrow, so the paint is thick enough to withstand the heat of the melted chocolate. Red and green parts left to paint

[Bean]

Oooh interesting! I know I would be terrible at that - manual dexterity and patience together?! Not my strongest suit!

[jolovespiggies]

that looks great piggles love, I look forward to seeing the finished product.

hugs jo xx

[3piggles]

Finally finished the white. After 30 years, I'd forgotten a lot of little details, like thinning the melts with vegetable oil. So the second coat of white went on in a fraction of the time the first, blotchy coat took. It's all slowly coming back to me 🤗 I will clean up the edges that I want to be chocolate and not painted, so it looks really neat. Painting in the green and red shouldn't take long at all, as there's only a little of each. Then add the chocolate, and put the sleigh pieces together

[Bean]

Oh that definitely looks like you've nailed it! It must be interesting doing it again after such a long break - all those tips and tricks that were second nature to you are resurfacing!

[jolovespiggies]

these are going to be lovely piggles hunni. I bet it is nice having all the little details come back to you. we have some homemade chocs for Christmas and I always wondered why they were so expensive, now I know lol.

hugs jo xx

[3piggles]

All the colors painted on. Most of the cleanup done. Into the fridge overnight to make sure it sets completely. Then a last cleanup to get crisp lines before filling all the moulds with chocolate.

[Bean]

Oh those are well tidy! I'm impressed. I'd like to put some I tried to do by the side of those and give you a good laugh!

[3piggles]

The cover to the box made of chocolate. I'm not painting all of the decorations, because I'm keeping the colors to red, white and green.

[Bean]

Oh it looks great! How long does each bit take to dry? Is it something you can turn round in one session if you want to, or do you have to leave it a few hours?

[3piggles]

Everything is as done as it's going to get. We couldn't figure out how to make the box, so I'm giving daughter and partner the wreath, which is solid chocolate. The sleigh is far from perfect, but it's okay for being out of the business so long. I have pictures of the assembly process for for the sleigh, but they must be on a different phone. I'll track those down. I used the same orange flavored chocolate for the penguins, which granddaughter made.

[bazookagoof]

Looks delicious!  (and yes, I'm a former chocoholic.)  

[jolovespiggies]

lovely photos piggles sweetie, it sounds as if you had fun making them.

hugs jo xx

[3piggles]

I did, Jo, though they didn't come out as well as they used to. I have to work on the painting of the moulds, to get the amounts of paint, and the setting up time, just right

[Bean]

Thy all look great to me! It sounds like you enjoyed getting stuck in to them and will look forward to having another go sometime. I hope they tasted as good as they look (or has no one anted to eat them because they look so pretty)!

[3piggles]

It was so funny when hubby was trying to put the sleigh in a box for daughter and Jay to take home, and it fell apart. Jay said he was so relieved, as he would have hated to be the one to break it or to eat it, lol

It was a fun process, but I need to work on it, and I need to work on the timing. The chocolate only seemed to stay solid when frozen, and that shouldn't be necessary. So I will try different things, as I have time. For now, it's nice to have the candy mess in the kitchen cleaned up I have the melts, now, so I can practice with them at any time.

[jolovespiggies]

they look really tasty to me too piggles love and you will soon get back on track. maybe you are a little rusty at the moment. I agree bean hunni, they look great to me too.

hugs jo xx