Dark Chocolate Kisses

For Valentines Day I made molded chocolate kisses. 

I love making molded chocolate, but I really dislike the candy melts they sell at the craft stores. They taste terrible and have loads of sugar and hydrogenated oil in them. They also have artificial flavor as the last ingredient which boggles my mind. I mean chocolate and a little vanilla is all you need.  So I make mine using melted chocolate chips and a little sunflower oil. I might not be able to get the really shiny look or fancy colors of the candy melts but the chocolate tastes good and has less sugar. You can see the difference below on Ghiradelli chocolate chips' ingredients and Wilton candy melts' ingredients. I used Ghiradelli because that's what they had at Target - but I am sure you can use any semisweet chocolate you want including organic chocolate bars broken up. Just put a tablespoon of sunflower or other oil in about 10 ounces of chocolate and melt using a double boiler or at 1/2 power in the microwave in 30 second intervals. Take the chips out of the microwave when they are still lumpy and let them melt while stirring with a spoon. Spoon into your mold and put in the plastic ring pop ring if you have them. That just makes it fun! I like to speed up the hardening process by putting them in the freezer for about 5 minutes. I am impatient! 

Ingredients Wilton candy melts - sugar, partially hydrogenated palm kernal oil, whole milk solids, cocoa powder processed with alkali, reduced mineral whey powder, cocoa powder, soy lechithin, salt, artificial flavor 

Ingredients Ghiradelli 60% cacao chocolate chips - Bittersweet Chocolate (unsweetened chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, milk fat, soy lechithin - an emulsifier, vanilla). 

The kids will be getting these in their bento lunch boxes one day this week as a preview to Valentine's day! They would also make great school valentine gifts. 

Here's a similar candy mold at Amazon that has the space for lollipop sticks so you won't need the plastic rings:

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