Dipped Caramels
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
oh no! The bourbon goes in during the final stage of cooking.
Forum Activity for @Sweet Impact Mama
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Dipped Caramels
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
I haven't yet gone to a piping consistency for the Bourbon Salted Caramel. I pipe my dry caramel (more of a French, dark caramel). My bourbon one is cooked to 116.5-117 C. It is cut and dipped, or made into the turtles ( think I posted a pic up there.)
Dipped Caramels
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Tomric's was on my possible list... it's in my "affordable" range, so it's good to hear it has made that much of a difference! Thanks!
Dipped Caramels
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
if you can't, my email is sweetimpactchocolates@gmail.com
F/S - 5 Heart Shaped Chocolate Molds, Rigid Polycarbonate CW2348 - Oakland
Posted in: Classifieds F/S or Wanted
Hi there! Are you willing to break this lot up? I already have 2 of these and LOVE them, but don't need that many. I'd be interested in 4 or 5 of them.
Dipped Caramels
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
So, I've been doing some research on copper pots... not sure how big yours is or how much you'd be asking for it, but would something like this work?
http://tigercook.com/product_info.php/products_id/195
Dipped Caramels
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Thank you for all that great advice, Daniel!
I never seem to have any issue with scorching, and my caramel is the texture you describe. If I cut it, it holds it's shape, in a room at about 66 degrees, for about 10 minutes, before it starts to spread a little. I'm neurotic about temp, but I only get 150 caramels from each double batch. I am using my modified version of the master recipe they gave us in Ecole Chocolat's chocolatier course. It has always worked brilliantly for me... my only trick was to discover the precise temp I wanted to use to get the right texture, while adding about a 1/2 cup of bourbon to the double batch.
That kettle you use sounds huge. How do you get it onto the stove????
Good to hear the guitar cutter works for yours... that's my first option for a big expenditure, because it will also help improve my options for truffles.
I already do a liquid caramel in a 70% shell, that is a HUGE hit. Everyone that tries, in my little area, has never tasted something like it. But I want some chew to these and that one doesn't have it. It literally just flows into your mouth. I'm using a dry caramel for that one - no water... just dissolve the sugar, get it to toffee colored and then add butter and cream, vanilla and salt.
Dipped Caramels
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Hello to all the lovely experts out there. I'm a 1 year old newbie, when it comes to working with chocolate and have managed to get myself into a predicament. Hoping there might be some techniques out there I'm not aware of.
One of the first things I made that were a total hit are my Bourbon Salted Caramels. I do them in 4 forms... naked, dipped in a Peruvian milk chocolate and sprinkled with Hawaiian lava salt, dipped in Ecuadorian 65% and sprinkled with Applewood smoked salt, and then I do turtles. I've posted some older pics, to give you a bit of an idea.
My problem is this. They have become really good sellers... particularly when it comes to shops that carry them. And I'm very low-tech, in terms of my operation. The caramel is made in double batches, using a 13 quart tri-ply pan on stovetop. It's poured into a sheet pan and cooled, then, at this point, I'm still scoring them with a pastry cutter (not the super sturdy type) and cutting by hand. Then, I dip them all by hand.
All my chocolate tempering is by hand/seed method and I hold my chocolate in 2 3kg Mol d'Art melters that I found used, on Ebay, for a song...I've become very obsessive about tracking when this sort of stuff shows up. Again, very low tech, in terms of shop size, equipment, etc.
I don't bottom them... not sure how to do that with a sheet pan full of caramel. I just cut, group for dipping type and go. But this is taking FOREVER. And with the 3 shops buying them at several dozen at a wack (but wholesale) and then weekly markets and my online sale, I need to figure out a faster way to bang these out.
Anyone have a non-expensive recommendation on how to speed things along? I am looking at a caramel roller cutter, since that would speed it along a little. If not, I'll just muddle along until we can afford some higher tech stuff. 
Chocolate Geode
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Nice job! Now what sort of "base" did you grow these on? Did you create a hollow chocolate egg and put the solution inside? It makes sense that warmer is better. I know when my kids were littles and we were learning about crystal formation, sugar crystals had to be grown near the furnace vent.
Paint brushes for chocolates
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Hello! I do all my cocoa butter painting and such by hand (waiting for sales to allow me to purchase a beginning airbrushing set up). I know the rules about what types of brushes to use for food safety, but I'm having issues with getting brushes that won't have the paint peel off the handles after a couple washings. (I hand wash everything in my kitchen.)
Does anyone have recommendations for decent quality brushes that have plastic or better quality wooden handles, that can handle being washed well, without shedding and peeling?
***********
Second question: Is anyone working with TruColor products? Particularly the new liquid "effects" paints for chocolate? I need to brainstorm some issues I'm having with it.
Thanks in advance!
Chocolate Geode
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
Isn't that amazing! I had no less than 4 of my customers send me the link to this video and ask when I was going to make one. Lol! It will be my project recipe for next Easter - creating smaller versions of this to sell. Can you imagine how much fun it would be for kids to open up?!?
Hello from a newbie in Wisconsin
Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself
Ahh, so they are a sub-category of Bon Bons. That's a helpful way to think of it. Tho, the ones they are selling can be cut into quarters easily! They're cake pop sized.
Thanks for the input.
Hello from a newbie in Wisconsin
Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself
Hi! I have a tiny chocolate company in S.E. Wisconsin - something of a social venture project. Sweet Impact Chocolates is in it's 4th year, but I only started doing full-fledged chocolates in the summer of last year. I'm focused on all-natural products, using ethically-sourced chocolate and then 10% of my sales goes to NGO's that help trafficked kids and education for girls/young women. I could go on and on, but I'll leave it at that to spare you all 
Among many other things I'll be running to this forum for, I have a fundamental question for you all. Honestly, I hadn't needed to address it until a florist approached me about carrying my chocolates in her shop.
What differentiates a "truffle" from a "bon bon?" My understanding was that a shell, with truffle filling, no matter the shape, could be called a truffle. But, based on what lines they already carry, a truffle needs to be enormous and a ball, and dipped. They carry a product that, honestly, after taking the class I did from Ecole Chocolat, offends my food snob sensibilities. It's 1.5 ounces and has so much artificial junk in it, including the coating not actually being chocolate, that I was stunned. She wanted to know if I could do anything like it. Which I can, but if I'm going to put my name on it, it won't be that sort of product. Trouble is, she only pays 1.42 for each one, and has a 3-6 month shelf life. Color me gob-smacked!
So, are there any technical rules about what makes a truffle?
Thanks in advance and I'm so happy to have found this forum!
-Kristi