Written By Sam Henselijn
6 Tips for Baking with Candy Melts. Here’s everything you need to know about baking with Candy Melts. Keep reading to find all our best tips and tricks on how to use them, how to properly melt them, the best thinner to use, and more!
What are candy melts?
Candy Melts are a flavored, and often colored, confectionery ingredient mostly used for baking and decorating. These little candy disks are made for easy melting – and are extremely versatile! They come in a myriad of colors and flavors, so you can easily customize your recipes for any occasion.
Candy melts are amazing for dipping and covering treats, dunking, drizzling, and even molding. It’s definitely a fun way to use your imagination: there’s a lot you can do with them!
What is the difference between chocolate and candy melts?
Candy melts fall into the category of candy coatings, or confectionery coating, even though they may also be called compound chocolate. However, because they don’t contain any cocoa or cocoa butter, they’re not considered chocolate nor white chocolate. Nonetheless, it is possible to find chocolate-flavored candy melts.
The main ingredients in these wafers are sugar and vegetable fats. The sugar adds sweetness while the oil is there to help the candy break down when heated. That’s why they’re able to melt so evenly and create such a smooth coating.
Another big difference is the fact that candy melts come in a variety of colors (and sometimes flavors) and do not need to be tempered as chocolate does. Candy coatings are way easier to work with and more forgiving than chocolate. They also make for a quick alternative for when you need to coat something for whatever occasion.
6 Tips for Baking with Candy Melts
How to use candy melts
There is so much you can do with candy melts! From ganache and cake pops to truffles and molded candies, and so much more. They’re the perfect ingredient for big baking projects and easy decorating. Try using them to dip treats, pipe, and drizzle fun patterns!
Candy melts are usually vanilla-flavored, but you can also find it in several other flavors, including strawberry, chocolate, lemon, cookie batter, peppermint, and even peanut butter.
How to melt candy melts
There are several different methods to melt candy melts. The most common are: the microwave, the double boiler or using a melting pot. What option to choose depends on your project – and personal preference.
Microwave: To melt candy melts using the microwave, the first step is to place the melts in a microwave proof bowl. Microwave at 50% power or defrost setting for 1 minute. Stir well and continue to microwave and stir at 30-second intervals until the candy is smooth and completely melted.
Double boiler: Fill a pot with about 1 inch of water. Bring to a gentle simmer, then place a large heat-safe bowl on the pot. Add your candy melts wafers to the heat-safe bowl, stirring constantly. Remove from heat once the melts are almost completely melted. Continue stirring until nice and smooth.
Melting Pot: A melting pot can melt up to 2½ cups of candy melts in just a few minutes. Plus, it will keep the mixture warm.
If you have any leftover product after melting, that’s great, no need to waste anything. Simply let it harden and use it again later on. Just make sure your coating is free of crumbs before storing!
How to thin candy melts
If the candy coating is too thick, you may have a hard time dipping treats. Ideally, you want it to flow easily from a spoon, like honey. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to adjust the texture when necessary.
Thinning your candy can be done with a proper “thinning aid” or just solid vegetable shortening. A thinning aid controls the consistency of the candy coating without altering the overall finish once it sets.
Whatever you choose, simply melt your candy disks according to the directions, add a teaspoon of shortening or thinning aid and stir it into the melted candy coating. Keep adding one teaspoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Just don’t use water! Candy melts are fat based, so water will cause it to seize and render it unusable.
How to color candy melts
Use an oil-based food coloring to color your candy melts. Alcohol-based dyes may cause the mixture to seize. Start slow: add a couple drops of color into your bowl of melted candy melts, then gently stir with a spatula.
Do candy melts expire?
Although there’s no expiration date, for ideal results, candy melts are best used within 18 months of the date they were made. Store the melts in a cool and dry place to keep fresh for longer.
Sam Henselijn Author’s Biography – Meet L’Orenta Nuts CEO
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