minas6907

Heres my annual cache of items I've been able to do since the last time I posted. Theres also a few baked items that snuck in there. Almond Nougat, hand whipped from Wybauws Find Chocolates Gold Same nougat enrobed. I microplaned white cocoa butter over the enrobed pieces, didnt end up looking how I imagined. Perhaps it would be a better look if there were more colors, like a confetti. Coffee Truffle Biscotti Apple and Peach Gummies Coconut Macaroon Prickly Pear Pate de Fruit Sample Bonbons. Prickly Pear/Lemon Bonbon, and Chai Spice Caramel. Sample Boxes for Bride and Groom Pumpkin Pie (Home Grown) Honey Lavender Caramels from Wybauws Find Chocolates Gold Final Heart Wedding Bonbons (requested only luster, no colored cocoa butter) Final Caramel Wedding Bonbons Bonbon Favors Making Transfer Sheets (banana caramel) Caramel Truffle

Out of my own curiosity, how fast does it go stale after you make it? Would you ever give it a light toast to crisp it up again, or would it just not be worth it? The other reason I'm interested in feuilletine is because it look so much like those wafer stick cookies with the filling. I grew up on those things, I have fond memories of my European grandparents always having a metal can of those things on the counter, similar to these: https://www.amazon.com/Creme-Pirouline-Choc-Hazelnut-Cookies-32/dp/B001GE6ZDU/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1548720102&sr=8-3&keywords=wafer%2Bsticks&th=1 Is this all those cookies are? Anyways, I look forward to making some of the feuilletine, I love how it looks on the bonbons.

Thank you very much!

I love the look of these, I haven tried anything with feuilletine, that's been on my list for a long time. Can someone chime in, when it comes to feuilletine in their work, is this something that you typically purchase, or do you produce it? I know it can be either way, just as with gianduja, but I wanted to know what everyone was doing. Any reliable formulas to share? I dont recall any recipes in the books by Greweling, Notter, or Wybauw. From what I gather it seems like it just a crushed up tuile or wafer cookie, albeit given a darker color. Anyways, just wondering, thank you!

Kerry's right, waxes are used to polish sugar, gums are used to polish chocolate, each have their own process.

Thanks for the link, I'll check that out. By chance, would a wood grain tool work, or would that be too thick? I personally have never used one, but it's been one of those random items that always catches my eye.

So heres two more attempts. The first, I just made some designs using thinner layers, but didnt adjust my color. The second, I adjusted my yellow so its more vibrant and opaque, so that was much more successful, but I have noticed that its sort of hit or miss with the transfers that I used a pastry brush on, some come off the edges cleanly, but some don't. Overall, I've seen that my best transfers are ones where I made a design with cocoa butter that didnt really overlap much off the edge of the bonbon. I was also surprised that the random spatter especially came out well. Anywho, thanks for the tips guys, its appreciated.

Hearts, Single Bars, and High Heel have been claimed! Still available are: Peanut Butter Cup. 2, 21 cavities each. Blistered Tablets. 2 molds, 3 cavities each. Bonbon "Confiseur." 1 mold, 32 cavities. Enrobed Bonbon. 1 mold, 32 cavities. Fluted Oval. 1 mold, 36 cavities. Rectangle Swedge. 2 molds, 30 cavities each. Cherry Cordial. 1 Mold, 28 cavities.  I may add additional in the future.

So what I specifically have is as acetate roll, this one: https://www.amazon.com/Klear-Kake-Band-Kopykake-inch/dp/B0050IM0BY I checked Chef Rubbers site, it lists guitar sheets as being 5mm thick. I was looking for the thickness of the Kopykake roll I have, but wasn't able to find any mention of the actual thickness, but I dont think its too far off. I'm going to try again soon, and make sure my color is more intense and spread thinner.

Ok, I'll send tikidoc a pm, I'm sorry the molds to trade didnt work out! 😞

Hi all, About a year ago I had gotten a roll of acetate from a restaurant supply because I knew that one day I wanted to make transfer sheets. That day was yesterday. I just wanted some opinions, though I'm pretty sure I just made the cocoa butter layer too thick. I really layered it on there, it was two colors, probably like 5 or six thin layers with a pastry brush. When it came time to cut down the strip, I had to be very delicate with it, otherwise the cocoa butter would peel right off the acetate. Anywho, I had previously made a mango caramel, so the transfer sheet was going to be orange and yellow. The first image is most of the bonbons with their beautiful jagged edges. Really, on most of the bonbons, all the cocoa butter came off the acetate in a giant square, so i had to break the edges down to fit the top of the bonbon. The second picture is a close of another pattern I did, I just spattered cocoa butter with a toothbrush. That transfer seemed to work as intended, the peeled right off, nothing weird. I know the color could be more intense, but that's something I can fix. As for the other bonbons, is it a case of just too thick of a cocoa butter layer? I suppose I could intensify the color and go thinner, perhaps with an airbrush, but for now I'd like to just do some simple transfers. Any comments are appreciated!

Hi pastrygirl, I'll send you a message.

