What Are Candy Melts And Are They Made Of Chocolate?

If you've ever tried melting chocolate for dipping things like chocolate-covered strawberries or cake pops, you know that working with this particular ingredient can be a bit of a hassle. Sometimes, the chocolate overheats and burns, while other times, water gets in and makes it seize up.

Enter candy melts, a confectionary coating that melts with far less trouble than your standard white, milk, or dark chocolate and is perfect for creating dipped desserts. Candy melts aren't made out of chocolate but instead contain vegetable oil, sugar, milk solids, and artificial color and flavoring. They come in a variety of colors, from brown and white to fun shades like pink and orange. Candy melts look like small, flat buttons, making them easy to use in the kitchen.

Before using them, there are some things you should know about candy melts and how they differ from chocolate. They may also provide inspiration to use instead of chocolate in your baking.

Candy melts are different from chocolate in more ways than you might think. For starters, they don't contain cocoa butter or cacao. Instead, candy melts use vegetable oil as the fat. This is cheaper than cocoa butter and can also be easier to work with. Because the ingredients in candy melts are more affordable, they tend to cost less than picking up a block of chocolate for your baking, too.

Besides the price and the ingredients in candy melts, their flavor is also slightly different. Candy melts tend to have a plain or milky flavor. On the other hand, chocolate has a much richer and sweeter taste. Because of this, candy melts tend to be more for show than flavor.

Finally, the way that candy melts actually melt is also different. It can be tricky to perfectly melt chocolate without burning or seizing, especially if you melt it in the microwave. However, candy melts tend to melt much easier. When they melt, they have a waxy texture that's easy to work with and hardens quickly.

Because candy melts aren't the same as chocolate, how you use them looks a little different. Since they don't have as much flavor as chocolate, they're best used as decoration rather than a flavor enhancer. Otherwise, you may find that your desserts come out tasting different than you'd expected. A good example would be to use them as a coating for chocolate-covered pretzels or with molds to create small candy decorations to add to baked goods.

Another thing to note about candy melts is that to use them, you don't necessarily have to melt them in a double-boiler. Using candy melts is much more straightforward than chocolate as they're less prone to burning and clumping. It may be easier to melt candy melts in the microwave, making them the perfect option to save time on your baking. If you're in a rush, this might be a good pick.

Finally, candy melts are easier to work with than regular chocolate. Novice bakers may find using candy melts is a quick and easy way to get perfectly melted chocolate. Plus, candy melts are easily manipulated into a thinner consistency by adding extra oil or throwing in some EZ thin. This can make it easier to work with for dipping, helping newer bakers get great-looking desserts without much effort. Now that you know what candy melts are and how to use them, you're ready to take your dipped desserts to a new level!