Making your own custom chocolate candies using chocolate molds is a great way to add a personal touch to a special event or occasion.  Making chocolates with chocolate molds is easy and can be done in a short amount of time.  There are also many different shapes and designs available to meet just about any occasion.

There are some different types of chocolate molds available on the market that are made from different materials and because of this they have different characteristics.  Here is a brief synopsis of the chocolate molds available on the market and information about how they perform.

Plastic Molds – The most common chocolate molds are made of clear plastic.  They are the least expensive and are meant for craft and hobby users who only make small amounts of chocolates.  The type of plastic and thickness will vary a little bit from maker to maker.

Silicone Rubber Molds – Rubber molds are a little more expensive than plastic molds and are very popular with artisan style pasty chefs. Because they are made of silicone they are flexible and can handle higher temperatures than plastic chocolate molds.  This makes them useful for making other treats as well.

Polycarbonate Plastic Molds – Polycarbonate chocolate molds are sometimes called European chocolate molds because many of them are made in Europe.  They may also be referred to as professional quality molds, or confectionery grade molds.  They are typically the most expensive molds available.  These molds are very strong, are easy to use, provide a high gloss finish and last the longest of any of the different kinds of chocolate molds.  Most professional chocolatiers and pastry chefs prefer these types of chocolate molds.

Magnetic Molds – Magnetic chocolate molds are commonly used in making artisan chocolates or chocolates with logos.  They normally come in two parts and are used with chocolate transfer sheets to create graphic designs on top of the chocolates.  First, the transfer sheet is applied to one side of the mold, then both parts are held together with magnets, and the chocolate is cast.  After the chocolates set, the graphic design is transferred to the individual chocolate pieces.

Metal Molds – Before plastic and rubber molds were developed chocolate molds were normally made from metal.  You normally won’t find metal molds being manufactured any more, but don’t throw your old ones out just yet.  The actually have significant value among antique collectors.

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Fun with Candy Molds

If you are looking for something fun to do for an upcoming holiday or special event try your hand at making special candies using candy molds.  Making candy or other treats with candy molds is also a great activity for the kids and can be a fun way to spend family time.

Candy molds are typically made from plastic, rubber or metal depending on the type of candy they are meant to be used for and come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. 

Here are just a few examples of the many different candy molds that are available:

Valentines Candy Molds: Hearts, Roses, I Love You Sign, Teddy Bears, Flowers, Cherubs, L-O-V-E

Nautical Theme Candy Molds: Sea Shells, Seahorses, Starfish, Light House, Mermaids

Birthday Candy Molds: Birthday Bears, “40″ Lollipops, Sweet 16 Lollipops, Balloons, Cake, Gift Box

Father’s Day Candy Molds: DAD, Happy Fathers Day Bar, Necktie, Cigars, Boots

New Baby Candy Molds: Baby Bottle, Rattle, It’s a Girl, It’s a Boy, Diapers, Baby Feet, Stork

This is just scratching the surface when it comes to the many different shapes and designs that are available in candy molds.  Not only are there many different shapes and sizes of candy molds, they can also be used for many different uses besides just making candy.

Candy molds can also be used for making ice cubes or sugar cubes for special events.  They can also be used to make cream cheese or mints or jello for special treats.  Some people even use candy molds to make rice crispie treats or decorations out of plaster. 

Candy molds that are designed for different uses are made from different materials such as clear plastic, rubber or metal.  Some are designed to make molded chocolates; others are designed to make hard candy and suckers.  These latter molds are made of material that can withstand heat so that you can pour the hot candy right into the mold.

Using different colors of candy and different ingredients you can even come up with candies for different color schemes for a wedding or to match a sporting teams uniforms.

The molds that are designed to tolerate heat can be used for making cookies or little cakes or even for soap making.  There is no end to the ways in which candy molds can be used to make an event more personalized and special.

Other ideas for using candy molds: Fondant, Gum Paste, Cinnamon, Cement, Modeling Clays, Candles, Sidewalk Chalk, Play dough, etc.  The sky is the limit when it comes to working with candy molds.

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The Primrose Candy Co. on Chicago’s Near Northwest Side every day churns out millions of individually-wrapped candies, from root beer barrels to “Starlight” mints. Sugar is its lifeblood.

But keeping that sugar flowing is an increasingly expensive proposition for Primrose and the entire candy industry: Sugar prices are hovering at 29-year highs. Low U.S. sugar stocks and soaring global sugar prices appear to be the culprit, and consumers are feeling the effect as candy makers pass along their rising ingredient costs.

Many candy-makers instituted price increases of about 10 percent last year, said Sal Ferrara II, president of Forest Park-based Ferrara Pan Candy Co., maker of such venerable brands as Lemonhead and Red Hots. (Ferrara Pan raised prices late last year, though the executive declined to say how much.)

