How do they do that? (the bonbon thread)

[Bentley]

I've done something like that before with stamps I bought at Hobby Lobby.  I used gold cocoa butter and stamped onto the finished and unmolded bonbon.  

 

[Chocolate_touu]

11 minutes ago, Bentley said:

I've done something like that before with stamps I bought at Hobby Lobby.  I used gold cocoa butter and stamped onto the finished and unmolded bonbon.  

 

And did this work for u, what was the result? 

[ChristianD]

The same question was asked a few weeks ago. I once carried out a test with stamps. As soon as I find the time, I will publish a tutorial in the Facebook group "https://www.facebook.com/groups/1413728595685917". 

[Charlene C.]

Is anyone able to tell me how this is done? It is a chocolate hazelnut nougat with caramel. It is a candy that Lana Orlova Bauer makes. 

[Rajala]

It doesn’t have to be complicated. It could probably be done by folding in a caramel in your nougat and just roll it out in a frame. Or it could be a simple version of leaf croquant.

[Charlene C.]

Thank you. I’ll try the folding method first.

[Bentley]

On 3/15/2022 at 4:19 PM, Chocolate_touu said:

And did this work for u, what was the result? 

Sorry I didn't see this question.  Yes it worked very well.  Nice crisp images.   

[Chocolate_touu]

On 3/30/2022 at 11:59 PM, ChristianD said:

The same question was asked a few weeks ago. I once carried out a test with stamps. As soon as I find the time, I will publish a tutorial in the Facebook group "https://www.facebook.com/groups/1413728595685917". 

Hello, did you published the tutorial in the group , if yes can you send me the link please .

[centhier]

I was wondering how this one was made by AD

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cl_nT3bpdMu/

 

Seems like its almost similar to the moon effect using water, not sure if it's a colored cocoa butter + water mixture

[Rajala]

I would guess some water/alcohol, I got a similar effect you can see in the beginning of the video when putting my failed molds in my sink a few years back thinking; "it would be interesting to get a pattern like this."

 

 

[centhier]

1 hour ago, Rajala said:

I would guess some water/alcohol, I got a similar effect you can see in the beginning of the video when putting my failed molds in my sink a few years back thinking; "it would be interesting to get a pattern like this."

 

 

Ohhh that makes sense, I think it's done by spraying colored cocoa butter into the molds first then not sure if you let the cocoa butter set or not but then you put it on a steam to get that effect then you let it cool down and wipe away the water, will test it out in the future

[Jim D.]

 

These beautiful eggs are from Monde du Chocolat.  The creator's work is incomparable.  I read somewhere that she does many of her designs by blowing dabs of cocoa butter inside each cavity, but this one looks too "composed" for the randomness of an airbrush.  How do you think this design was accomplished?  Sponges?  A fluffy paint brush (it's difficult to keep a brush fluffy after even a small amount of cocoa butter gets in it)?  Finger painting (looks too refined for that, but one never knows)?

[JeanneCake]

I've seen very small foam-tip tools, I wonder if that's it?

 

To  my very untrained eye, it could also be dabs of color and then a brief puff of compressed air(?) blown on it to "push" it around.

[Jim D.]

41 minutes ago, JeanneCake said:

I've seen very small foam-tip tools, I wonder if that's it?

 

To  my very untrained eye, it could also be dabs of color and then a brief puff of compressed air(?) blown on it to "push" it around.

 

I have some foam-tip tools, but they tend to make rather defined areas of color, not the "fluffiness" of this design

 

You second idea is what Monde du Chocolat ordinarily does.  Given the quickness with which cocoa butter hardens, it would take incredible speed--and talent. 

[JeanneCake]

I was thinking it was just color, not colored cooca butter.  is that even possible?  (I stopped trying to understand chocolate after your tempering lessons, which were very successful - because I can do it! - but it makes me feel like the chocolate is in charge and that's not something I'm used to so I'm sticking to buttercream LOL!)  It (the technique/result) reminds me of the learning curve when doing palette knife flowers in buttercream and how to color it and how to apply it....

[Jim D.]

