Ok...so I thought I'd make petit fours....they're for work tomorrow. I got them all stacked, filled and covered in buttercream (about half of them so far)...That was a pain in the butt, but they look okay. So, I bought candy melts....I've tried using a squeeze bottle like good ol' Wilton says to do but I should have known that wouldn't work well. I tried adding Paramount Crystals to it (to thin it out) and dipping it, but that didn't work either! I can't seem to get my chocolate thin enough to coat nicely and not be WAY too thick. Please, if anyone has any advice? Should I make a ganache? Will colored or white chocolate work if I do?? Please help. I was up all night last night and it's already midnight and I have to be at work at quarter to 6 and I'm SOOOOOOO tired!

Also, side note - how do I make a message with a red folder?? Everyone looks at those first and I don't know how to do it!

I think you can only do ganache if you are able to refrigerate them, because of the dairy in it....as far as thinning the candy melts I have no idea how you can thin them out and not change the texture too much so that they will still harden. I hope someone else has an answer for you....something you could maybe test on a small amount of chocolate is adding some corn syrup to thin it, but I have never done this...that is why I say to test a small amount. As for the red folder issue I think that only happens when a thread has so many views and becomes "popular" I really hope you get more help soon, i can feel your exhaustion!

ooh hard one... I usually use molds for this very reason. My first choice would've been a thicker than normal ganache in the squeeze bottle.

Add a little shortening to the melts to thin, they will harden in fridge.

The red folder designates a new posting

It is very helpful if you freeze the petit fours before you dip them or use a poured icing.

These are the instructions I got from CC some time ago. I hope they help.

PETIT FOUR INSTRUCTIONS


From LisaMS - 1 1/4" dia. and 2" tall.

Here are my detailed petit four instructions:

1) Bake 1 Pillsbury white cake mix in an 11 x 15 pan at between 325 and 350 degrees (only 15 to 20 minutes until it is very light golden brown). I always spray my pan with Pam then line with a sheet of waxed paper to keep cake from sticking and drying out on edges.

2) Cool cake in pan on wire rack for app. 10-15 minutes. Flip cake out of pan; let completely cool on wire rack (another 20-30 minutes) then wrap well in plastic wrap and put in freezer. (Don't remove waxed paper.)

3) 2 hrs. later or even the next day, take cake cake out of freezer and ice only top part of cake with a thin layer of butter cream. Apply a sheet of wax paper over the butter cream making sure to get all the wrinkles out of the wax paper. Rewrap well in the same plastic wrap and return to freezer. Let cake with butter cream freeze for 24 hours.

4) Next day mix up fondant ingredients in a 3 qt. pot with handle. (My recipe is similar toWilton's...2/3 cup water stirred in a measuring cup with 3 TB clear karo syrup, then mixed in the pot with 2 lbs. confectioner's sugar...add 1 tsp. almond extract right before pouring)...

5) Turn stove onto lowest heat and get cake out of freezer. Unwrap and cut off all edges with a long, sharp knife dipped in hot water then wiped dry.

6) After edges are cut off take ruler and toothpick and measure 1 1/2" increments around cake. This will insure uniform sized cakes. Make cuts by again using sharp knife dipped in hot water then wiped clean. (Keeping knife dipped in the water then dried is best way to have clean cuts and less crumbs.)

(***In the process of making these cuts I periodically stir my poured fondant. You kind of get a feel for when to stir it. The bottom of the pot really should never get so hot you can't put your hand on it comfortably. If you feel it is getting too hot while you are cutting your cakes take it off the burner for a bit. I've gotten pretty fast at cutting.)

7) Put individual cakes on wire rack placed over a 12 x 18 cake pan. (They should not be touching each other but I can get 4 1/2 dozen on one wire rack.)

After all cakes are cut and placed on wire rack, stir fondant again making sure all lumps are gone (it should be ready by this point); then add almond extract; mix well and begin pouring. ***Pour directly from 3 qt. pot with handle; starting in the middle of the petit four cakes and then circling around the edges until sides are covered.*** Continue on until all fondant is poured. (The first round I usually get about 22-24 petit fours coated.)

9) Take wire rack off of 12 x 18 pan so that you can scrape fondant back into pot with plastic spatula; reheat; adding just a drop of water if necessary to thin it a bit. Reheating shouldn't take more than 2-4 minutes.

10) Repeat pouring procedure and scraping procedure till all petit fours are coated.
This method makes 4 1/2 dozen petit fours from one cake mix.

yep, shortening will thin your chocolate.

thank you all for your quick and helpful responses!! i'm going to go at it for my....fourth round or so I think i'll try the shortening first (it sounds the easiest). does anyone know if i could make poured fondant with "dry fondant"? i bought it a long time ago from the store i work at and used it for chocolate covered cherries (to make the syrup). i am about out of confectioner's sugar so i can't use the recipe i see on here....This is just in case the shortening doesn't work!

thanks again everyone!!!

Good luck fellow Gemini! I've done petit fours before but that was when I worked in a bakery and all I had to do was color the icing heat it and pour. And we used mini cupcakes. Sorry I couldn't help but thanks for posting, now I got great tips too! Thanks Sherik also!