Using Chocolate For Candy Making

Using chocolate for candy making is an age old tradition and while chocolate itself was discovered in 300 AD in some form, it wasn’t until the 1800’s that people enjoyed it as a chocolate bar.

Today, chocolate bars can be found in hundreds of shapes, sizes and flavors and making chocolate candy at home has become a fun, and sometimes lucrative, hobby. Unlike their ancestors, today’s home chocolate hobbyists have all kinds of tools and gadgets available for this fun undertaking.

Homemade chocolate is fun to give as gifts or just to set out at a dinner party or fancy lunch. You can make candies, dipped fruit or even press your chocolate into molds that reflect the special occasion you are making them for. Some people dip pretzels and cookies in them. There really is no end to what you can do with chocolate!

Buying chocolate for candy making is easy today, you can simply go to the craft store and get wafers of chocolate in a variety of colors. Pretty much everything you need is right there. If you like a bit more of a challenge (and perhaps a lot more flavor), you can buy gourmet chocolate from a candy store in blocks, then chop it up yourself for melting.

If you are making chocolates with centers that you will be dipping into your chocolate, you want what is called “courveture” chocolate - it is made specifically for coating centers and works great. Whatever you do, don’t use candy bars you get at the grocery store, because you won’t be happy with either the consistency or the flavor.

Once you have your chocolate, you need to melt it. But even before that, you need to chop it. Chop it is critical because if you don’t have pieces that are roughly the same size you will have a hard time getting it to melt evenly.

You can melt your chocolate for candy making in the microwave or on a double boiler. The microwave will get the job done quicker but, since it’s not as easy to keep an eye on and melts faster, you run the risk of keeping it in too long and burning it. The double boiler is a safer method but requires that you keep a constant vigil over the pot, stirring constantly.