Meanwhile, data from market researcher Nielsen Co. show that the price of non-chocolate candy jumped almost 9 percent during the 13 weeks ended Nov. 28 compared with the same time last year. Chocolate candy has experienced a similar price jump. Makers have been hit by high sugar costs and soaring cocoa prices.

What this means is that consumers can expect to pay higher prices for packaged candies or the same prices for less candy. “You are going to see price increases as well as weight reductions,” Ferrara said, referring to shrinking candy packaging without shrinking the price.

Over the past several months, consumers have generally benefited from falling or stable prices of such commodities as corn, soybeans and wheat. But the price of sugar has been anything but sweet.

The world price of raw sugar during the third quarter of 2009 was 42 percent higher than a year earlier and almost double that of two years earlier, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Bad weather has hurt harvests in Brazil and India, two of the world’s biggest sugar producers. Plus, Brazil has been increasingly devoting sugar resources to ethanol production, putting upward pressure on sugar prices.

In this country, sugar prices are primarily determined by domestic factors because the U.S. imposes tariffs on most imported sugar. Still, the global run-up has a negative effect on U.S. prices, said Tom Earley, a sweeteners analyst at food consultant Promar International.

The world price serves as a “floor” for the U.S. price, Earley said. “The higher global prices, the higher the floor.”

In the U.S., sugar production has “been on the low side” in recent years, which has helped push up prices, Earley said. Sugar beet producers had a disappointing fall due to bad weather. During the past couple of years — particularly in 2008 — attractive prices for other crops, namely corn, have led farmers to reduce sugar beet cultivation.

The upshot: U.S. sugar stocks, relative to sugar demand, are this year less than half of what they were a year ago, according to a recent report by Promar. “We have sort of a structural deficit,” Earley said. With that deficit, U.S. raw sugar prices in recent months hit a 29-year high, and the price in November was 61 percent higher than a year earlier, according to USDA data.

Mark Puch, Primrose Candy’s president, has felt the pain. And it only hurts more that U.S. sugar prices are normally considerably higher than world sugar prices, due to U.S. import restrictions. The candy industry claims the cost gap with foreign sugar has driven candy production out of the United States.

To counter fierce competition from foreign candy-makers, Primrose over the past 15 years has branched out into making sugar-free candy and dietary supplements. Together, such products now constitute about 55 percent of Primrose’s sales. Most of the rest comes from what the family-owned firm has been making for 81 years: sugar-based candy.

Primrose’s “hard candy kitchen” had the aromatic scents of citrus and mint last week when a reporter visited. Hard candy’s two main ingredients, sugar and corn syrup, were being mixed, cooked and then plied — on this day at least — with peppermint oil and orange flavoring.

Normally, Primrose and other makers of hard candy might use 55 percent to 60 percent sugar, with the balance of its sweet stew coming from high-fructose corn syrup. But with the climbing cost of sugar, that ratio is closer to 50-50 these days, Puch said.

Corn syrup is no bargain, either, compared with what it was a few years ago, Puch said. While Primrose is paying about 15 cents a pound now, down from almost 20 cents a year ago, corn syrup was just about 9 cents per pound four years ago.

Soaring corn syrup prices, along with rising sugar and energy costs, in 2008 prompted Primrose to hike prices about 5 percent starting Jan. 1, 2009, Puch said. On Jan. 1 of this year, the company raised prices another 3 percent due to escalating sugar costs.

It’s the nature of the business: “I pass along a lot of the cost,” Puch said.

Read the original article from WGN Radio Chicago.

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Did your Valentine’s day go as well as you hoped it would yesterday.  If not, why not?

Perhaps you didn’t have a romantic enough setting or the right gift.  Next year, plan ahead.  Get some Valentine’s candy molds and make your own Valentine’s treats.  These can be a great way to set the mood and to give that someone special a hand made expression of your love.

If you have children it can also be a great way to have a family activity making customized Valentine’s Day treats that they can give to their friends or class-mates.

There are a lot of different Vanentine’s Day candy molds to choose from.  I’m guessing that the heart shaped candy molds are probably the most popular but if you want something different like Cupid’s arrows or flowers there are always numerous molds to choose from.  I would get them now though while you are thinking about it. 

If you wait till next year you probably will forget to get them in time and you will end up frustrated.  Plus you may be able to find some pretty good sales now for these types of candy molds.

Candy Molds

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Here is a great quick and easy guide to making your own valentine treats at home by Eloisa Oceguera. 

She says:  “Once I pursued the idea of becoming a chocolatier. I pictured myself in France taking classes, making delicious creations and even building a big castle with everything made of chocolate …

One day, I’ll sign up for a chocolatier class in Vancouver, Belgium or France — of course! But until then, I’ll try making treats at home.

Professional or homemade confections can be challenging, but don’t despair. There are some simple techniques, as easy as melt, pour, mold and — voila! In no time the results will be deliciously rewarding.”

