(Green candy melts used with a shamrock stencil made great treats for my St. Patty’s Day cupcakes.)

Candy melts are a fun and creative way to mix up your cake or cupcake decorating. These artistic little sweets that can be found in just about any craft or baking store are not just for candy molds anymore.  Don’t be afraid to play with these and make a variety of creations for any holiday or occasion. This is also something that can be great fun for the kids as long as it is supervised by an adult (the candies can be a little on the warm side when they come out of the microwave). Here’s a tip that I hope you have as much fun with as I do!

Stenciling with candy melts:

Decide what design or stencil that you would like to use for your cake/cupcake decorating theme. This can be found and printed from the internet, drawn by hand, or pulled out of a coloring book.

• Go to your local craft store or grocery store and purchase the candy melt bags in the colors you will be needing. I am a HUGE fan of Wilton candy melts because I find the consistency great, a variety of colors being offered and they are easy to use.
• Have your stencil or design ready and place a piece of wax paper over the design. You may want to put them on a baking sheet or flat bottom dish for cooling later. The wax paper is usually sturdy enough to transfer after depending on how large your design is.
• You can use any type of pastry bag (just remember to clean immediately with warm water and soap) or I like to use a storage/freezer bag that I can dispose of after but these usually only work with the plastic screw on decorating tips that can be found in your local grocery store in the baking isle.
• You can use any style of decorating tip but I prefer the “round” decorating tips. These allow you to make the outline of the design before filling in. It’s a lot like coloring inside the lines
• If you are using the plastic decorating tips and the plastic storage/freezer bags then cut a small tiny hole in the corner of the bag and insert the tip threw the hole. Insert the threaded back inside the bag on top of the tip and on the outside, screw the black piece around the threaded back and bag and make sure it is tightly fit.
• Add the desired amount of candy melts into the bag or pastry bag. I recommend using about a half of bag or less at a time. Put into the microwave for about 20-30 seconds at a time and no more then 1 minute. You don’t want them burning because they can change color and consistency. If it is a little warm to touch, allow to cool on counter for a minute or two.
• Squeeze melted candies toward your tip and begin adding the color to your design. If you plan on using more then one color on the same design, allow each color to cool completely in refrigerator before adding the next color.
• Place designs in cooler for about 15-20 minutes. Carefully and slowly peep 1 individual design before pulling them all to make sure that it has hardened completely.
• Once hardened you can pull your candy melt designs off you wax paper and begin decorating your cakes/cupcakes or other fun desserts. (Unless you plan on adding more colors or details)
• Extra tip: get even more creative by making freehand designs and putting your traditional lollipop sticks (can also be bought in your craft store) in the candy before cooling. Hearts, flowers and other shapes are great ways to add some fun to your designing and the kids love them!
• Extra tip: Add any type of candy (M&M’s, Skittles, etc) to your candies before cooling for an added fun and yummy sweet treat.

Have fun mixin’ up your cake/cupcake decorating and presentation with these ideas! Easter is on the way and this is a great way to make some edible and sweet Easter eggs for you holiday “get-together”

(The hair on Dora and Diego were done by using a stencil found on the internet and brown candy melts.)

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