Chocoley 6

Chocoley 6

You're going to go "gourmet" with your chocolate molding today. I'm going to teach you how to make molded chocolate with filled centers-- do a good job with this and I promise you will have everyone raving about your chocolate candy making skills. The best news is, it's actually pretty easy to make.

You're going to use the same chocolate as we've used the last two days to make solid molded chocolate candy and molded chocolate lollipops: either Bada Bing Bada Boom Candy Melts Compound Chocolate or V125 Indulgence Couverture Chocolate. (Remember, V125 Indulgence Couverture Chocolate requires tempering, and Bada Bing Bada Boom Candy Melts does not).

(If you want to make molded candy with a Couverture chocolate can still follow the directions below, but when we melt the chocolate you need to temper yours).

When choosing a mold to make center filled candy, you need to take into account that the mold is deep enough for you to be able to use a filling. You can find all three types of molds (plastic, polycarbonate, and cast aluminum) that are appropriate for filled centers. To help you find a mold that is right of this project, we have made a note on every mold we sell to tell you whether or not they are appropriate for filled centers.

You have one more thing to choose for this project--what your filling is going to be! There are an infinite number of choices.

If you want something simple, I recommend trying one of our delicious cream centers or our famous caramel (You may also want to check out our special cream center, caramel and chocolate triple play here to save some money and get a great assortment : http://chocoley.com/Specials/specials-cream-centers-triple-play.htm).

You can also make a homemade ganache if you're going to do that I recommend using the ganache portion of one of the truffle recipes on this page: http://chocoley.com/recipes/Truffles/truffles_index.htm

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). If you choose to make a homemade ganache, you can use a couverture chocolate and don't need to worry about tempering it, as the chocolate in a ganache doesn't go through the normal hardening process.

You can also get very creative with your fillings. Try a peanut butter cream center and your favorite jam (I personally like using Polaner All Fruit), or make a mixture of chocolate and chopped nuts or cereal or raisins. The opportunities are limitless. Just remember, don't use anything that contains water since water is kryptonite to chocolate.

Once you have the right chocolate and mold, and have figured out what center you're going to use, you're ready to rock and roll.

Prepare the "chocolate shells" that will be filled with cream centers, caramel, peanut butter, ganache, or other fillings: 1. Lay mold on flat surface, such as a counter top or table (remember to make sure your mold is 100% dry). If your mold is cool warm it with a blow dryer.

2. Melt your Bada Bing Bada Boom Candy Melts and add any desired flavoring or coloring (use the method we covered in the Day 3 email). REMEMBER our mantra, DO NOT MICROWAVE your chocolate to melt it!

3. Use the Swiss Chocolatier secret I told you about in our first molding email, and paint each cavity with a coat of chocolate to make sure that all of the cavities are covered completely and there are no tiny gaps or air bubbles. (Use a pastry brush or small craft paint brush; just make sure each cavity is completely covered). Then tap the mold on your counter to make sure there are no air bubbles in this first layer.

4. Fill each mold cavity until chocolate is level with the top of each opening.

5. Gently tap the mold on the counter until you remove all of the air bubbles.

6. Turn the filled mold upside down over a large bowl, so most of the chocolate goes back into the bowl, leaving enough chocolate to coat the entire opening (cavity) of each mold.

7. Let the molded chocolate set up (harden) in the refrigerator on a level tray for 10 minutes. But remember what we said about chocolate and temperature extremes. Don't leave the chocolate in the refrigerator for too long. The chocolate can become too cold and will "sweat" or even crack when brought to room temperature.

8. Remove from refrigerator. Your "chocolate shells" are now ready to be filled.

Filling the "chocolate shells":1. Gently warm your ready-made cream centers, caramel or ganache until it is a pudding-like consistency.

2. Fill the "chocolate shells" about 1/8" from the top of the mold.

3. Gently tap the mold on the counter to remove all air bubbles and to make sure you have filled the nooks and crannies of the "chocolate shell" completely. Be careful to not overfill the shells or to spill "filling" outside of the"chocolate shells".

4. Return the molds to the refrigerator for about 5 minutes to give the "filling" time to setup.

Cover the filling with chocolate:1. Remove from the refrigerator and using a spoon, cover the "filling" with prepared chocolate to the top of the mold.

2. Tap the mold on the counter to remove all air bubbles and to level the chocolate.

3. Scrape excess chocolate from the mold by running the long edge of your offset spatula along the surface of your mold.

4. Return the filled mold to the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.

5. Do not release the chocolate until it is completely dry and contracted from the mold. If you're using a clear mold, you'll be able to tell that the chocolate is ready when it uniformly does not look wet on the underside of the mold.

6. To release the chocolate from the mold:

For plastic sheet molds: Turn upside down onto a flat dry surface and gently flex mold until chocolate releases.

For polycarbonate molds: Turn upside down and give a good solid bang on your counter top to force chocolate to release.Remove any pieces that have come out, and then repeat until you have released all of the chocolate.

For cast aluminum molds: Place a tray or platter on top of the mold and then turn upside down and gently tap (if you even have to) and the pieces will slide out.

7. If the chocolate doesn't release following these methods, do not force or pry it out- it means it is not set up. Return to refrigerator for a few more minutes.

8. If there is any moisture on the chocolate gently dry with a dry paper towel.

Fantastic! You're doing great. I can't believe we're getting close to the end of this course.You've learned a ton in the last 6 days!Tomorrow is the last day of the course.We're going to get into how to make multi-colored molded chocolate.