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- hi, i'm desiree from wilton. one of my very first decorating projects when i first started working here involved candy melts candy. they're one of my favoritedecorating mediums because you can do so many different things with them. you can pipe with it, mold candy, make ganache,
candy clay, the list goes on and on. we do gt a lot of questions from you guys about candy melts, so today, i'm going to review some of the most frequently asked questions. all right, so first up,what is the difference between candy melts and chocolate? we get this question a lot. some of our candy melts flavors,
such as the light cocoa, dark cocoa and dark cocoa mint flavors do have real cocoa powder in them, and they act a lot like chocolate. however, candy melts don't require the tempering that real chocolate does. you may be wondering, what is tempering? when you melt chocolate, you have to melt it at very specifictemperatures, because you
want the chocolate toset up hard and shiny and have a nice crackwhen you bite into it. with candy melts, you don't have to worry about any of that stuff. all you have to do is melt it, and they'll automatically set to a smooth and hard finish. another question we get a lot is what do candy melts taste like?
as i just mentioned, some of them contain cocoa powder for more of a chocolate-like flavor. the various color ones you see, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, the list goes on and on, those have a vanilla flavor. finally, we have some limited-edition flavors that change out every season,
so in the fall you might find something like caramel apple. during winter, you can findsugar cookie or candy cane. these are only around for a few months, so make sure you grab them while you can. they may change from year-to-year, too, so you may not see a repeat flavor again. i always look forward to seeing what new flavors we're going to have.
how do you melt candy melts? there's a few differentways you can do it. first, you can melt themdown in the microwave in one of our disposable decorating bags. just fill your bag half full, put it in the microwave at half power, and microwave for one minute. check the bag and gently squeeze the melts to distribute the heat evenly
throughout the bag. then return the bag to the microwave and repeat this process in 30 second intervals until the candymelts are fully melted. some people prefer to use a double-boiler method. this consists of placing a bowl on top of a saucepan of simmering water. the bowl should be glass or metal,
and the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water underneath. the bowl should fit snuggly on top of the saucepan so that the steam from the simmering water stays underneath the bowl rather than escaping from the sides of the pan. too much steam mixing into the melts can cause seizing, which i'll talk
about a little later. finally, we have thecandy melts melting pot, and this one is my personal favorite. i honestly use it all of the time. there's two differentheat settings on here. one is for melting, and then we have a slightly cooler setting to keep the melts fluid and at even temperature.
now, there's a few different reasons i love this melting pot. for one, it's really easy to see once my melts are completely melted. plus, i don't have to keep reheating it over and over once i've started. finally, the cleanup is super easy, which is something i'm all about. when you're done, just let the candy
harden in the melting pot, and then pop it out of the silicone pot. you can save that candy in an air-tight container and use it again and again for other projects. many of you have asked if you can reuse candy melts, and the answer is yes. you can melt them downover and over again, and it doesn't matter if you've already
opened a package of candy melts or not, they're still good for 24 months. just keep them in a cool dry place, or if you already haveopened the packaging, store them in an air-tight container so that they stay fresh. many of you have also asked a lot of dietary questions when it comes to candy melts.
are candy melts halal? are they gluten free? are they dairy free? halal, no, they are not. gluten free? yes. and our flavorings and colorings are also gluten free. dairy free? no. sorry, there is some milk in there.
where can you get candy melts? candy melts can be purchased from wilton.com, or you can find them at major retailers,such as michael's, joann fabric and craft stores and walmart. other local grocery stores may also carry them, so check your local store in the craft aisleto see if they have them. another question we've received is
why did my candy melts turn into a mud? they were silky at first, but now they've changed texture. if your candy melts are looking thick and clumpy like this, ugh, in my experience, you may have overheated them. maybe this was on the heating setting the whole time instead of just the warm setting, or maybe they got
microwaved at full power. to correct this, you're going to take a little bit of ezthin, just grab a few flakes at a time, and drop this into your candy melts. give it a good stir till they're nice and dissolved, and it's going to help thin out the candy to the consistency that you want.
another question we get is, how do i get my candy melts the right consistency for piping? if you find that your candy is too thick, and it's not coming outof the decorating bag, this is another instance where ezthin comes in handy. just add a few flakes at a time until you get the consistencyyou're looking for.
on the opposite end of that, if you find that your candy is too thin, then you need to let it sit for maybe another five minutes or so. let it sit a little bitlonger so that that candy firms up and is the rightconsistency you're looking for. this is something i actually used for my mom's birthday. i made her a cake, and since her birthday
is in october, she wanted something that is fall themed,'cause she loves fall. i went online, and i founda template of leaves, and you can use any template you want, any shape, any design, and then just slide that under a sheet of parchment paper. you can pipe directly on this, and let the candy harden, and then pop them off.
help! i dropped some water in my candy melts. is there any way i can fix it? well, it depends how much water was added. candy melts, like chocolate, seize up when they come in contact with water, so you do need to keepthem as dry as possible. however, if there has been some water that's come in contact with your melts,
you can try to resolve the problem by adding a bit of ezthinor vegetable shortening. add a little bit, and stir until completely dissolved,and see if that restores the candy to theconsistency that you need. also, if you are looking to color or flavor your candy melts, opt for fat-based extracts over water-based extracts because those are also
going to cause your candy to seize up. i hope this video was helpful for many of your candy melts questions, but of course, if you have more questions, go ahead and leave themin the comments below. i'd love to hear them and help you out. if you've made an awesome project using candy melts, iwant to see that, too. share it on instagram, and use
the hashtag wiltoncakes. i'm desiree. see you next time. (gentle upbeat music)