You love candy, just like me. But you love candy so much that you want to have a go at making your own. Well, good for you, I say. For me, there’s nothing more fulfilling than making your own candy, only to devour it all in one later on.
But people don’t realize that making candy is actually quite a complex process. There are many factors and ingredients to consider.
One of the most important ingredients to consider is the chocolate you are going to use if that is what the type of candy you are making requires.
Today, we’re going to explore the best chocolates out there to make candy with. So let’s tuck in…to the knowledge, I mean, not the actual chocolate.
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Best Chocolate For Making Candy
If you’re making candy, you’re going to want to use the chocolate that is going to bring the most benefits. Both in terms of taste, texture, and production.
It’s such a key ingredient for making candy, so it is of vital importance that you choose the correct one.
Later we’ll talk about what types of chocolate work best with making candy and which ones don’t work so well.
For now, I’m going to give you a top 5 list. Boy, do I love a top 5 list.
This list consists of 5 chocolate brands that I believe are the best for using to make candy.
So let’s tuck into today’s top 5 list of best chocolates for making candy!
Cadbury’s Chocolate
A staple in the chocolate world, famous for its smooth surfaces, hard textures, and mouth-watering tastes.
Whether it be milk chocolate or white chocolate, or whatever type of chocolate you need, Cadbury is excellent for making candy with.
A brilliant consistency that is creamy, thick, and rich in flavor is produced when you heat any type of Cadbury’s chocolate up.
Ensure that you melt Cadbury’s chocolate in a pan for the best results. If you use a microwave, then you risk overcooking the chocolate.
- Please Note This is a British Product and the Expiry Date will be in UK format DAY-MONTH-YEAR
Nestle Toll House Milk Chocolate Morsels
The next addition on today’s list is from Nestle, another major name in not just the candy world but the food world full stop.
Nestle’s Milk Chocolate Morsels are incredibly versatile, so you can bet they will probably fit in with your candy recipe.
Seriously, it can do the lot.
You can bake it, melt it, and even drizzle it on top. An amazingly delicious chocolate to make your candy with that is easy to melt.
Not only this, but it also stays melted. Gluten-free and with no artificial preservatives, this is a nice healthy addition to the list.
But that’s no surprise. It is from Nestle, after all.
Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Baking Chips
Time for another big brand now. Of course, it’s Hershey’s. Yes, really! It’s Hershey’s.
They do have a line for baking and cooking.
What’s more, they have a fantastic line of these products as well. As we know, Hershey’s doesn’t do things in half measures.
That’s apparent with these chocolate baking chips, which melt to a beautifully smooth consistency.
All whilst maintaining that wonderful chocolate flavor of their other standard range products.
Great for coating, baking, and everything else. No artificial flavors or colors either! Wow, we’re being healthy today.
- Contains twelve (12) 11.5-ounce bags of HERSHEY'S Milk Chocolate Baking Chips in a bulk box
- Baking morsels ready for all your chocolaty recipes like pancakes, brownies, muffins and chocolate-covered treats
- Bulk, kosher-certified, gluten-free milk chocolate with no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives packed inside 12 bags to retain freshness
- Bake birthday treats, holiday desserts and your favorite homemade fundraising treats with chocolate baking chips
- Delicious milk chocolate chips chock-full of classic HERSHEY'S chocolate for all your best baking recipes
Merckens Melting Milk Chocolate Wafers
Merckens have got you when it comes to candy making.
Their chocolate wafers are designed to bring about the best results when melted or baked.
The tiny size of these wafers is perfect for heating as they melt very quickly and very easily.
Strikingly tasty, smooth in texture, and perfect for using with molds.
- Free Shipping
- Fresh and Delicious
- In general, chocolates melts if they are kept beyond 65 degrees Fahrenheit. At the same time, Chocolate may melt in shipping if ordering during warmer temperatures. If it melts during shipping, it can be remelted and there will be little change in the hardened/finished chocolate.
- Chocolate may melt in shipping if ordering during warmer temperatures. If it melts during shipping, it can be remelted.
Ghirardelli Premium Baking White Chocolate Chips
We’ll finish today’s list with a white chocolate option, especially as white chocolate is a great chocolate type to use for making candies as it could be argued that the lighter flavors lean closer to those of non-chocolate candy than those of milk and dark chocolate.
These white chocolate chips from Ghirardelli are of high quality, made from real vanilla.
Yum.
That means you avoid using artificial flavors as there are none in these scrummy little chips.
They melt very well into a smooth, rich, and creamy finish which is perfecting for baking and melting practices.
- Classic White chips have a sweet, creamy flavor complemented with hints of real vanilla.
- Made with real vanilla. Kosher.
- Elevate your baking from great to extraordinary.
