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Semisweet Modeling Chocolate

Recently I've heard some trepidation about modeling chocolate expressed within my circles on the internet. But, truly, there's nothing to fear about this quick and easy two-ingredient recipe. Plus, it's really tasty, much tastier than rolled fondant, especially if you use a high quality chocolate. Doubtful? Come along with me; in just a few minutes, you'll be a believer!

 

Yield: About 10 ounces dough


Prep Talk: After the dough is mixed, it needs to sit, wrapped and contained, in a cool (60⁰F to 65⁰F) but unrefrigerated place to solidify to a pliable, un-sticky working consistency. Setting time can range from one to a few days or more depending on ambient conditions. (The hotter it is, the longer the dough will take to set.) When not in use, the dough should be wrapped tightly in plastic and then sealed in an airtight container; otherwise, it can quickly dry out.


Ingredients:

  • 7 ounces premium semisweet (about 55% to 60% cacao) chocolate
  • 1/3 cup (about 3.5 ounces) light corn syrup

Method:

1 | Weighing is always a good thing when baking, and the same is true in this case. Too much or little chocolate in this recipe can alter the end consistency. Weigh your chocolate in the bowl that you'll be melting it in, taking care to "zero out" the weight of the bowl before you add the chocolate (third photo, in the attachments below). The bowl should fit your double boiler (or sit nicely atop a water-filled saucepan). Break the chocolate into small pieces and place the bowl over barely simmering water on low heat. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is completely melted. Do not over-heat the chocolate, or it can scorch and seize.


2 | Remove the chocolate from the heat and add the corn syrup (fifth photo). Stir just until the mixture turns into a thick, smooth paste that cleans the sides of the bowl, generally no longer than a minute or so. The mixture will at first look a bit grainy or streaky (sixth photo), but after enough stirring, I promise you it will come together into a smooth (somewhat sloppy) mass.

 

If working with white chocolate (recipe soon to follow), it's very important not to over-stir the mixture or it can break and exude a lot of cocoa butter (much more than it normally does), which then leads to a grainy end product. But, no worries with semisweet chocolate; it is much less prone to breaking. I've stirred this mixture for 2 to 3 minutes, maybe more, and I've had no trouble with it whatsoever.


3 | Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to cool a bit until it is less sloppy and more easily handled. I usually allow a cooling off period of about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the room temperature. Turn the dough onto a very smooth, flat piece of plastic wrap, taking care to keep pleats of plastic from getting in the dough. The plastic will only be hard to remove later once the dough solidifies around it.

 

At this stage, the dough will still be very floppy - kind of a soft, sludgy consistency. You should be able to shape it into a ball without it sticking to your fingers (see eighth photo), but the ball will be very squishy and pliable. I know, it's hard to see what I'm describing in the picture, so you'll have to trust me! Wrap the dough disk a few times in plastic wrap. Even wrapped, the mass will still be quite floppy (see ninth photo), but, again, no worries. There's nothing like a little setting time to firm it right up. Store the dough, as directed above, in an airtight container, ideally dated so you remember when you made it.


4 | Allow the dough to sit at room temperature, all packaged up, for 24 hours or more. Again, depending on the storage temperature, the dough can take as little as overnight to set into a solid working consistency, or as long as a few days to a week. The last photo shows my dough after 24 hours. In this case, the dough was stored in a fairly chilly room at the end of May, so it set up to a manageable working consistency pretty darn fast (see how rigid it is).

 

The dough will last a very long time if stored as described above. But as it sits, it continues to harden. What this means is that, as time wears on, you may need to spend more time kneading the dough to a pliable working consistency before you can start shaping it into anything else.

 

And that's all she wrote! Was I right, or what? Pretty darn simple!

 

Stay tuned for my white chocolate variation; it's a little more tricky, but certainly nothing that should cause you to break into a sweat. I'll also have dough-shaping tutorials and videos coming sometime in June or July of this year.

Attachments

Images (10)
  • Where You're Headed: Photo by Julia M. Usher
  • Only Two Ingredients!: Photo by Julia M. Usher
  • Zero Out the Scale with an Empty Bowl: Photo by Julia M. Usher
  • Melt the Chocolate: Photo by Julia M. Usher
  • Add the Corn Syrup: Photo by Julia M. Usher
  • At First, the Dough Will Look Streaky: Photo by Julia M. Usher
  • But It Quickly Gets Firmer and Smooth: Photo by Julia M. Usher
  • It Can Be Shaped Into A Pliable Ball Right Away: Photo by Julia M. Usher
  • But It's Still Very Floppy: Photo by Julia M. Usher
  • More Time is Needed to Firm Up: Photo by Julia M. Usher

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Comments (20)

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Isn't decorating cookies and cakes with it enough reason? Seriously though, I hope to soon be posting some follow-on tutorials with easy ways for shaping it into cookie and other decorations.