57 minutes ago, JeanneCake said:

I was thinking it was just color, not colored cooca butter.  is that even possible?  (I stopped trying to understand chocolate after your tempering lessons, which were very successful - because I can do it! - but it makes me feel like the chocolate is in charge and that's not something I'm used to so I'm sticking to buttercream LOL!)  It (the technique/result) reminds me of the learning curve when doing palette knife flowers in buttercream and how to color it and how to apply it....

 

I don't think it is possible to add color without having it in cocoa butter.  After the chocolate shell is made, the tempered chocolate in the mold contracts as it crystallizes/cools, and the colored cocoa butter beneath it also contracts, so that they become one and come out of the shell together.  This is all assuming that cocoa butter and chocolate are in temper--and that the chocolate gods are smiling that day.  That contracting process wouldn't work with just food coloring applied to the shell.  The coloring agent must be in an oil-based medium (such as cocoa butter), or the chocolate would seize up when it encountered water-based colorant.

[Tri2Cook]

I feel like a prophet. 😁 Not really but I did say a couple years ago that I was gonna avoid the colored cocoa butter effort and learning curve by just sticking to natural chocolate colors until they came back into favor. Lo and behold, what has Andrey Dubovik been pimping on his Instagram recently? Natural.colors! I'm finally running with the cool kids again!

[Vojta]

On 8/31/2018 at 3:14 PM, Kerry Beal said:

It’s the difference between using transparent colors and opaque colors.

 

 

Hello  

I struggle with my colors lacking brightness and saturation (unless I mould in white CH). I've read this entire thread and I would like to ask some follow up questions. I will be so happy to hear from your experience. 

 

- Is a white coat after color coat necessary? Is there a way how to skip it and half the time spent spraying?

- How do I know if my colored cocoa butter is opaque or transparent when shopping for it? 

- With what do yoi do white base coat with? I tried 1:1 CB:white CH, still dark bonbons. And reccomended titanium dioxide (white coloring) is now banned. 

Bonus: do you buy or make your own colored CB?

 

Whats the best way how I can give some of my knowledge back? 

 

Thanks for having me here 

 

[Kerry Beal]

1 hour ago, Vojta said:

 

 

Hello  

I struggle with my colors lacking brightness and saturation (unless I mould in white CH). I've read this entire thread and I would like to ask some follow up questions. I will be so happy to hear from your experience. 

 

- Is a white coat after color coat necessary? Is there a way how to skip it and half the time spent spraying?

- How do I know if my colored cocoa butter is opaque or transparent when shopping for it? 

- With what do yoi do white base coat with? I tried 1:1 CB:white CH, still dark bonbons. And reccomended titanium dioxide (white coloring) is now banned. 

Bonus: do you buy or make your own colored CB?

 

Whats the best way how I can give some of my knowledge back? 

 

Thanks for having me here 

 

If you want transparent colours to pop - then you have to put white behind them. If you use white chocolate behind you can get somewhat the same effect - but it's not quite the same.

 

It's a bit of a challenge anymore telling which ones are transparent and which aren't - typically if they say they have titanium dioxide in them - not transparent. But these days as titanium dioxide has become evil - I guess you look for calcium carbonate. 

 

Look for one of the newer whites made with calcium carbonate.

 

I often make my own with either Power Flowers or powdered fat soluble colours. 

[Jim D.]

2 hours ago, Vojta said:

 

 

Hello  

I struggle with my colors lacking brightness and saturation (unless I mould in white CH). I've read this entire thread and I would like to ask some follow up questions. I will be so happy to hear from your experience. 

 

- Is a white coat after color coat necessary? Is there a way how to skip it and half the time spent spraying?

- How do I know if my colored cocoa butter is opaque or transparent when shopping for it? 

- With what do yoi do white base coat with? I tried 1:1 CB:white CH, still dark bonbons. And reccomended titanium dioxide (white coloring) is now banned. 

Bonus: do you buy or make your own colored CB?

 

Whats the best way how I can give some of my knowledge back? 