Hi All, I've been sitting on some molds for some time that I don't really need anymore. I'll do my best with descriptions. 1. Peanut Butter Cup. 2, 21 cavities each. 2. Blistered Tablets. 2 molds, 3 cavities each. 3. Bonbon "Confiseur." 1 mold, 32 cavities. 4. Heart, Chocolate World #2087. 2 molds, 32 cavities each. 5. High Heel, 2 pc. mold. 6. Single Bar, Chocolate World #2012. Two Molds, 32 cavities each. 7. Enrobed Bonbon. 1 mold, 32 cavities. 8. Fluted Oval. 1 mold, 36 cavities. 9. Rectangle Swedge. 2 molds, 30 cavities each. 10. Cherry Cordial. 1 Mold, 28 cavities. I may in time add more molds to this list. I'm asking $12.00 for each mold, or best offer, plus the cost of shipping. Shipping will be whatever is cheapest from USPS. Additionally, I'm open to trades I'd be interested in the following molds if anyone wants to trade: https://www.jbprince.com/chocolate-and-sugarwork/dome-design-32-cavities.asp https://www.jbprince.com/chocolate-and-sugarwork/pyramid-design-32-cavities.asp https://www.jbprince.com/chocolate-and-sugarwork/oval-swirl-design-32-cavities.asp 1" Heart Chocolate World #1526 If you want to trade but don't have the above molds, I'd still consider it. Lastly, if you have any specific questions, need more photos, etc, don't hesitate to ask. Thank you for looking!

Your needs may be different then mine, but personally I use cellophane wraps, they just have been consistent and I have never had any problems unwrapping candy after storage. I have had those problems with wax papers, at least early on. I remember I had taffies that would only unwrap cleanly for about 1 week, then after that they would stick and tear the paper, a massive pain and waste. After trying different wraps, cello is just what I stuck with. As for the paper you linked, its difficult to tell without feeling it or just giving it a trial run, you may be on to something, but from experience, if its labeled as being for separators for burger patties, I'd use them for that purpose.

Do you mind posting the recipe you used?

One year I got my wife a hand mixer, it came with these mixing disks, link below. KitchenAid KHMBL Hand Mixer Stainless Steel Liquid Blending Rod https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000DE0M5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_jeA5BbTYB2ZSV The more I think of it, I don't know what they are actually intended for. Anyways, a month or two after we got the hand mixer, I started using the blending rod for cocoa butter, then I ended up getting like four more of these things, very useful for preparing multiple colors.

Banana and chocolate caramels!

Starch imprinters have been claimed!

That makes sense, I never considered a food processor. Try it in the mixer, it honestly is super simple. I'd say the hardest part is waiting for it to cool. Poured out on a slab, obviously it will cool down to 120f pretty fast, but since I pour the syrup into the mixing bowl, it does take some time to cool, I just moniter the temp with an IR thermometer. Then add the paddle when cool enough, and put it on speed 1. You'll hear the moment the fondant has fully crystallized, the mixer will go from mixing smoothly to struggling. But just do some trial and error, it's just a different way of agitate the syrup. On the topic of fudge, I haven't used a mixer for that, I've only done fudge on a slab. I suppose you could do it in a mixer, but I think you would need to watch it closely, I'd be concerned with it fully crystallizing in the bowl, which would prevent or at least make it very difficult for you to shape by hand or put into a form. It probably would work if you kept an eye on it and removed it quickly before it sets. By contrast, the fondant doesn't worry me in a mixer since the shape it takes in the mixer doesn't matter, since it will be heated up again and deposited or used as an ingredient, such as in fudge. How are you currently doing your fudge?

May I ask you why the fondant is so difficult to produce? I've always used the his recipe for fondant, always worked, and the stuff lasts forever. Quite frankly, I used to agitate on a stone slab, but in more recent years I pour the boiled syrup into a mixer, allow to cool to 120f, then turn the mixer on the slowest speed and let agitate for about 10 minutes, then store. Really I was just curious if what was a pain was the manual agitating on a slab or something else. That does get old, especially cleaning off that layer of crystallized sugar.

Ikea has polycarbonate molds?

I think it's been a few years now, but on eBay I was able to find 1/4x1/4x12" bar stock, it was perfect, so I got a bunch of different lengths. In the past, I've purchased alluminium angle stock, cut it to size, then had fun grinding all the rough edges. I wouldn't do that again, I'm confident you could find what you need on eBay, or check around at metal yards and such. Im pretty sure metal rods of that size are often considered scrap. Here's one I found. It's not perfect, but it gets the job done at a reasonable price. https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F360706883622

Is there a reason you'd start with a mix meant for lava cakes rather then just getting a muffin mix?

Hello all. I looking to get rid of these starch imprinters I made years ago when I got into confectionery. I dont deposit into starch beds anymore, but I thought they might be useful to someone who does, or wants to start. The shapes are pinwheels, small hearts (2 sets), flat disk, bottle, lips, demi sphere, large heart design, and pyramid with flat top. These imprinter were made using paint sticks from Home Depot. I cast plaster of paris into silicone and plastic candy molds. If I recall correctly, I remember having difficulty getting clean cavities from the shapes that were cast from silicone molds. These are the bottles, large hearts, pyramids, and demispheres. The shapes cast from the plastic candy molds always worked flawlessly, those are the pinwheels, small hearts, flat disk, and lips. The imprinter that has the flat disk has a set of small hearts on the opposite side. I also have extra plaster shapes that were never affixed to the stick. I'm not going to ask for a price, since these are very homemade items, but I just ask that you pay shipping, whatever that may be. Its difficult for me to tell since its kind of awkwardly shaped, perhaps whoever opts for these will have a good idea about how to pack it for mailing. Let me know if you have any questions! edit - I forgot to add, the way the shapes are spaced out is to imprint a standard half sheet pan filled and leveled off with starch.

Books have been sold!