I'm looking forward to those follow-up tutorials ... I've never used modeling chocolate (and only rarely fondant) so I'm kind of at a loss for what to do with it! But I'm intrigued ...

This is wonderful! I am a huge fan of modeling chocolate and use it in place of fondant always. Since most of what I do is cookie related, it's usually for smaller items like flowers and works great. I've also seen cakes covered in it and can't help but think YUM!

I made this with white chocolate, and used it to make the flowers and leaves on my son's "Mama Mia/Wedding/Birthday" a couple of years ago. I still have some leftover flowers that I saved to use someday. LOVE modeling chocolate - DESPISE fondant.

Originally Posted by Kimbo's Cookies:

I made this with white chocolate, and used it to make the flowers and leaves on my son's "Mama Mia/Wedding/Birthday" a couple of years ago. I still have some leftover flowers that I saved to use someday. LOVE modeling chocolate - DESPISE fondant.

Yes, I use a similar approach to making white chocolate dough, only 1/4 cup corn syrup to the same quantity of white chocolate. Then I knead it more and pat it dry to remove excess cocoa butter before letting it set up. That tutorial is on my site: https://www.juliausher.com/kitc...e_modeling_chocolate

Just a couple weeks ago I started working with fondant, and even though I use a marshmallow fondant it still just tastes like sugary dough. Chocolate would be SO much better and I'll have to try it out!

I have limited experience with both modelling chocolate and fondant-the fondant experience was not good . But I might be tempted to try some smaller projects like cookies with the modelling chocolate. Can you use it the same, for example embossing and cookie tops?

Originally Posted by Cassidy:

Just a couple weeks ago I started working with fondant, and even though I use a marshmallow fondant it still just tastes like sugary dough. Chocolate would be SO much better and I'll have to try it out!

It really is so much more tasty (IMHO)! Though some downsides relative to fondant:

 

1. White dough always has a yellow-ish cast if you use real white chocolate (due to the cocoa butter), so it doesn't color as true to the food coloring as does fondant; and

 

2. The choco doughs are more heat sensitive, so depending on the heat of your hands, you may have to work more quickly or ice down your hands on hot days. And 3-D choco elements can soften/wilt more readily depending on ambient conditions. But careful handling and exposure of the end-product is usually all you need to keep wilting issues in check.

Originally Posted by SweetSentiments:

I have limited experience with both modelling chocolate and fondant-the fondant experience was not good . But I might be tempted to try some smaller projects like cookies with the modelling chocolate. Can you use it the same, for example embossing and cookie tops?

Yes, though the white dough can be a little on the sticky side sometimes, so you made need to use a little more powdered sugar or cornstarch for dusting molds. I'm planning some videos and tutorials on this topic in the next few weeks, so stay tuned.

Originally Posted by GeminiRJ:

I'm curious, do you think you could you wrap your 3D baskets with this (in place of the frosting sheets)? Then it could be embossed for more detail.

Absolutely could do this! Working on some video tutorials related to how to use these doughs now.

Originally Posted by Julia M. Usher:
Originally Posted by GeminiRJ:

I'm curious, do you think you could you wrap your 3D baskets with this (in place of the frosting sheets)? Then it could be embossed for more detail.

Absolutely could do this! Working on some video tutorials related to how to use these doughs now.

Fabulous!!!

This sounds delicious, as I am not a huge fan of fondant either.  Don't hate it, just don't love it.  This on the other hand sounds like a much better option!  (But maybe not too practical in the Vegas heat LOL)

Hi, Jeanna! It is pretty yummy! I'm working with it today and it's handling just fine, despite the fact that we hit 94F here in Missouri. Just be sure to work in an air-conditioned environment, and you should be OK. Also, if the dough gets too warm/soft from handling it, I knead in powdered sugar and then let it rest/cool off a bit. Usually works like a charm!

Poor Fondant, if I was its mother I'd be crying right now! What did it ever do to you to give it such a bad rap?

I have a sweet tooth,love chocolate, and will try your recipe and then will judge but for goodness sake what brands of fondant is everyone using? RI isn't sweet?

This would be a great subject for a blog: The Fondant Debate!

For me, it's more the textural issue of fondant (I don't like its chewiness) and the synthetic/artificial taste that many store-bought brands have. But, obviously, there are different schools of thought on the subject! 

As a diy girl I have made both fondant and white modeling chocolate with success and I think that they (fondant too when homemade) taste great.It depends on what you like most.Both have pros and cons like modeling chocolate is heat sensitive which means that you can not knead it for long time cause it will be destroyed.Also, modeling chocolate doesn't have elesticity and when covering a cake you need to be really carefull not to tear it...

I use Satin Ice and Fondx Fondant. The Fondx have several colors too. I love using fondant on cookies, but looking at all the fabulous work here on the forum is making me go back and try RI again. I guess I need more patience, lol

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