I've been reading posts from as far back as last year about coloring candy melts and working with chocolate transfers. I read Squirrelly's remarks and the tutorial she referenced (http://www.geocities.com/heathers_cakes2000/chocolatedemo.html?1109787013625) and did a search and found about fifty different posts with the same topic but always see the same comments.

So, I have a few questions regarding some of the stuff I ran into while making my first chocolate transfer lastnight and also a few tips that I read in other places but can't remember where or either I made them up and they just happened to work! I hope that someone can enlighten me on the problems I'm having or have a new approach to an old subject.

1) ACMoore doesn't carry Wilton brand so I got the Candy Mold brand and their candy color. After the fact, my Wilton instructor (30 years of teaching and using all different brands so she's not a stickler for using only Wilton products) said she's tried several other brands and Wilton just melted better and didn't burn or seize as easily and if it does overheat you can just let it rest and cool for a little while and then go back and reheat it again (I think that is what she said). So, instead I bought Wilton candy melts and used them. They worked great but I had a problem with coloring them.

I did not buy Wilton candy colors as I already bought the Candy Mold brand. So, I used the Candy Mold candy colors to start with to get my black but it really gave the Wilton Dark Chocolate melts a very nasty chemical taste like I was eating oil paints - well, the taste reminded me of how oil paints smell - or like the latex paints smell. You get the idea, right?

So I decided to try the Wilton gel pastes mixed with a bit of crisco stirred into them. It worked on the blue color I mixed with the Wilton White candy melts and didn't change the taste of the candy at all. But it didn't work so well with the black mixed in the Wilton Dark Cocoa melts. Here are two things that may be the difference - I don't know though, so maybe one of you have a better reason: 1) I added the blue color paste/crisco mixture to already melted candy and it worked fine; 2) I put the black color paste/crisco mixture in the unmelted candy and it did not work - it got really thick and lumpy as I stirred.

Oh, also don't use cheap sandwich bags to melt your candy in the microwave - it seemed to be more the area where the crisco/color paste mixture was that melted the bag, not where the candy was. I'm thinking the crisco must get hotter a lot quicker, right?

2) Heating pad lying on top of a large bath towel then towel folded back over the top of the heating pad works great to keep or melt candy as you are working on something else! I initially melted my first attempt at the black candy in a small ceramic bowl in the microwave. While using the black to outline my picture, I had different sandwich bags of candy melts (pre-colored and white) sealed and lying on top of the heating pad between the towel layers. The heating pad had the candy melted by the time I was ready to use it. It also helped keep the bags that I had already used from getting cold and firming up between uses.

3) What is best - to add color before you melt candy or after you melt the candy?

4) Can you add melted, colored candy to your BC? Just wondering because I often use my leftover royal icing that is already colored and mix it in with my BC. This has elimated the white speckles or color spots that I often get when I try to achieve a dark green or blue BC.

5) Is there are a certain kind of tape you need to use to get that darn parchment paper to stay down?! Wilton's parchment paper is treated with a silicone treatment to help it release better which apparently in turn keeps the tape from getting a firm grip on it. When I taped down one side of it and pulled it to get the wrinkles out so I could tape down the other side, the first side came untaped!!

6) Almost forgot this one: If you use a tip to do your chocolate transfer, how do you clean it when you're done? Or, how do you keep it from getting all gunked up when you're refilling your bag - as you cannot put metal tips in the microwave!!

I hope this wasn't too long and you just gave up reading. But for those that did get to the end of this, do you have any suggestions or other tips that might work better or answers to the problems?

Thanks a bunch! Tarina

Yayyyyyy! There it is!! Thanks Lisa!

I have always used Candy Melts. To clean the tips before the candy hardens use a brush tip. If the candy as already harded soak in hot water. If, while still using the tip and it hardens just stick a sharp object in the tip like a toothpick. I have always added my color after the candy has melted. Much easier. If you can add regular chocolate to bc to make chocolate bc I don't see why you can't add the left over candy melts. Hope this helps.
Ray

Okay, totally off subject and probably sounds really silly, but what in the world does bump mean? I've seen it on a couple of other forums on CC and didn't have a clue as to what it mean. TIA

Well I will do my best--I have used the Wilton candy color, just because it is what I can get my hands on here in the store, but the colors I can find are so limited that I usually either use the pre-colored ones (be careful because sometimes expecially around the holidays they flavor them, nothing worse than expecting the red color to be vanilla as usual and bite into it and it be strawberry. While that is fine for somethings it isn't always for others) or I color my own. I find that if I work in small amounts and add Crisco first that I can get away with using icing colors. Either Americolor or Wilton, but you have to be careful not to end up with a clumping mess. I have yet to try Flo-coat by Americolor (in store here with discription) but I really want too.

I melt my candy melts first and add the color after it is melted and has Crisco in it. Yes Crisco will get hot first. I use clean babyfood jars to work out of. When I am done and it is completely cool I just put the lid back on. (condensation from not being cool will cause it to seize)


I fight the tape thing too!


If you are using the heating pad the heat should keep the tip clear. If not a pin stuck in the end will usually clear it out. I have reciently been using parchment bags with no tip. Prior to that I was using a toothpick into the babyfood jars. UGGH

If there is anything else I can help with please let me know! I really like the choc. transfers and use them often.

Kimberly

do it all mom-- a bump is when someone responds to a thread. It gets "bumped" back to the front of the line on the first page where more people are likely to see it and respond.
Kimberly

I was curious to about putting left over candy melts into bc. I made a CT last night and need icing the same color red...can this be done?

I don't know but am interested in the answer too.

1/4 teaspoon in a babyfood jar is about right. I just keep adding color until it seems "thick" then add more crisco. You just have to play with it. All of the transfers in my pics were done this way.

For easier outlining on a chocolate transfer, use a parchment bag with a tiny hole cut at the bottom. This will outline much better than a tip - you will get FAR more detail. If you do use a tip, use a coupler so you can remove it if you need to put it in the microwave. As for getting the chocolate out, just run it under hot water to clean it.

Okay, so I finished the transfers FINALLY!! It took me probably an hour to get the chocolate melted while alternating between adding crisco and color paste! I'm not kidding!!

It never really got to a good drizzling consistency either but I forced it out of the tip as best I could!

I will post the picture of the cakes they are on in the morning.

I did not get to try my candy melts in my BC - I was low on crisco and sugar and didn't want to screw it up!

The cake I made these for is a 1st birthday for a little boy - construction theme. I think it looks great, but I definately got sloppy as the night has gone on. It is now 1:00 am and I just finished. I took all the pictures and then disassembled the cake and wrapped everything and got it ready for transport in the morning. Got to get up at 5:00!!

Thanks for all the help folks! Good night all.

Well, here are my chocolate transfers! Will have to work on the outlining more definately! Thanks everyone for all the helpful tips and answers to my questions. T

AWESOME!!!!!!!! They look great! What did you color the candy melts with? Did you use a bag and tip or just parchment? What do you think of the technique?
See now it is me with all the questions! LOL