I made candy clay using chocolate chips and Karo syrup. The recipe said it would get hard and break into pieces but would get soft enough with kneading. It never got hard. I put it in the fridge and hardened but as soon as I started kneading it, it mushed up too much and I just don't see it holding up. I was hoping to make a small cowboy hat out of it - HELP! I really didn't want to do it out of fondant/gumpaste, but I think I'm going to have to!

i make and use this all the time.
can you tell me how many oz. chips to corn syrup you used?
did you age the clay, wrapped in plastic, in the fridge for 24 hours or at least overnight?
after you have let it age, the safest thing is to cut a piece the size you need and let it come to room temperature before kneading. microwaving can cause it to mush and it only takes a second or two too long to make the difference between good and bad consistencies.
if you have made it and aged it correctly, sometimes if you overwork it, it gets to soft and grainy. you should just knead it until the surface looks shiny and smooth and then stop. if you do overwork, just wrap it back up and put it in the fridge overnight and start the process again.

diane

it was 10 oz. chocolate, 1/3 cup corn syrup. Will this get really hard though after I've shaped it and let it sit? I think it's too risky to make the brim of a cowboy hat...??

I never have any luck with chocolate chips for some weird reason. I only use the candy wafers. I think it has to be the oil content in the chips. Now.....I do know that people have used Tootsie Rolls. I'd probably just buy a bag....nuke 'em for a few seconds....knead them together and make what you need.

However, that's just ME....and today....I'm feelin' a little lazy! LOL

Beth in KY

my recipe is 16 oz chocolate and 2/3 cup corn syrup, so just about the same as yours.

one other thing to check: did you use semi-sweet? if you used milk chocolate, it has more fat, and may be throwing things off. the amount of corn syrup must be adjusted and letting it rest on something absorbent to get rid of some of the fat is best.

ok, assuming you used semi-sweet , then to answer your question about how hard it get, i would say that it depends on the thickness of the chocolate. when i make chocolate roses, it hardens quite nicely. these are about as thick as i would do them in fondant, say about 1/16". when i made ribbons or plaques from it, they are 1/8" and they get stiffer but are still a bit pliable and will cut with a knife without shattering and are still easily chewable. they hold their shape quite nicely but are supported by the cake.

how wide is the brim of the hat? if it is too big, the weight of it might distort the chocolate.

making it, and then letting it sit for a couple days uncovered will help dry it into position.

diane

hmmm....I don't know what kind of chips I used and now the bag is long gone...but that is good to know. Maybe I'll try my hand at the brim again tomorrow - thanks!