 

Thanks for having me here 

 

 

You bring up a significant issue with using CCB--opacity.  As Kerry wrote, you can look at the ingredients, and if there is white (usually titanium dioxide in the U.S.), it will PROBABLY be opaque.  But not always.  I airbrushed orange recently.  You might think orange would be opaque, and it is to some degree, but dark or milk chocolate behind it make it dull.  If you want it to pop, then go for the white.  Some other colors (I use Chef Rubber) that you might not expect to be opaque turn out to be.  There is a way to test:  If you have a sheet of something transparent (hard plastic is ideal), paint some of the melted CCB on a small area.  Let it crystallize, then melt some chocolate (dark or milk whichever you are going to be using for the shell) and paint that chocolate on about half of the CCB area.  When everything has firmed up, turn the plastic over and look at the blob, comparing the parts with and without chocolate.  This is not infallible, but it gives a fairly reliable prediction of what will happen.  One last thought:  You might expect red to be opaque, but it's one of the most disappointing colors--without white behind it.  I don't know if you have access to Chef Rubber, but they now have a non-titanium white that is getting very positive reviews.  I think it's the White Natural color, but I am not sure.

[pastrygirl]

@Vojta what brand of colors are you currently using?  I've been happy with Roxy & Rich's Gemstone collection, though the titanium dioxide free gemstone collection for the EU does not look to be as vibrant.  Only a few of the colors I use specify titanium dioxide as an ingredient, but maybe it is also a component of 'mica based pearlescent pigment'?

 

https://roxyandrich.com/e171-free-food-colours

 

I don't generally back with white.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Vojta]

Thank you everyone!

I finally managed to get great colors. The solution was to use much more coloring in homemade CCB (I tested with Jim D's method) and the second white opaque layer (made with white coloring, not just white CH).
 

 

On 2/8/2024 at 2:20 AM, Kerry Beal said:

I often make my own with either Power Flowers

I like to hear that. How many flowers do you use per 100 g of CB? I was thinking about buying powerflowers, but couldnt calculate the cost, since idk the dilution.

 

On 2/8/2024 at 5:23 AM, pastrygirl said:

I don't generally back with white.

Does it mean Roxy & Rich is opaque enough or do you mix something in? I tried mixing white with green or yellow, to safe time with the white bacground CCB, but it was unsuccessful and I needed to do white 2nd coat anyway. Would love to know because that cuts spraying time in half (I am more concerned about avoiding CB clouds :D).

[pastrygirl]

5 hours ago, Vojta said:

Does it mean Roxy & Rich is opaque enough or do you mix something in?

These are all dark chocolate shells. 

 

These are all dark except for the square one.

 

However these particular jewel colors aren't available in the EU & I can't speak for the non-jewel, EU safe colors.

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

15 hours ago, Vojta said:

Thank you everyone!

I finally managed to get great colors. The solution was to use much more coloring in homemade CCB (I tested with Jim D's method) and the second white opaque layer (made with white coloring, not just white CH).
 

 

I like to hear that. How many flowers do you use per 100 g of CB? I was thinking about buying powerflowers, but couldnt calculate the cost, since idk the dilution.

 

Does it mean Roxy & Rich is opaque enough or do you mix something in? I tried mixing white with green or yellow, to safe time with the white bacground CCB, but it was unsuccessful and I needed to do white 2nd coat anyway. Would love to know because that cuts spraying time in half (I am more concerned about avoiding CB clouds :D).

Don't really know - more like the proportions based on the colour cards that come with the power flowers. 
 

I seem to recall some weights that we discussed a long time ago when making colours from powders - also that you added a small amount of another primary colour and perhaps a bit of dark chocolate to some. Vague memory that it was something I learned in Belgium. Have to do some searching -

 

power flowers

 

weights for powders

Edited February 18 by Kerry Beal (log)

[Vojta]

Very important thing, I forgot to say last time!

I was made aware of it by my friend after giving free not painted samples: the painted bonbons taste worse than natural ones. I tested it myself and it is true. The coating of CCB gives a waxy/ tasteless feel. Compared to plain chocolate which melts better and testes sweet. Do you observe the same with your bonbons?

The CCB is expensive and I was thrifty with it, yet still the downgrade in taste for the sake of appearance is here.

 

Thank you very much @pastrygirl for sharing pictures. Looks colorful even on dark.

 

Thank you @Kerry Beal for taking the time to dig the info for me! According to my calculation, Power flowers are slightly more expensive then making your own CCB, but almost 2x cheaper compared to ready CCB. Very promising. (Based on your post: 16 flowers/200g CB).

Edited February 19 by Vojta
better explained (log)