Nowadays, chocolate fondues are all the rage, even spicing up an otherwise boring party. Most people swear by chocolates, and what better way to serve it than have it smeared all over other yummy food.

Fondues make a great dip for fruits, shortbread cookies, marshmallows, and even salty snacks such as pretzels. There are endless options for what to dunk into this amusing, warm chocolate sauce. For parties with adult guests, you can even add a splash of a fruit flavored liqueur for that extra kick.

You can prepare the fondue ahead, even before the party starts. You can do so by slicing the fruits or mixing the ingredients even hours before, but the chocolate sauce should only be melted once the guests show up to prevent it from thickening.

Chocolate fondues are entertaining all their own, but see to it that the chocolate is just as entertaining to the taste buds and the party will surely be a blast!

Enjoy!

Now that you’re caught up, here are my Extra Special Helpful Hints when working with chocolate molds.

1. Cool at room temperature…
   I do not recommend using either a refrigerator or freezer to cool the pieces.  These cool the chocolate too fast and they are too cold for crystals to form properly on the surface of the chocolate.  Colder chocolate will not be as shiny as chocolate cooled at room temperature.
    
2. Place the chocolate in front of a fan while cooling…
   This will remove the heat quickly and reduce the surrounding humidity to promote the best gloss, set, and snap.  (Be careful not to operate the fan at too high a speed.  You don’t want to blow debris onto the chocolate.)
    
3. Invert a cookie sheet or use a wire rack for cooling…
   This will allow heat to disperse evenly from all sides.  This is particularly important if you are using a flat mold.  The design or shape of the mold is face down as you pour and cool the chocolate.  It is common to have chocolate stick to the face of the mold if it remains flat against the counter or table while cooling. The trapped heat melts the surface crystals and sends the chocolate out of temper.
    
4. Use a mold at room temperature…
   Do not cool the mold or heat the mold at any time during the process.  Warm molds can soften the surface of the chocolate as it cools.  This promotes Fat Bloom that can appear quickly or as late as 24 hours later.  Cold molds can shock the surface crystals and make a dull looking chocolate piece.
    
5. Do not coat the inside of the mold with oil or fat or a “releasing agent”…
   Sure, adding a coating inside the mold sounds like a really good idea.  But, these products will interfere with the temper of the chocolate.  So while it might make it easier to remove your chocolate you would sacrifice shine and your nice temper in the process.
    
6. Clean the mold with hot water, NO soap, and dry really, really well…
   Soap can leave a layer of residue that will interfere with crystallization.  A moist mold can cause the chocolate to seize and turn into a hard, crumbly mess.
    
7. Avoid condensation…
   Condensation happens when chocolate is removed from a cold environment and begins to warm up to room temperature.  Little droplets of moisture will form on the surface of the chocolate as its temperature rises.  The moisture will dissolve a small amount of sugar from the chocolate’s surface.  After the water droplets evaporate, the sugar that is left behind forms a thin dusting of white powder on the chocolate. This is called Sugar Bloom.

There you have it.  Keep these hints in mind and  your molding success rate will go way up!

Most chocolate molds are made of either metal or plastic. They can be flat, to shape chocolate like a candy bar, or three dimensional, to shape like an Easter bunny.

If you are a beginner at working with chocolate, start with a flat plastic mold with small cavities of simple shapes.  You can buy these at craft stores or baking/candy supply stores or online at a number of candy-making supply websites.

Here are some tips for molding chocolate…

1. Temper your chocolate.  (If you need a refresher on tempering, please refer to my earlier chocolate tempering blog post.)
    
2. Pour the tempered chocolate into the mold using a tablespoon or pastry bag to fill the cavities.  Fill slightly over the rim.  Don’t worry about spilling a little over the top.  After the mold is filled, gently tap it to level the chocolate at the top.  Carefully drop the mold on the counter or table several times.  This will remove air bubbles that are trapped in the chocolate.
    
3. Scrape excess chocolate off using a spatula.  Sometimes I use a clean plastic ruler (the same kind children use in school) as a straight edge to remove the excess chocolate.
    
4. It is best to cool your chocolate at 65-70° F in a room with good air
   circulation and low relative humidity (50% or less).
    
5. Release the chocolate from the mold.  The chocolate will contract or pull away from the edges when it is ready to be popped out.  Reverse the mold over a flat, clean surface and press firmly on the sides of the mold with your fingers or tap lightly on the counter.  The chocolates should just fall out.  If they don’t, let the mold cool for a few more minutes and try again.

Coming soon, I’ll provide you with some extra helpful tips when working with molded chocolates…

The molinillo (pronounced moh-lee-NEE-yoh) is the Mexican chocolate whisk.  It is a “stirrer,”  typically made of wood and used to froth warm drinks such as hot chocolate.

This tool was invented by the Spanish colonists in Mexico around the 1700′s.  The first molinillos were made to fit into a container with the handle sticking out of the top.  Then the user would rapidly rotate the molinillo between his/her palms.  The twisting motion frothed the chocolate.

Not only is this little cutie useful, but it loads of fun, too.  And it looks cool! It starts many conversations because my friends have to ask what it is and what I use it for.

I have a couple different molinillos but one in particular, the one pictured here, has an interesting story behind it.

When my son was born, a very good friend of the family who happened to be a local antique dealer, presented us with a baby gift.  She called it a Victorian era baby rattle.  The rattle is made of wood with circular discs surrounding the “neck” of the rattle and decorated with inlaid ivory.  It has a long handle with carved geometric designs, beautifully stained and varnished.  It looks attractive and interesting.  Kind of a funny looking rattle, though.

Years go by and one day I am looking online to find a Mexican Hot Chocolate recipe.  Embedded in the recipe is a link to view the recommended tool of choice, the molinillo, to froth up the chocolate drink.  When I clicked on the link, several photos of different styles of molinillos popped up and HOLY SMOKES! there is my Victorian era “baby rattle” working hard to put a creamy head of foam on a mug of hot chocolate!  I always thought it was a funny looking rattle!

Antique chocolate molds (or moulds) from the 19th- and early-20th-century are quite collectible.

Candy makers of yesteryear used coated-tin chocolate molds to create whimsical chocolate shapes.  You may have fond childhood memories of chocolate bunnies and Santas at holiday time.  These were the most abundantly made designs.  Tin and tin-coated metal chocolate molds can still be readily found these days.

In 1870, the German manufacturer Anton Reiche was considered the master mold maker of the time.  He produced more than 50,000 designs, for every occasion you can imagine.

As with many antique items, the fair market value is based on size, condition, and age.  Prices can start as low as $10 for a small Easter egg mold and go up to about $3,000 for a 20-inch-tall rabbit.

I always keep my eyes open for these treasures at garage sales and antique stores or auctions.  If I am in serious mood, I look online.  You can find wonderful deals when you set your mind to it.

The thing I like best about my chocolate molds collection is that I can USE them, not just display them.

There are different kinds of molds out there:

1. Double molds with opening, usually at the bottom.
2. Double molds without opening, held together by clamps and clips.
3. Folding molds.  These are double molds with hinges and locks.
4. Flat molds, mostly of square or rectangular shapes to produce chocolate tablets or bars.

Once you have your mold with all its pieces, clean it thoroughly and let it dry completely.  Temper your favorite chocolate, pour it in, let it cool and pop it out!  OK, I made that sound too easy.  Truth is, there is some skill involved.  (I’d love to teach you.)  But now that you have your own mold, you can practice and practice.  I don’t see a downside:  just eat your mistakes!