Today’s craft is a fun edible! I picked up a Gift Box mold on a whim a while back, and finally put it to use as I get ready for making our annual Christmas sweets. I didn’t invent this or anything – it’s just a regular Wilton brand mold, but I’ll give you a few tips on how to melt chocolate and make molded candies today if it’s not something you’ve tackled before!
It can seem intimidating at first, but I promise, all you have to do to make your own molded chocolates is melt, pour, cool, and remove. That said – I’ve still got some tips for how to make that process go more smoothly!
I didn’t take a good photo of the mold I used, and as it turns out – it’s been discontinued. You can still find it in-stores and on Amazon, but Wilton isn’t selling it anymore. But here is a link to it on the Wilton site so you can get a good look and description if you want to try to find this same mold.
First, use a melting chocolate or candy wafer. It might say “melts” right on the package, but at the very least, it will have melting instructions somewhere on the label. If there are no melting instructions (like chocolate chips), assume it won’t melt well! I like using Wilton Candy Melts when I want colors, and Candiquik if I want chocolate or vanilla looks and flavors. I used chocolate flavored Candiquik for these today.
Forgive the photo quality – I made these up at night in my kitchen. I still think it should help to show you a few photos to give you a visual of the process.
My first tip on melting – follow the instructions carefully on the package, and stir often. It won’t look done when it really is – you won’t know until you stir, and tirring can melt remaining chunks without overheating any candy that’s already melted. But I used 2 big squares of Candiquik and it took a total of about 90 second to melt it, and I stopped twice to stir once it was getting close.
For a lot of treats, I transfer my melted chocolate to a squirt bottle, but this was only 6 cavities (3 bottoms, 3 tops). So I just spooned it in. This is a 2-part tray, the top will go on to create a cavity. So I filled them about 2/3 of the way full, and secured the top on (the center photo below). Then, they just need to cool, and they will pop right out of the trays! You can cool them on the counter, or stick them in the refrigerator if you prefer to speed things up.
Once removed, you can fill them with other small candies or treats!
They store pretty well since they aren’t mixed with anything – I feel comfortable making them up 10 days before Christmas right now. Just be sure they’re store in a cool, dry place, in a sealed bag, and don’t add the treats inside until you’re ready to present the boxes.
What kinds of special treats are you making for your Christmas goodie trays this year?
I’ve never made candy boxes before (but I have seen the molds). I’ve always been intimidated by them but your tutorial makes it look so easy!
These are adorable!
I rarely make anything…. But these are so cute, wish I had that mold!
gail