Molding and Painting

With one candy mold, you can create many different looks.

Molding

Creating molded candies is a great way to produce professional-looking confections while using basic techniques. With candy molds, all finished pieces come out looking and weighing the same. By shopping online and in craft stores, you can find just about any candy mold imaginable.

Make’n Mold offers a huge selection of seasonal candy molds and are available in a variety of places. You can find them in craft stores, supermarkets, party stores, and online. Categories of these molds include lollipops, cookie or pretzel molds, large solids, minis, and 3D molds. The level of difficulty can range from very basic to advanced; using one flavor of candy wafers will be the most basic molding technique.

Painting

Choosing to paint the molds makes for more advanced projects, based on the amount of detail within the mold and the number of colors used to paint those details. If you plan to paint your candy pieces, pay attention to the degree of detail and number of colors required. For example, making 200 painted wedding favors can require a lot of time if the mold is too detailed.

When molding or painting candies, certain supplies may be of help to you. Always use good quality candy molds. Clear plastic molds are best; I do not recommend those that come in solid-colored plastic, or have a milky tone. Clear plastic will allow you to see through the mold to detect air bubbles or help you to know whether details are being filled in correctly. A painter’s palette will come in handy if you find yourself using a variety of melted colors. Having an assortment of skewers, brushes, and even lollipop sticks will help to paint everything from the tiniest to much larger details. Lastly, a refrigerator is absolutely necessary if you want painted candy pieces to turn out well. Try to work quickly and chill between each application of color.

No matter what you are molding, it is important that you start with clean, dry candy molds. Release marks from the last batch of candies or water marks from molds being air dried will show up on the next round of candies. Chill after each color is applied inside the mold and again at the end. When removing candies from the mold, invert mold and tap very gently. If candies do not come out easily, do not force them. Chill for several additional minutes and try again. Finished pieces can be kept in air-tight containers for up to three weeks as long at they are in a cool, dry place.