- Perfect for Blondies, Cookies, Cinnamon Pancakes, White Mousse, and Cakes
- Discover the Ghirardelli Difference.
What Types Of Chocolate Are Best For Candy Making?
Different types of chocolate suit different types of candy making. Though, baking chocolate, milk chocolate, bittersweet chocolate, semi-sweet/sweet Chocolate, cocoa nibs and white chocolate tend to be best.
We’ll go through the best categories of chocolate for candy-making in a minute. But bear in mind that your situation/recipe may determine what type of chocolate you use.
For example, if your recipe requires chocolate that is thin, then you’ll need a chocolate with a high oil or fat content. This will make the chocolate thinner once melted.
All chocolates do melt, of course.
But not all melt to a level of suitability that fits candy making.
Getting the right chocolate is therefore so important. You get the wrong chocolate, and your homemade candy will never reach its full potential.
The best chocolates for candy making will melt at lower temperatures. They will also melt to a smooth texture, harden appropriately, and finish with a glossy shine.
The best chocolates also won’t burn!
But what are these chocolate types? Let’s take a look.
Baking Chocolate
The clue is in the name. Baking chocolate, also known as unsweetened or bitter chocolate, is perfect for…yes, you guessed it, baking.
That’s down to its astringent taste and its contents of cocoa butter and hardened cocoa solids without any added sugar.
Milk Chocolate
It can do no wrong with milk chocolate.
The creamy tastes found in candy bars come from the use of milk chocolate in the candy’s production process.
So you can bet that milk chocolate will do the same job for you as well.
That being said, its taste can easily be overpowered by the flavors of other ingredients in certain baking and cooking processes.
Bittersweet Chocolate
One of the best types of chocolate for baking and cooking.
The high concentration of chocolate liquor in bittersweet chocolate gives it a stronger chocolate flavor.
Semi-sweet/Sweet Chocolate
Similar to the bittersweet chocolate above, these chocolates are great for baking and cooking.
They contain higher levels of sugar, hence why they are known as sweet and not bittersweet chocolates. The two can also easily be mixed together when cooking.
Cocoa Nibs
Perfect for baking, these roasted cocoa beans are incredibly versatile. You can use them for your cookie mix, or you can melt them to infuse with whatever candy you are making.
Very delicious in flavor and easy to melt due to their small sizes. Many cooking chocolates come in this form for that very reason.
White Chocolate
I am a sucker for white chocolate; I do love it.
That doesn’t make me a fake chocolate lover; white chocolate is just as important.
Especially when it comes to candy making, it’s great for baking and cooking.
As I mentioned before, under my white chocolate top 5 list addition, white chocolate is great for candy because its flavors can be more compatible with certain candies and their recipes.
This is particularly true if you’re making fruity candy. White chocolate often compliments these flavors more than milk or other types of chocolate.
What Chocolate Doesn’t Work Well When Making Candy
Chocolate that doesn’t cook well should be avoided when making candy.
You don’t want a chocolate type that takes a lot of heat to melt.
If it’s not melting easily, then it probably doesn’t want to be turned into candy. It probably just wants to be eaten. So take it out and stuff it down your face, but don’t burn your fingers.
Also, if it doesn’t produce a smooth consistency when melted, then you’ll want to avoid that too.
Burning, overcooking and uneven cooking are all signs that a chocolate just isn’t fit for cooking.
Then, of course, there’s appearance and taste. You’ll be able to work these for yourself.
Quality is also important.
Higher quality chocolates, which are often more expensive, contain higher levels of cocoa butter which gives them a greater fat content.
Chocolates of lower quality will compensate for their lack of cocoa butter and fat content by using cheaper oils like soy or vegetable oil.
What’s the result? Well, it will be up to you to decide, but it often means that the lesser quality chocolates don’t taste as good as the higher ones even when they’ve gone through the cooking process. So the flavor is normally not as good.
At the same time, their melting points are higher, so they don’t cook as quickly or as well as the more expensive chocolates.
Hopefully, you’ll follow today’s guidance and will therefore be able to choose the best chocolate that suits your candy-making process.
Finally
Cooking candy is a tricky business.
Cooking candy with chocolate as an ingredient complicates things even more.
Luckily the major chocolate brands out there recognize that people want to make their own. So there’s a vast array of cooking chocolates from top brands to choose from.
Even then, you’ve got to get the one that best suits you and your recipe.
Good luck!
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Hello, I’m Matthew, a candy expert and enthusiast with over a decade of experience in the candy industry. My passion for candy started at a very young age. Since then, I have worked in numerous, large candy stores, and have been fortunate enough to try out hundreds of brands of candies, different types and flavors. In addition to my work, I enjoy sharing my extensive knowledge with others, and decided to create Sugar Stand in order to do so. My mission is to make the world a sweeter place, one candy at a time.