Review - An Occasional Chocolate - Kids Chocolate Candy Making Kit

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An Occasional ChocolateKids always seem to love baking! I know when I was a small child, I would get so excited when the time came to help my mom make anything sweet! An Occasional Chocolate had this in mind when they created the Kids Chocolate Candy Making Kit!

The Kids Chocolate Candy Making Kit costs $27.28.

In order to facilitate my product review, I was sent a Kids Chocolate Candy Making Kit from An Occasional Chocolate. This kit included the following:

  • (2) bags of Guittard milk chocolate flavored coating
  • (1) bag of Guittard white chocolate flavored coating
  • (2) 2 oz. squeeze bottles
  • (1) Heart sucker mold
  • (1) Koala bear sucker mold
  • (1) 8 oz. squeeze bottle
  • (1) Red candy coloring
  • (1) Strawberry flavoring oil
  • (1) 4" sucker stick pack
  • (1) 2006 Favorite Recipe Collection eBook (it was supposed to be emailed - I NEVER RECEIVED)
Candy Making Kit

When I first received the kit, I was impressed that so much seemed to be included in it. I'm a very experienced baker, but I have never molded chocolate before, and it seemed that I had everything I needed to get started. I began reading the instructions and was disappointed. The instructions were very fragmented and didn't seem to make a lot of sense.

There were a ton of "tips" on the pages, but no real steps for doing this. I had to resort to reading the directions on the back of the chocolate itself for the complete steps. This is where I was left wanting again, though. The instructions on the chocolate only told how to melt the chocolate and pour it into the molds. It didn't tell me what I was supposed to do with the red candy coloring (how much to put in, exactly how to do it, what would it do to the chocolate, etc.).

It also didn't tell me what I was supposed to do with the 8 oz. bottles or the smaller 2 oz. bottles. Furthermore, the instructions didn't tell me anything about the strawberry flavoring either. I had no idea how much I should add to what amount of chocolate, etc. I went to their website thinking that surely the answers must be there, but I was wrong again.

The website only contained the information on the sheets I received. The instructions told me that I was supposed to receive a 2006 Favorite Recipe Collection eBook, which I never received, and when I tried to look that information up on their website, I couldn't access it for free. The site charges $7.99 for this book, so I was out of luck there too.

Candy Making Kit Candy Making Kit

 

So, I just decided to use the instructions on the back of the chocolate packaging, my previous baking know-how and some common sense. I decided that the large 8 oz. bottle must be used to squirt the milk chocolate into the molds. I followed the package directions exactly and melted the chocolate using my microwave and a small bowl.

I stirred frequently and once it was good and melted, I immediately transferred the chocolate into the large squeeze bottle. This wasn't the easiest thing to do since the squeeze bottle's opening is relatively small and trying to pour hot chocolate from a hot bowl made this part a little messy. I would suggest that the kit also include a funnel for this purpose.

Once I poured the chocolate into the bottle, I tried to squeeze it into the molds, but the chocolate wouldn't come out. The bottle's tip was clogged and even though I tried many different things to unclog it, I couldn't seem to squeeze any chocolate out of the bottle.  I had to then take off the bottle's top and squeeze the chocolate into the mold without the top on. I then used a spoon to smooth the chocolate into the mold. I stuck the stick into the mold and I was done.

I repeated this process, trying the smaller 2 oz. bottles this time, and got the same result of the chocolate not coming out of the tip of the bottle. So, honestly, I don't know what the function of the bottles is. They clogged up with steaming hot chocolate, so they were useless in this process.

Candy Making Kit Candy Making Kit

 

Since I couldn't find any directions on how to use the candy coloring and flavoring, I decided to just stick with melting both the white and milk chocolates into the different molds. Because I was pouring the chocolate directly from a hot bowl, it was fairly difficult to not make a mess here and get chocolate where it wasn't supposed to be. I think I did a fairly good job and set the molds in the freezer for 15 minutes as per the directions.

Candy Making Kit Candy Making Kit
Candy Making Kit Candy Making Kit

 

The chocolate pops came out of the molds very easily and the sticks stayed in place. Now it was time to put them in their little cellophane bags that were included in the kit as well. I noticed that there were no ties included in this package which was disturbing. The directions say that curling ribbon is best, but I didn't have any in the house.

I think that if this is truly a "kit", everything should be included. I ended up having to use some extra twist ties I had left over from some sandwich bags. Also, because I had to pour the chocolate crudely from a bowl, some of my pops had some extra "background" to them and didn't have a clean look as they should have.

Candy Making Kit

They tasted delicious though! I have to admit that the Guittard milk chocolate and white chocolate is very yummy! The ingredients in this kit seemed of a high quality, but because the instructions provided in the kit and on the website are lacking in both clarity and detail, most of the fun of this process was turned into frustration instead. If the instructions were better and if the bottles actually did what I think they were meant to do, this 2 star review could have easily earned 3 maybe 4 stars.

STRENGTHS:

  • Guittard Milk Chocolate and White Chocolate Flavors tasted great.
  • Liked the designs of the heart and koala bear sucker molds and they were easy to use.
  • The directions on the back of the Guittard packaging were very easy to follow.

WEAKNESSES:

  • Didn't receive the 2006 Favorite Recipe Collection eBook that was supposed to be sent via email.
  • None of the three bottles included in the kit worked at dispensing the chocolate...they all clogged up right away and couldn't be used.
  • A funnel should be included in the kit to make pouring the chocolate into the bottles easier.
  • The instructions that were included in this kit were very poorly done. They were fragmented, vague, and extremely unclear. The website wasn't any better of a resource regarding instructions.
  • No twist ties or ribbon were included for use with the cellophane baggies.

I love the idea behind this kit.  I think it would be a lot of fun to make chocolate molded candy with your child.  The instructions are lacking though and because of that, I had no idea what to do with some of the neat stuff included in the kit, such as the red candy coloring or the strawberry flavoring oil.

Also, the bottles didn't work for dispensing the chocolate.  I also think the kit should have included some items such as a funnel to use with the squeeze bottles as well as some twist ties to use with the cellophane baggies.  Because of the reasons outlined above,  I give this product 2 out of 5 stars.

Product Review Rating 2 Stars
Disclosure:  I received the Kids Chocolate Candy Making Kit from An Occasional Chocolate in order to facilitate my review. No other compensation was received. This product review is based on my own personal experiences with this item and is completely honest and objective.
I'm a former 7th grade Science teacher turned stay-at-home mom that lives in Houston, Texas. I am married to my college sweetheart and have a beautiful daughter named Riley, who definitely keeps me on my toes! I am also involved in starting a small business which would both manufacture and sell an invention that I've patented, called Toothpaste 2 Go. I love interacting with my readers and hope to learn as much about you as you learn about me!

Melissa
Melissa @ Mommy Living the Life of Riley!
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