Leprechaun House

Last week I was in the mood to make something with my chocolate supplies. I went to the sideboard they are stored in and pulled out a new silicone mold I had purchased from Temu before Christmas. In November when I saw it, I had ambitious ideas that I would make a series of small chocolate houses to give to friends. Of course, time got away from me and I made tiny gingerbread houses instead. Still, I have been thinking about that mold and wanting to try it. Who says "gingerbread" houses are only for Christmas? There is a trend on YouTube right now for crafters to make gingerbread crafts for Valentine's Day and Easter. And my sister, who was very late taking down her Christmas tree this year, has taken to saying, "There are no rules."

Well, if there are no rules, then why can't I make a chocolate gingerbread house for St. Patrick's Day?

I grabbed a bag of green candy melts and set about guessing how much (compound) chocolate I would need to fill the cavities for the four walls and two roof pieces. It wasn't particularly scientific, but I piled chocolate wafers into each well and then tossed in an extra handful for good luck. It was approximately 8.5oz of chocolate based on how much is left in the bag. And it did the trick.

Now, I have to pause here to comment about candy melts. The selection available lately is dreadful. Bulk Barn has the Merckens brand, but only has three colours (yellow, orange, and blue as of writing this post). Atlantic Superstore carries Wilton brand, but only in chocolate and bright white. Michaels stopped carrying Wilton brand a few years ago and ever since has only stocked Sweet Tooth Fairy brand, and while they have a better selection of colours, the colours are not true. The red and blue that I've had in the past are much lighter than the packaging would suggest. And the green? Well, the bag is lime, the name says "light green," and it looks like mint. Good candy melts are hard to find.

Anyway, as I mentioned last week, silicone molds are a little finicky to work with. Nevertheless, using a bench scraper I was able to level the chocolate in the mold (mostly). After it had set in the fridge for 15 minutes,  I carefully unmolded the pieces. I was very impressed with the detail. Originally, I thought I would assemble the house using royal icing, but decided to try assembling with leftover candy melts instead. It worked great and set up far more quickly than I would have anticipated. I left it for a few days while I contemplated how best to decorate it.

Now, I don't have any St. Patrick's Day chocolate molds. (Shocking, I know!) So I had to get creative. First I tried melting some dark green candy melts left over from another food craft project, but no matter what I did, they wouldn't melt. I'm not sure if the humidity of last summer got them or if candy melts actually do have an expiry date, but they simply would not cooperate. So instead, I melted some of the light green ones and added oil-based food colouring. I got the colour I wanted, but I hope no one eats it because the taste is incredibly bitter. 

I used the darker green to pipe two shamrocks on a piece of wax paper. I also filled a few candy-shaped molds to use as architectural columns. And finally I made a green teddy bear (because there are no rules, right?). I eventually also made another trip to Bulk Barn (it's getting to be a weekly thing) and acquired some orange, green, and rainbow candies. Armed with a small bag of royal icing, I began decorating.

With sour punch straw columns, cry baby trim, life saver windows, and a sour strap walkway, it's a Leprechaun's ultimate dream home! I particularly like the orange door and the molded candy ridge cap. 

As for the silicone mold from Temu, I'm very happy with it. It's not perfect -- the roof pieces could be a little wider to create an overhang. But it's detailed and cute, and the heart on the back reminds me of a claddagh ring. I can imagine making little chocolate "gingerbread" houses in a variety of colours -- and I'm betting a white one would look great as part of my Christmas decor. 

Until then, this leprechaun house is perfect for St. Patrick's Day. 

 

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.