Top products from r/CandyMakers

Oh yes, the cocoa powder should always be 100% cocoa, except when you turn it into hot cocoa mix. I meant that mass manufacturers have to add lots of sugar and milk powder in the process of making chocolate to cover up the crappy flavor.

One of the many chocolate jobs I've had over the last 12 years used Terrasoul cocoa powder for a while. They're pretty good, as is Navitas Organics. Both are readily available on Amazon and at Whole Foods and most other natural grocers (Sprouts, etc.)

Raw/unrefined or cold pressed cocoa butter is the way to go. It will retain a decent amount of flavor, and a good one should definitely smell like really light chocolate, and should almost smell sweet. It has a SLIGHT waxy smell, but if it starts to smell rancid or like paraffin wax (no chocolate smell) that's not the one to use. Terrasoul's cocoa butter has always been pretty decent.

So, a concher refiner is SORT of a mixer, but it's more of a grinder. They're usually a huge drum with weird arms inside that grind the chocolate against the walls of the machine. There are smaller versions that will do the job if you're deciding to become a more serious hobbyist, like this tabletop refiner (Premier Small Wonder Table Top Wet Grinder 1.5 Liter by SS Premier https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004OPIBV2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_KEptDbNKH13MX) but I definitely don't recommend trying to make any money off this kind of venture.

Lastly, Hershey's uses sour milk powder in their chocolate to give it a different taste. Milton Hershey basically had a bad batch of milk and just rolled with it instead of getting new milk and ended up liking the flavor more. Apparently, the company has moved over to using butyric acid instead of the rarer-to-find sour milk powder, but this is even grosser to think about - butyric acid is the same chemical compound that makes milk smell sour, cheese smell like a foot, and vomit taste... Well, like vomit. Delicious!

Ahahah tempering is absolutely necessary if you want any kind of molded chocolate. I've been a chocolatier for 4ish years & I've worked in some excellent kitchens with great equipment & also some truly ghetto places. Follow tempering instructions from a trusted website or (better yet) a confectionery book that's gone through editors & stuff. (I like this one! http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0764588443/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1427249091&sr=8-2&keywords=confections&pi=AC_SY200_QL40&dpPl=1&dpID=41aoftm6jBL&ref=plSrch) after your chocolate is tempered, stick it in the fridge until it's matte rather than shiny, then pull it out & stick it in front of a fan in a well ventilated area. The air moving helps it cool evenly & you don't risk condensation damage by leaving it in too cool a place. (Your ideal temperature is actually 55 degrees)

I made cherry cordials a couple of years ago with good results. I used the recipe from The Complete Photo Guide to Candy Making by Autumn Carpenter. I do recommend picking up a copy if you're interested, because there's a lot of helpful advice in it, but here's the fondant recipe:

5 cups granulated sugar

1 cup whole milk

1 cup heavy whipping cream

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1. Combine all ingredients in a 4- or 5-quart saucepan. Stir until the sugar is moistened. Place over high heat. Bring to a boil. Place a thermometer in the boiling syrup. Cook without stirring. As the fondant is cooking, use a brush with damp bristles to remove crystals from the sides of the pan. Do not let the brush touch the candy. When the syrup reaches 210 degrees Fahrenheit, lower the heat to medium. Cook to 240 degrees.
   
   
2. Without scraping the pan, pour the fondant onto a chilled baking sheet or marble slab to cool. Do not move the fondant while it is cooling.
   
   
3. When the fondant is warm, but not hot, begin paddling. Paddling the fondant when it is too warm may cause the fondant to become sugary. To paddle the fondant, scrape the fondant, pushing the fondant forward, then flip over the collected fondant. Continue scraping, pushing and flipping the fondant for several minutes. If fondant is on a baking sheet, place the baking sheet on a silicone mat or a wet towel to prevent the sheet from sliding while paddling.
   
   
4. After several minutes, the fondant will start to thicken and whiten.
   
   
5. When it is thick, creamy, and white it is ready. The fondant should be soft, but not sticky. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Allow the fondant 24 hours to ripen.
   
   Makes 2 1/4 pounds, enough for approximately 70 bonbons
   
   The notes do encourage you to whip the warm fondant in a stand mixer, which is what I did, instead of paddling it by hand. I think it took about 15 minutes to reach the right consistency for me.

Reductions seem like my best bet when it comes to the beer chocolate. And the wine reduction with the cherries seems like it would be amazing! I picked up a bag of frozen cherries to use, but I haven't really done any research on what I want to do with them.

Also, this book has a recipe for a white chocolate ginger truffle, in case that helps at all. I have used this book for a lot of my research, modifying where I want to, and it has been a great help!

Thanks for the book tip, I'll check it out. I started with Alton Brown's recipe (since, well, he's Alton Brown), and most of my messing around from there has been in trying different flavors. I started with different liqueurs in place of the brandy, but I found that juice reductions gave me more flavor. Sometimes you want the subtlety a liqueur provides, and sometimes you want to highlight the flavor a little more against the chocolate - or you want to use a flavor that isn't available in a liqueur, like the red wine or a beer.

