Troubleshooting air bubbles in my soft caramel for filled chocolates!

[ShylahSinger]

Help! I am an amateur and make chocolate truffles, bonbons, and caramels for friends and family. I made some soft caramel for filling molded bonbons. The flavor and consistency are fine, but the caramel is filled with bubbles. I don't know how to get the air bubbles out, and am concerned using it in my molded chocolates. I would like to know if it is okay to use. I have been making confections for about four years and this is the first time this has happened. I would really appreciate any help! I'm new to the forum and don't know anyone yet.

[Jim D.]

1 hour ago, ShylahSinger said:

Help! I am an amateur and make chocolate truffles, bonbons, and caramels for friends and family. I made some soft caramel for filling molded bonbons. The flavor and consistency are fine, but the caramel is filled with bubbles. I don't know how to get the air bubbles out, and am concerned using it in my molded chocolates. I would like to know if it is okay to use. I have been making confections for about four years and this is the first time this has happened. I would really appreciate any help! I'm new to the forum and don't know anyone yet.

 

How do you get the caramel into the molds?  With a pastry bag?  I don't recall seeing lots of bubbles in caramels I have made, but I would think the pressure of the piping would remove them.  You can also tap the molds on the counter after they are filled.  I use an immersion blender to add the softened butter to my caramel, but even that doesn't make bubbles I have noticed.

[ShylahSinger]

Thanks for your response! 

I usually fill the molds by using a pastry bag. 

I made it starting dry method, adding cream, then butter. Simple, but could I have stirred too vigorously?

The second photo shows what it's like after stirring. 

Am I just being overly cautious?

 

[Jim D.]

I use the "wet" method, but both involve much stirring (well, maybe less for the dry method).  I would not be disturbed by the bubbles in the photos.  Do bubbles still appear after you have piped?  Caramels (if not cooked to too high a temp) will settle into a cavity with time, leaving no air.  Although it is heresy to say this, you may be worrying needlessly.  I can't believe I wrote that.

[ShylahSinger]

Hi Jim. Thanks for the reassurance. There are a few small bubbles that come to the top of the bonbons after they're filled; sometimes I'm able to pop them with a toothpick. Otherwise they seal well and no ones found any problems with them. I'm just trying to be careful with my technique--I would hate to poison on of my children!

 

[Jim D.]

The Aw reading (free water, allowing for microbial growth) for my caramel with sea salt was 0.56.  According to experts, that means it will last for many months. 

 

As for poisoning your children, I don't think you will do it with caramel.  There may, of course, be times when you might wish for that outcome.

 

If you start making bonbons in quantity, you may want to look into freezing them (lots of info on how to do that on this forum).

[Anthony C]

Hi there.. I make salted caramel using the dry method. I sometimes get a few bubbles in my caramel.. maybe it is my stirring technique too. I don't use a blender like Jim because my batches of caramel are relatively small (0.5 - 0.75kg), so I don't see the need, and because I don't want to clean it after, but I can't imagine it would cause an issue.

 

I use a pastry bag to fill my bonbons and then leave them in my cooler for a few hours or overnight before sealing. Most bubbles seem to disappear during the piping stage and 99% of any others seem to have gone by the time I come to seal the bonbons. As Jim says, the AW of caramel is generally super low so any bonbons should last for ages without risk to children! I have tested mine after 8 weeks and they were fine, though my production batches never last this long as these are one of my top sellers.

 

Enjoy your caramel.