I made some candy and lollipops out of candy melts and the candy melts separated like chocolate does if it's not tempered. they got that speckly white film on them.
I don't know what I did wrong b/c I followed the directions on the bag, and I even put the microwave power on 40% instead of 50% and I only did them for 20-45 seconds at a time before I mushed the bag. I used disposable decorating bags. One of the batches even just crumbled out of the mold.
Some of them worked and they looked good, but the ones that didn't looked like crap.
I just want to know what I did wrong for next time. Thanks!

Did you make sure there was no water in any of the molds before you put in the candy melts? That's the only thing I can think of that could have caused it.

Did you color them?

Did you pu themin the fridge??? I made some for a baby shower once and the ones i left on the counter looked like crap but the fridge ones looked great!

Maybe you received a bad batch (old). I have had that happen to me before, and I use the candy melts a lot for modeling.

The molds were clean and dry, I did try to colour some, but as soon as I heated them they seized and crumbled, so I threw them out and didn't use them. the rest I didn't colour, and I did put them in the fridge.
That's why I didn't know what I did wrong b/c I literally followed every direction.
I also used about 6 different colours, so if I did get a bad batch it would have been for like 4 of the 6 bags, is that possible?
At first I thought maybe I overheated them, but even the ones that were barely melted did it, and the worst ones were the dark cocoa, and I'm assuming it's b/c they are made with chocolate and should be tempered?

I've had that happen when the candy melts were getting old, or if there was any moisture in the bag or molds. I also only use oil based color and flavorings, the others may contain enough water to make the melts seize up. You can get some Paramont Crystals that you add to make the melts more smooth and more liquid when melted. Some brands and colors are harder to melt smooth than others. I hope you have better success next time!

Hi...the white you're getting in your chocolate is called blooming....
It's from the chocolate getting too cold in the fridge or freezer, or it can happen if you don't work fast enough with the chocolate before it begins cooling, like from stirring it too much, and taking too long putting it in a mold. You have to get enough on your spoon, get it in the mold, knock the air bubbles out of it, then let it set. If you spend too much time putting little amounts in at a time, and pushing it around with the spoon to get in the mold the way you want it, blooming will happen.
The white color to a chocolate does not mean it's old. Old chocolate will have a dry, maybe even crumbly look to it. The blooming to a candy bar is from it being exposed to warm, then cold temps. The secret to working with chocolate is to not overheat, or over cool, overwork, over stir.....

I always put my chocolate in a double boiler and melt it that way. Microwaving can be a pain as it can get away from you, and you have overheated it. If you need to make it smoother, add a tablespoon of Crisco to each 14 bag of melts and whisk it until it's incorporated. Your chocolate will be shiny, pour easier from a spoon into the mold. It does not taste greasy.....
The crumbling from the mold can be you taking it from the mold before it was set, or the chocolate was overheated.

edited to add additional paragraph

Did you use candy coloring are reg decorators coloring that might have been your problem if you didn't use candy coloring

Molly

I meant 1 tablespoon of Crisco per 1-14 ounce bag of melts.....

thank you brownie for the crisco tip; that is one i could have used in the past and will use in the future.

The only time that I had trouble with the candy melts was when they were old and they burnt in the micro after a few seconds and the ones that didn't burn were all white and fell apart. Probably not your fault, most likely just old.

The only time that I had trouble with the candy melts was when they were old and they burnt in the micro after a few seconds and the ones that didn't burn were all white and fell apart. Probably not your fault, most likely just old.

I prefer the double boiler method. They come a lot smoother and shinier. The microwave never works for me. Try that next time

Candy melts never require tempering, no matter what flavor or color, because they contain no real chocolate.

I suppose they could have been old, but I, too, would wonder how I could have had such bad luck to have so many of them been old.......

When I melt these in the microwave, I put them in a glass bowl, melt on 50% power for 10 seconds, stir, and repeat until 90% melted. I then stir until all of the bits are melted, too.

Microwaves cook from the center out. If you overheat the middle, they may seem OK initially, but eventually problems will show up--bloom, crumbliness, etc.

HTH
Rae

I use candy melts alot. Usually if I run into problems it's related to temperature. If the chocolate is not the right temp when you mold(for me usually too cool) it will get a white film on it when it sets up. Also if you overheat the chocolate it will sieze up and crumble like it does when exposed to water. I also found that the cheaper brand that they sell in craft stores doesn't melt as nice or taste as good as Mercken's or Wilbur's.
HTH

If you leave the mold in the freezer/fridge too long, the chocolate will be compromized and will be brittle and will have that chalky whiteness you describe. It is not the chocolate.

Try this, take a Hershey bar or any chocolate, and put it in the fridge or freezer, the same thing will happen.

I used to have problems with my candy melts when I used the microwave to melt. I finally used a 40% off coupon at michaels and got the chocolate melter pot. It is worth every penny. You just pour all the melts in and stir a few times, it then has a setting where it just keeps them warm, so you don't have to worry about reheating. I think with the coupon it only cost me about $10.
Lori

I was also told that glass heats faster in the microwave than plastic. So I have taken to using plastic measuring cups in the microwave and that seems to work better at it not getting so hot.

I have melted chocolate 3 ways: double boiler, microwave, elect melting pot and the only times I had probs w/chocolate is using old chocolate or leaving in freezer too long.

When I first began molding choc, I was give a book and it states in there you will have probs if you do both of those things-use old choc or leave in freezer too long.