A personalised chocolate mold is a great way to add some fun and creativity to your next kitchen adventure
Making your own chocolate shapes out of your unique personal objects using a chocolate mold can be a fun and entertaining project, especially if you are looking for something to do with the kids on a rainy day. Your family, friends and coworkers will be impressed by your unique creativity when presented with such personalised chocolate treats; and let us be honest, the rewards of the finished product are oh so delectable!
Although it may sound dauntingly complicated at first thought, it is actually quite easy and inexpensive to make your own chocolate mold and replicate any of your personal objects such as jewelry, coins and medallions, figurines and statuettes from your display case, or toys and shapes from your kids’ toybox. There are several products available today that require little preparation, generally do not leave a mess, and can be safely molded around even the fine details of most objects for as little as under $20.
One popular product used in both commercial and home kitches for making chocolate molds is silicone mold putty. Silicone mold putty comes in two parts, the silicon itself, which has the feel and consistency of sculpting clay, and a curing agent that is added to the silicone to harden it and to cause it to maintain its final permanent shape. Once kneaded, mixed and combined together, the silicone with curing agent will have a working time of about 10 or 15 minutes for you to shape it around the object to create the chocolate mold. A cure time of about an hour at room temperature is necessary for the silicone to harden, and then you can remove the original object from the newly completed, sturdy yet flexible chocolate mold.
A similar product to silicon mold putty is Townsend Atelier’s “Knead-a-Mold”, which is also a two-part cure and silicone mold making system, safe and non-toxic and very easy to use. Again you simply mix the two clay-like substances, shape the putty around your object, and allow it to cure to a firm, flexible, reuseable chocolate mold. Knead-a-Mold sets and cures after only about 6 minutes each, much faster that traditional silicone mold putty, and so may be a preferred option when in need of a quicker turn-around time to meet a deadline or when working with the active imaginations of your children. Clean-up is almost non-existent, and you can reuse your Knead-a-Mold chocolate molds again and again. Knead-a-Mold chocolate molds are safe for baking, refrigerating, and they are even microwave-safe!
The next time you are in need of ideas for a special treat, consider making your own personalised chocolate shapes using your homemade chocolate molds. They add the perfect fun and creative touch to any after dinner dessert, a workplace potluck, or a simple kitchen playtime with the kids.