Silicone Molds and Online Retailers

Unless you live under a rock, you've likely heard of Temu. The app is taking the world by storm, providing access to deeply discounted products produced in China. Cheaper than a dollar store and delivered directly to your door, it's easy to see the appeal. 

More importantly, from my perspective anyway, is that it seems to have those things that you search for but can't seem to find after hours of hunting locally. I can't tell you how many times I've spent an afternoon searching 5+ locations for something only to return home and order it online. For example, have you gone looking for St. Patrick's Day decor? The options, at least where I live, are abysmal. Michaels and Winners have dropped the ball (despite the fact that in the US Michaels has an impressive selection of decor for the March holiday). The only options are cheap glittered items and plastic garlands at Dollarama (though, to be fair, they do seem to have expanded their St. Patrick's Day apparel). Temu, on the other hand, has all kinds of St. Patrick's Day decor! Table runners, shamrock mini lights, door hangers! It's a veritable treasure trove!

Now, listen, I know Temu has its issues. There's the environmental impact of shipping goods halfway around the world; the ethical concerns associated with production of the items (brand name dupes and labour practices) and consumption culture more generally; the safety of products and the chemicals that may (or may not) be used in items; the access to and security of personal information shared through the app; and the generally addictive nature of gamified shopping. It's not without it's faults (or its critics) and it may not be for everyone. Nevertheless, it's a thing and it won't be going away anytime soon. If anything, it's poised to grow, given their intense social strategy which is setting the stage for group buying in the future.

But that's not the point of this blog. (Though I will say that I'd love for someone to calculate the environmental impact of me driving around searching for something for an entire afternoon compared to an online purchase that is delivered to my door.)

You can find things on Temu that you never knew existed and that certainly aren't available at your average store. For example, while there are silicone chocolate molds available at Michaels, Bulk Barn, and Dollarama, I've never seen one of a gingerbread house. In contrast, I have seen them at Amazon and Temu. 

Now, if one's creative impulses are insisting that one mold a chocolate gingerbread house, well, what is one to do but buy the mold?

Most professional chocolatiers use rigid polycarbonate molds. They can be polished, produce excellent shine, and are easy to handle. They are also an investment at a higher price point. Silicone is generally avoided because it can't be polished, the shine produced isn't as glass-like as polycarbonate, and they are notoriously difficult to manipulate. To shell a mold, you normally fill it with chocolate, then invert it and tap so that the bulk of the chocolate drains out, before scraping away the excess chocolate. That's just not possible with a floppy silicone mold. Still, silicone has a place, particularly for intricate shapes that could easily break when unmolding and for food crafting that is more form over function. They also offer the advantage of a low price point, which is convenient if it's a one-off thing like a custom order. One common solution is to cut the mold into individual pieces to make it easier to manipulate, but I admit I haven't been able to bring myself to do that. Maybe one day.

The "building block Christmas house" chocolate mold on Temu cost $6.98 and arrived in about 10 days. The quality of the silicone is similar to that of other molds I've purchased. It was easy to unmold the pieces and clean up was quick and easy. And while it was a little difficult to manipulate, as expected, by placing it on a cookie sheet it was tolerable.

Did I need it? No. Do I love it? Yes. Will there be a chocolate gingerbread house for all seasons? Quite possibly. 

Stay tuned for next week when I unveil what I've made with this treasure from Temu.

C is for Cookie

I've been a fan of Pinterest since it first started. And I've spent an inordinate amount of time on the site as its infinite scroll served up inspiration for cupcakes and crafts. The height of my pinning was probably in 2015, when I had mono and spent three weeks alone in my apartment (which, in retrospect, was great training for the pandemic that followed five years later), but it's still my go-to for favourite recipes and new ideas. 

And so when I needed an idea for a friend's birthday treat this month, I turned to Pinterest again. I have a board titled "Baking and Dessert Inspiration," which seemed like a good place to start. As I scrolled, I was reminded of various treats I've made over the years -- a giant peanut butter cup, a Battenberg cake, a Robin Hood-inspired archery cake, a peanut butter layer cake, polar bear cookies... And I found a few ideas that I had forgotten. Like Cookie Monster Oreos.

Sandwich cookies dipped in colourful candy melts had a moment about six or seven years ago. Maybe a little longer. The designs were very creative. One of my favourites was the polar bear faces that used smarties for the ears and nose. I also thought the frogs, complete with sour candy tongue and pretzel legs, were adorable (and they were a hit with the recipient). Adding eyes and a mini chocolate chip cookie to make Cookie Monster? Brilliant.

Armed with Pinspiration, last Sunday I set off to buy a small package of Oreos at Dollarama, and then popped into Bulk Barn in search of blue candy melts. Unfortunately, there were none left, so I decided to colour white candy melts with some oil-based food colouring. I also picked up blue sanding sugar and a small bag of miniature chocolate chip cookies. 

A few days later, I pulled together my supplies and grabbed candy eyes from my stash. I cut the mini chocolate chip cookies in half, paired up eyes, opened the bag of sprinkles, and melted the candy coating. Then I added some (okay, a lot of) blue food colouring and a few drops of black. Stir, stir stir! Next I dipped an Oreo in the candy coating, pressed half a cookie into the mouth area, added the eyes, and sprinkled the blue sugar on top. 

I stood back to critique my work. Cute, but not quite right. The straight edge of the chocolate chip cookie didn't quite align with the curved side of the Oreo, and so it looked a bit off. 

I grabbed a paring knife and carefully shaved away some of the cookie, creating more of a crescent moon shape. And voila! 

Lather, rinse, repeat! Before I knew it, I had a set of Cookie Monster Oreos lined up like little soldiers, ready to go in the fridge for 10 minutes to set. 

Am I happy with the results? You betcha! They are cute and they taste great. Who wouldn't love a Cookie Monster Oreo? They're the perfect birthday surprise for a friend. 

And, upon reflection, dipped sandwich cookies need to make a comeback. 

Candy-Filled Witches' Hats

Last night we hosted a small Halloween gathering. In advance of the soiree, we scoured the internet looking for holiday inspiration and flipped through a few party-planning books that I had forgotten I owned until going through boxes as part of my annual new (academic) year clean-up. After much deliberation, we settled on candy-filled witches' hats. 

First we painted the sugar cones with chocolate, dipped them in some sprinkles, and let them set. Then one at a time, we painted the "brim" of the hat (we used digestive cookies) with chocolate, filled the cone with our chosen candy (Reese Pieces of course!), and inverted the cookie brim onto the open end of the cone, holding it there for just a moment before quickly flipping the whole thing back so that it was point up and the chocolate could set. 

Now, once we mastered this manoeuvre, none of the candy fell out and in about 15 minutes they were set and sealed. But our first few attempts required the intervention of a knife to push a few wayward candies back under the cone. 

Making 8 of these, including setting time for the chocolate and clean up, took about an hour. And we did use compound chocolate to make life easier and avoid the additional time required for tempering.

These are certainly a cute option either as a sweet treat on the table display or popped in cellophane bags as a take-away from the party. I also think it would be fun to stuff these with pieces of cake and some frosting. 

Hope everyone has a spooktacular Halloween!