how to thin candy melts

Candy melts are a common ingredient for home bakers as most people find them pretty easy to work with since they do not require tempering. This means you can melt them right in the microwave (or in a double boiler) to effortlessly make professional quality chocolate candies right at home. 


But that doesn’t mean that candy melts always work the way we expect them to. After all, you came here looking for tips on how to thin candy melts so that must mean your compound chocolate is too thick to dip your treats. This is a common issue amongst treat makers & we have different solutions for you, but first, let’s talk about what can be causing this.


Your candy melts might be too thick if:

  1. They have been overheated. 
    Make sure you are melting your coating wafers slowly. Check out this blog post on how to properly melt candy melts! The key is to not heat your compound coating wafers above 90°F.
  2. You tried coloring them with regular or gel based food coloring.
    Candy melts & chocolate DO NOT like water. If any amount of water is mixed into your coating, it will seize & turn into a thick mixture so be sure to clearly check the ingredients list of the products you are mixing. If you want to color your candy melts, be sure you are using oil based or candy colors as they are specifically formulated to bond to chocolate & coating wafers.
  3. They haven’t been stored properly.
    Even though most candy melts have a shelf life of over a year from the date of purchase, that doesn’t mean they should necessarily be stored for that long. One of the main culprits of thick candy melts is humidity. As we mentioned, water can compromise the consistency of melted coating wafers. Because humidity is hard to control in a home setting, we recommend that you store your candy melts in an air tight container & use them within 3-4 months.
  4. They are low quality candy melts.
    Candy melts are not all created equal. Like any other product out there, there are lower quality candy melts like the ones found at local craft stores & higher quality ones like Merckens or our own Sweet Shoppe & our Eleven o’one Deluxe Line! The difference in quality comes from what kind & how much oil is in them. 

If your candy melts have been affected by water or gel based food coloring or humidity, we’re sorry to say there is no fix to that. You’ll have to start with a fresh batch of coating wafers!


However, if you are facing other types of thickness issues we have a few tips!

 

  1. Do not overheat your candy melts. Throughout the entire melting process the temperature should remain under 90°F. If you happen to slightly overheat your coating, quickly toss in some unmelted, room temperature wafers to help cool down your coating & bring it back to the proper consistency. 
  2. If you are melting your wafers properly & you are still facing issues with thickness, try thinning it out with either paramount crystals or coconut oil. Add one teaspoon at a time while stirring. Make sure not to add too much oil to your candy melts as this will result in them not fully drying or drying without shine.Paramount Crystals are delicate flakes made out of oil. These pair best with Merckens & some craft store brands. If you rather use coconut oil, we recommend using refined coconut oil to ensure it won’t change the smell or taste of your candy melts. We do not recommend using shortening or vegetable oil as these will change the flavor of your candy melts. 


If you have run into these issues before & are wanting to try a different brand that will have a better consistency, we recommend you check out our own brands. Sweet Shoppe is our domestic line & Eleven o’one brand features our line of European Deluxe Compound Coatings. Both are created differently & yield excellent results when melted… but don’t take our word for it. Check out the reviews on our website! 

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