Need Lots Of Help With Candy Melts Please!
Decorating By brittanydear Updated 13 Dec 2006 , 1:40pm by karensjustdessert
Ok,
I have had a terrible time with candy melts. UGHHHHH.
The first time I colored it with paste colors and it got all grainy and gross.
The next time I tried painting (precolored) candy melts into the molds, and it was very hard to do, sticky, thick, gloopy, etc. and then dried cloudy. (SHould I have added crisco to this?)
Why do I have such bad luck?
What are the best brands?
Can you use that cheap stuff from walmart (almond bark?)
Is it a real pain in the you know what to color it with powdered colors?
Basically, What I am trying to do is paint into chocolate molds with different colors. Again, any advice would really be appreciated!!!!
I haven't done a lot of the candy melts but haven't had any problem so far. I have just melted them and put them in the molds. Are you using the colors that are for cake if so that won't work as there is special coloring for the candy. I have used the bark for dipping pretzels, etc and it works fine but haven't used it in the candy molds.
Hope this helps. 
When I need a certain color to "paint" with, I mix pre-colored chocolate melts til I come up with what I need. I have tried to do coloring with gels and pastes, but the consistency is always extremely compromised.
As far as painting, I use a pastry bag with a small tip, and have given up on brushes. Just too frustrating for me. I've never had to add shortening...just keep a little bit in the bag at time, and make sure the chocolate is still slightly warm. As soon as it starts to cool, the melts are harder to work with.
In a pinch, I'll pick up bags of Wilton melts at the store, but I like to order Merkens...a variety of colors are available, and I've always had great results with them.
I order them from Candylandcrafts.com usually.
The gel colors for cakes are water based and water will seize up the candy. Candy colors are oil based or they say add a little crisco to it if you use regular colors. I use americolors and flocoat for my melts. It works great and my color spectrum has grown immensely. I also find the colors more vibrant.
The gel colors for cakes are water based and water will seize up the candy. Candy colors are oil based or they say add a little crisco to it if you use regular colors. I use and flocoat for my melts. It works great and my color spectrum has grown immensely. I also find the colors more vibrant.
Thank you so much for this info. I am wanting to start making candy molds and have been trying to find out about coloring them. When I looked for candy colors in the Wilton section, the choices were limited and you had to buy them packaged with four different colors--not necessarily the colors I wanted. I hope to start this after the holidays when I have more time. Do you have suggestions of any books on candy making that would be helpful?
Should have known to keep watching CC and I would get the info I needed.
Diane
I have found that certain colors of the pre-colored CandyMelts never seem to melt smooth, the worst being red. I always have to add a small amount of vegetable oil to red. Over heating will also cause you problems, and you'll have to add some oil. Good luck!
Wilton has a book out, I believe it's called " A beginners guide to candy making" but I could be wrong about the name. There's also some candy making techniques in back of their yearbooks. There's also a book called "All about candy making" by Autumn Carpenter. I'm sure there's many more. HTH
jo_ann,
Thanks for the info on how you color your melts...I look forward to trying it!
Karen
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