See the rest of the article and her step by step instructions here: Sweets for a Sweetie

More Candy Molds Information

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Chocolate molds are only for use with low heat ingredients. They will melt if you put hard candy in them. These clear plastic molds will tolerate heat up to 160 degrees. These molds can be used for Melting Chocolate (other names Candy Coatings, Confectioner’’s Coatings, Candy Melts), Plaster, Jell-O, Gum Paste, Cement, Fondant, Gum Paste. The molds are NOT dishwasher safe.

HOW TO: Calculate the required amount of chocolate. If you need to calculate how much chocolate is required for a mold we”ve found that using water is a good way to do it. Water measures around the same as chocolate. Fill one of the mold cavaties with water, then pour it into a measuring cup that has ounces on it.

Sometimes you can get this on a shot glass in a kitchen supply store. You can also weigh it on a scale. If your scale will zero then put the empty mold on the scale, zero the scale, then fill one mold cavity with water and check the weight. Say it is 1 oz, you can get approx. 15 – 16 to 1 pound of chocolate..

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Candy making is a fun activity of everyone in the family especially during holidays. And it’s really easy when you use Wilton molds and candy melts. These Santa pops will add instant cheer as party favors, gift decorations, and as stocking-stuffers too.

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If you enjoy Christmas time but want to make it a little more special, or if you are looking for a way to make your gifts more personal, you should try making your own Christmas candies.  These can be given to visitors or added as a decoration to a gift or used for parties or any number of other great ways.

This is also a great family activity.  If you have young children that are looking for something to do during Christmas vacation from school, candy making is a great activity to keep everyone involved and having fun together.  Plus you get the added benefit of being able to enjoy the candy when you are done.  Just try not to eat it all at once.  You’ll want to show it off to friends and family when they come to visit.

This is also a great outlet for your own personal creativity.  You can add your own special way to make your candies more special and personal.  Candy making is a great way to make the holidays special.

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Chocolate molds are only for use with low heat ingredients. They will melt if you put hard candy in them. These clear plastic molds will tolerate heat up to 160 degrees. These molds can be used for Melting Chocolate (other names Candy Coatings, Confectioner’s Coatings, Candy Melts), Plaster, Jell-O, Gum Paste, Cement, Fondant, Gum Paste.

The molds are NOT dishwasher safe. HOW TO: Calculate the required amount of chocolate. If you need to calculate how much chocolate is required for a mold we’ve found that using water is a good way to do it. Water measures around the same as chocolate. Fill one of the mold cavities with water, then pour it into a measuring cup that has ounces on it.

Sometimes you can get this on a shot glass in a kitchen supply store. You can also weigh it on a scale. If your scale will zero then put the empty mold on the scale, zero the scale, then fill one mold cavity with water and check the weight. Say it is 1 oz, you can get approx. 15 – 16 to 1 pound of chocolate.

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Chocolate molds are only for use with low heat ingredients. If there is too much heat you can ruin the candies. If there is way to much heat you can ruin the molds. They will melt if you put hard candy in them. These clear plastic molds will tolerate heat up to about 160 degrees. These molds can be used for Melting Chocolate (other names Candy Coatings, Confectioner’s Coatings, Candy Melts), Plaster, Jell-O, Gum Paste, Cement, Fondant, Gum Paste. The molds are NOT dishwasher safe.

HOW TO: Calculate the required amount of chocolate.

If you need to calculate how much chocolate is required for a mold we’ve found that using water is a good way to do it. Water measures around the same as chocolate. Fill one of the mold cavities with water, then pour it into a measuring cup that has ounces on it. Sometimes you can get this on a shot glass in a kitchen supply store. You can also weigh it on a scale.

If your scale will zero then put the empty mold on the scale, zero the scale, then fill one mold cavity with water and check the weight. Say it is 1 oz, you can get approx. 15 – 16 to 1 pound of chocolate.

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Chocolate molds are only for use with low heat ingredients. They will melt if you put hard candy in them. These clear plastic molds will tolerate heat up to 160 degrees. These molds can be used for Melting Chocolate (other names Candy Coatings, Confectioner’s Coatings, Candy Melts), Plaster, Jell-O, Gum Paste, Cement, Fondant, Gum Paste. The molds are NOT dishwasher safe. HOW TO: Calculate the required amount of chocolate. If you need to calculate how much chocolate is required for a mold we’ve found that using water is a good way to do it. Water measures around the same as chocolate. Fill one of the mold cavaties with water, then pour it into a measuring cup that has ounces on it. Sometimes you can get this on a shot glass in a kitchen supply store. You can also weigh it on a scale. If your scale will zero then put the empty mold on the scale, zero the scale, then fill one mold cavity with water and check the weight. Say it is 1 oz, you can get approx. 15 – 16 to 1 pound of chocolate.

Buy/More Info

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