Homemade Filled Chocolates Are Easier Than You Think

If you want to wow your special someone on Valentine's Day, skip the store-bought box of chocolates and make your own. It's easier than you think, and your valentine will feel the love you put into a box of handmade chocolates you made just for them. I'll walk you through how to make molded and filled chocolates step by step, and show you how to package them for Valentine's Day, anniversaries, birthdays, or any special occasion.

How to Make Molded and Filled Chocolates

Makes about 18-20 candies depending on the size of your molds

Tools and Ingredients

• 2 chocolate candy molds
• 1 offset spatula or icing spreader
• 1 12-ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil (make sure it's the kind that is solid at room temperature)
• Assorted fillings*
• Assorted toppings**
• Candy boxes
• Tissue paper
• Mini paper muffin liners or candy cups

*Ideas for fillings: dried or candied fruit, chocolate truffles (Chef John has a great recipe here), soft or chewy caramel candies, pecans or walnuts –– there are a lot of possibilities! For this tutorial I'm using chewy caramel candies, pecans, and chocolate truffles for the centers.

**Ideas for toppings: melted white or dark chocolate, edible glitter, sprinkles, crushed nuts, and pieces of dried fruit make great toppings. Get creative with whatever decorations make you happy!

Directions

1. Melt chocolate and coconut oil

This article gives you step-by-step instructions for three different ways to melt chocolate. I'm following the simple microwave method from the article to melt the entire bag of chips but with 1 teaspoon of coconut oil added. The coconut oil gives the chocolate a firmer consistency that helps it keep its shape.

When melting your chocolate and coconut oil, you want it to be blended together very smoothly. To do that, make sure you're stirring the mixture between each 10-second microwave heating. At first, the chocolate may look like it's not melted yet, but once you start to stir you'll find that it actually is melted. This is a good thing to be mindful of so you don't overheat it.

Overheated chocolate will do what bakers call "seizing." Seizing describes the texture of the chocolate going from smooth and spreadable to grainy and scorched. Once it becomes grainy, it's impossible to work with. We want smooth chocolate, so heat it slowly!

Tip: For a box of white chocolates, just substitute white chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips. For different colored chocolates, you can use candy melts. The wafers are vanilla flavored and not actually chocolate, so the flavor and texture is a little different. But they do look lovely.

2. Coat molds

Using your spreader, add a small amount of melted chocolate to the molds one at a time. Then spread the melted chocolate so it coats the entire surface, taking care to spread the chocolate all the way up the sides of each mold.

Be sure that you apply a coating that's thick enough so none of the mold is peeking through –– every nook and cranny should be coated in chocolate.

Tip: For a shortcut version, you can fill the entire mold up with melted chocolate at this step and skip the fillings. They'll be just as cute and have the feel and flavor of a chocolate Easter bunny.

3. Chill

Chill the coated molds in the freezer for 30 minutes to let the chocolate firm up.

4. Add the fillings

Next, stuff the chocolate-coated molds with the fillings. Depending on the size of your mold, you might have to trim the fillings to fit. I cut my chewy caramel candies into thirds and rolled my chocolate truffles into extra tiny balls to fit in my molds.

Make sure none of the filling is protruding out the top. You want the fillings to be flush with the top of the mold. This gives you a nice flat bottom after the second layer of chocolate is added.

Tip: When choosing your fillings be aware that they may become hard in the fridge. If this happens, let them sit out at room temperature for 5 minutes before being eaten.

5. Fill mold with final layer of chocolate

This step gets a little messy! Using your spreader, add a small amount of the melted chocolate to each mold, filling the mold completely. You'll want to fill each mold all the way up and then set the entire mold on a piece of parchment paper or paper towels.

Then, using a clean spreader, gently scrape the excess chocolate off the top of the molds as seen above. This step doesn't have to be perfect, though be sure to use a clean spreader. Why? If the spreader already has chocolate on it, it won't scrape the excess off and will make more of a mess. Any extra chocolate that's still left on the mold can be removed pretty easily by hand after the chocolates have set.

If you're having trouble completing the above steps because your chocolate has hardened, you can reheat your chocolate and coconut oil mixture to make it melty again. I did this by popping it in the microwave at 10-second increments and stirring.

Tip: If you want to clean up the molds before chilling, you can use a damp paper towel to carefully clean up around the top of the molds. Make sure you leave enough chocolate that the molds are completely full.

6. Chill

Set the filled chocolate molds on a large tray lined with parchment paper. Freeze for one hour. Do not discard the tray or parchment; we'll use them in the next step.

7. Pop out

This is the most rewarding part of the process! Gently pop out each piece of chocolate onto your chilled tray lined with parchment paper.

Tip: Before decorating, it's a good idea to give the chocolates another hour to set at room temperature. Allowing them to set on the parchment paper at room temperature will prevent them from melting in your hands as you decorate them.

8. Clean up the edges

Using your hands or the tip of a paring knife, gently remove any excess chocolate from the pieces. You can also use the tip of your fingers to round off any rough edges. Be very gentle to ensure you don't damage the delicate pieces of chocolate.

9. Decorate

The popping out was the most rewarding part of the process, but the decorating is definitely the most fun. You can be super elaborate or you can keep it simple. I kept it simple with a little edible silver luster and a few stripes of melted white chocolate.

Even the simplest and easiest decorations add pizzazz! However, if you want to jazz it up even more, you could easily add sprinkles on top of the melted white chocolate stripes, or add gold leaf or even edible paints if you want to get really fancy.

10. Allow to completely set at room temperature

Before you prep these guys for gifting, it's important to allow them to sit at room temperature for an extra hour to fully set.

Packaging Homemade Chocolates for Gifting

Packaging is everything. I chose to showcase my homemade chocolates in a gift box with a clear lid to give my valentine a sneak peek at these scrumptious bites.

• To keep the chocolates separated, place each one into a mini muffin or candy cup paper liner.
• Line the box with decorative tissue paper and put the chocolates inside.

How to Store Homemade Chocolates

Your homemade chocolates will be at their freshest within a week of being made. If you do have to store them before gifting:

• Wrap the box in plastic wrap or place the box in a large zip-top bag to store in the fridge.
• They will freeze for a month in an airtight container.
• However they're stored, make sure they stay separated by the mini muffin liners or they may stick to one another and break apart.

Whether your Valentine is your BF, GF, or BFF, everyone you love is sure to love your homemade chocolatey creations!

More Valentine's Day Ideas

• 10 Cute and Easy Valentine's Day Treats
• How to Make Simple, Easy Chocolate Truffles
• Browse All Valentine's Day Dessert Recipes