Halloween Chocolate Lollipops | Spooky Party Favors in Minutes
Chef Alan TetreaultIn this tutorial: Choosing Your Chocolate Coating · Preparing and Buffing the Molds · Painting Details with Candy Writers · Melting Chocolate in the Microwave · Molding Bite-Sized Candies · Making Chocolate Lollipops · Chilling, Unmolding, and Packaging
Halloween chocolate lollipops and candies are one of the easiest candy-making projects a beginner can tackle – no tempering required. In this tutorial, Chef Alan Tetreault of Global Sugar Art demonstrates how to melt candy coating wafers, paint details onto chocolate molds, pour and fill lollipop and bite-sized candy molds, and package the finished pieces for trick-or-treat bags and party favors.
What You'll Need
- Merkens candy coating wafers (orange, dark, milk, white) – easy-melt wafers that require no tempering; Chef Alan's preferred brand for candy making.
- Clasen black candy coating – a black-colored coating ideal for Halloween; brought in seasonally.
- Halloween candy molds – available in dozens of shapes including pumpkins, cats, bats, ghosts, and skulls, in both individual-piece and lollipop styles.
- Candy writers (Merkens) – pre-filled tubes of colored candy coating for painting details; available in many colors.
- Lollipop sticks – sized to fit lollipop mold channels.
- Small paintbrush – for painting melted chocolate details into mold cavities
- Cotton candy-maker's gloves – prevent fingerprints on finished chocolates when handling and packaging.
- Cellophane bags and twist ties – for wrapping finished lollipops and candies.
- Microwavable bowl – for melting wafers
- Soft cotton towel (flour sack style) – for buffing molds to a shine
- Paper towels – for cleaning drips around mold edges
Choosing Your Chocolate Coating
Chef Alan works with two brands of candy coating for this Halloween project. Merkens is his top choice – it comes in orange, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white, and several other colors including green, pink, violet, and yellow. For black coating (essential for Halloween), he uses Clasen, since Merkens does not produce a black. Both are candy coatings, meaning they melt and set easily without any tempering.
Preparing and Buffing the Molds
Proper mold preparation is the single biggest factor in getting a shiny, professional-looking piece of chocolate:
- Wash the mold in very hot water only – no soap.
- Buff dry immediately using a very soft cotton towel, such as a flour sack towel.
- Buff thoroughly. Chef Alan emphasizes that the importance of buffing cannot be overstated – a well-buffed, completely dry mold produces a beautiful glossy finish, while any residual water spots or moisture will result in dull, lifeless-looking candy.
💡 Tip: If the mold has spots or water residue left on the surface, those imperfections transfer directly onto every piece of chocolate.
Painting Details with Candy Writers
Adding painted details – eyes, noses, stems, and other accents – before pouring the main chocolate gives each piece definition and personality. There are two approaches:
↪ Method 1: Candy Writers
Candy writers are tubes of Merkens chocolate in various colors. To prepare them:
- Snip off the end of the tube.
- Place the tube in a cup of very hot water (not boiling) for 3–5 minutes.
- Knead the tube every minute or two until the chocolate inside is soft and pliable.
- Squeeze the chocolate directly into the detail areas of the mold.
⚠️ Warning. Do not use boiling water. Overheated chocolate becomes stiff and difficult to work with.
↪ Method 2: Paintbrush
Melt a small amount of colored chocolate separately, then use a small paintbrush to paint it into the mold details. This works best for very fine areas like cat eyes, where the brush gives more precision.
↪ After Painting
Once the detail chocolate is painted in, place the mold in the refrigerator (not the freezer) to set the painted areas before pouring the main chocolate over them.
⚠️ Warning. Never put molds with only the small painted details into the freezer – the thin accent pieces will crack. Use the refrigerator only for this step.
Melting Chocolate in the Microwave
- Pour candy coating wafers into a microwavable bowl.
- Microwave at 50% power for about one minute.
- Stir and check. Small lumps of unmelted chocolate are normal and desirable – they indicate the chocolate has not been overheated.
- Continue microwaving in additional intervals at 50% power if needed, stirring between each round.
- Finish melting by stirring. The residual heat should melt the remaining small lumps without further microwaving.
💡 Tip: Never exceed 50% power. Overheated chocolate becomes thick, stiff, and unusable.
Molding Bite-Sized Candies
Bite-sized candy molds (called "candy bites") produce individual chocolate pieces perfect for trick-or-treat bags:
- Spoon melted chocolate into each mold cavity.
- Use a paintbrush to push chocolate into small details like pumpkin stems.
- Clean any drips around the edges with a paper towel.
- Remove air bubbles by lifting the mold about 4–5 inches and dropping it onto the counter. Repeat 3–4 times until no more tiny bubbles appear on the surface.
- Place in the freezer on a level surface.
Making Chocolate Lollipops
Lollipop molds include a channel for the stick. The process is the same as bite-sized candies with a couple of extra steps:
- Spoon melted chocolate into the lollipop mold cavity. Be careful not to overfill.
- Drop the mold a couple of times to release air bubbles.
- Insert a lollipop stick into the channel at the base of the mold.
- Turn and twirl the stick so that the chocolate completely enrobes the end of the stick.
- Clean any drips around the edges before freezing.
Chef Alan demonstrates this with both orange pumpkin lollipops and dark chocolate cat lollipops. For the cats, he uses a paintbrush to push the dark chocolate into the ear details of the mold to avoid overflow.
Chilling, Unmolding, and Packaging
↪ Chilling
- Place filled molds in the freezer on a flat, level surface so chocolate does not shift or pour out.
- Wait 5–10 minutes. Larger pieces like big pumpkin lollipops take longer than small candy bites.
- Check for doneness by touching the back of the chocolate – it should feel cold to the fingertips.
↪ Unmolding
- Put on a cotton candy-maker's glove before handling the finished pieces. The heat from bare hands leaves fingerprints on the glossy chocolate surface.
- Invert the mold and give it a light tap. The chocolates should pop right out.
💡 Tip: Chef Alan notes that the shine on properly buffed and chilled chocolates is immediately visible – it makes a real difference in the finished product.
↪ Packaging
- Slide each lollipop into a cellophane bag.
- Secure with a twist tie or decorative twist band.
- Dress up with bows, ribbons, or other seasonal touches.
Bite-sized pieces can be grouped together in bags – mix pumpkins, bats, ghosts, and skulls for a festive trick-or-treat assortment.
Quick Reference
| Step | Key Detail |
|---|---|
| Microwave power | 50% – never higher |
| Painted details | Chill in refrigerator, not freezer |
| Filled molds | Chill in freezer, 5–10 minutes |
| Doneness test | Back of chocolate feels cold to the touch |
| Handling | Wear cotton gloves to prevent fingerprints |
This tutorial is part of Global Sugar Art's library of free cake decorating videos by Chef Alan Tetreault. Browse all tutorials →