For a beer truffle, in addition to using a beer reduction I would also try adding a few other flavors to try to punch it up. For instance - and this is just an example, because I don't know how well chocolate would work with a beer this light - for Blue Moon I would definitely steep orange zest in the cream. Figure out what beer you want to use, taste it and describe it the way you might a wine, and try to highlight and exaggerate the big tastes.

I poked around Google a bit and there are a few candied ginger chocolate bars, so there's clearly a flavor synergy there. I also just checked the Flavor Bible and they indicate it's a solid match, so I think it's worth trying.

1. Stone slabs are not 100% required but no, no wood is as good. Something like this will do fine though: https://www.amazon.com/CounterArt-Marble-Design-Cutting-Inches/dp/B002718MAK/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_79_bs_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=4H3V62P3FJK0Q0581Q7R
   
   
2. not sure what you mean. One of these? https://www.google.com/shopping/product/1948432555891213396?q=mixer+paddle&client=ubuntu&hs=ZLW&channel=fs&biw=1920&bih=883&prds=paur:ClkAsKraX3nRJb_5aLFUCGRTTyf5LxiXz3ZvTpcNv8XqD5x0aAbU779pWDbpRhgSPpsOjSINqkR94O-fMt5iIb68kFK73XPBLQ0jFPppZboIOZLzLLtBt09VpxIZAFPVH70rbCSo6XvOeikvTyqK93IHR4VY7g&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjNsPTXuZLeAhUpBMAKHQJSCxcQ8wII3wM
   
   
3. This depends on you. Do you want fudge flavoured with salted caramel or fudge with salted caramel through it?
   
   
4. You don't have to use unsweetened but it is indeed already sweet enough. Big fan of this stuff. https://www.vitacost.com/pascha-organic-dark-chocolate-baking-chips-100-cacao
   
   
5. It's exactly what you think it is.

You can buy smaller quantities of great chocolate but expect to pay about 15-20+ a pound.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00MROZBGU/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1549334910&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=cocoa+barry&psc=1

Some great brands are cocoa Barry, valhrona,callebaut, guitard. A cheaper brand is Peter's.

I was thinking of using some of this: Natural cherry flavor. Thanks for your feedback! I do appreciate it!

IR (laser) thermometers are fantastic, but not for candy cooking, as the steam throws off the reading. Digital is the way to go; I recommend one of these three: CDN, Maverick, Polder. I use the Polder and a refractometer.

I stopped using a thermometer ages ago, and use the incredibly old school method of testing sugar by hand, after it's been in some ice water. But for those who aren't familiar with soft ball & hard crack by touch alone, Amazon has a lovely digital candy thermometer for $22.07.

Premier Tilting Chocolate Refiner - Melanger

Here's a cheaper model that doesn't tilt: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B016E1NUZA/

I haven't been able to find a single one cheaper than those. And they both have great reviews.

You probably need to go to a 1" ball ice tray mold. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Hutzler-324-Ball-Tray-Natural/dp/B0042T4D8U

Temperature is so, so critically important for candy making. You should really invest in a solid digital thermometer. This is the one I have: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I9WTCN2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Navitas-Naturals-Organic-Liquor-16-Ounce/dp/B002PACC3G

This product states that it is cold pressed and raw. is this not??

Taylor candy thermometer. Cheap, has never let me down, and available at most big-box stores that carry kitchen goods.

Non-mobile: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0764588443/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1427249091&sr=8-2&keywords=confections&pi=AC_SY200_QL40&dpPl=1&dpID=41aoftm6jBL&ref=plSrch

^That's ^why ^I'm ^here, ^I ^don't ^judge ^you. ^PM ^/u/xl0 ^if ^I'm ^causing ^any ^trouble. ^WUT?

Sure thing!
stir 3 packets of knox gelatin into 1/4 of water. Go slowly when adding at first to avoid clumping. I take three packs in a bunch, tear off the top and pour while stirring.

I have a 1 cup glass measuring cup that I use, because the spout comes in handy when pouring into the molds later.

Let the gelatin "bloom" which more or less means let it solidify a little. I usually stir it into chunks so they dissolve faster.

Add food coloring to the gelatin
Add 1/2tsp LorAnn flavoring to gelatin http://www.lorannoils.com/
Add 1tbsp Citric Acid to gelatin
Add 1tsp Malic Acid to gelatin https://nuts.com/cookingbaking/salts/malic-acid.html

let everything sit while you prepare the sugar syrup
combine 1/3 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar
boil until 248^o or until very light amber color if you don't have a thermometer.

While the syrup is cooking gently mix the gelatin, food coloring, acids and flavor. The acids will have broken the gelatin down a bit and the mixture should be a little soupy.

When the syrup comes to temp pour it slowly into the gelatin while mixing at the same time. I use a regular fork. Mix thoroughly and pour into molds. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073YPDQVM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Refrigerate for about 3 hours or until firm
Cover with sugar
Cut in half
Cover in sugar again
Let sit out at least 24hrs uncovered so they get that extra chewy texture.

I batch will fill one mold.

A heat gun may help with managing temperature

Heat lamps and warming cabinets are also useful but a heat gun is the cheapest and possibly most accessible option that I can think of.

No need to remodel. These are counter-top models ---> Like this guy.