Making Mini Candies
by: Garnette
Chocolates:
These are really easy. Get some chocolate colored polymer clay. I prefer Fimo® for this because it stays fairly firm, rather than getting too warm and soft.
Condition it in a pasta machine or by rolling, folding and rolling some more. When it no longer cracks or crumbles, it's ready.
Then pull a small piece off and roll it between your fingers, making a thin snake about 1/8" in diameter. Place this on a ceramic tile (You can buy one or two from a flooring store). Using a one sided razor or Exacto® knife, slice off a bunch of 18" pieces.
Before trying the following, you should treat your self to a 1 pound box of mixed chocolates. You're excuse; You needed a good model, to create your miniature candies from. :-)
You can make different types of chocolate by varying the shape:
1. Round domed are like chocolate covered cherries.
2. Rectangular/diamond are often cremes.
3. Squares are are usually caramels.
4. Triangular with lumps, can be hazelnuts,
With another pinch of chocolate colored Fimo®, roll out the thinnest snake you can. Cut very short sections and carefully arrange them on top of the chocolate shapes. This is a good time to really take a good look at the real chocolates. Then taste them, so you are sure what type they are . Remember some chocolates have a specific pattern to identify
what's inside.
Put them all on the tile and bake for 10 minutes at 265º F.
Note: If you have trouble adding the decorative squiggle, bake the chocolates first and then re-bake after you apply the squiggle.
Now you have chocolate candies, perfect for miniature candy boxes or to display on a tiny plate. I used to work in a small candy kitchen, and collected several colors of the very thin aluminum foil squares. If you go to one of these, I bet they'd give you a few of the, approx. 3"X3" sheets. Little bits, are perfect to wrap a few of the candies in your boxes.
Fudge:
Chocolate or butterscotch fudge, just pick the color of Fimo® that is right for the job.
Condition and roll clay into a flat sheet about 1/8 of an inch tall (a pasta maker is great for this but not necessary. Note: never use the pasta maker for food that you've passed polymer clay through).
Bake at 265º F. for 15 minutes. Then while it's still warm cut into tiny squares with a one sided razor blade.
They look nice displayed on a tiny, paper doily and plate.
Peppermints:
You'll be making a "Miliflori Cane"
Condition some white and red Fimo® polymer clay.
Roll out a snake of white clay (1/4" in diameter by 3" inch long).
Using red and white clay; make about 6, 1/8" red and white snakes, 3" long.
Add them (alternating colors) around the larger white snake. When you look at this from the end, it should have a white circle in the center, surrounded by a red and white frame.
Gently (roll) "reduce the cane" by rolling with equal pressure until it is 1/4" in diameter. Cut this into snakes approx.3" snakes.
Then roll (with equal pressure) each of them until they are about 1/16" in diameter.
Take a small slice off the tip's of all of them and discard , because the ends are usually distorted. This will expose your candy miliflori
cane. Do you see the candy?
You can either slice thin candies with a one sided razor blade, or wait until it has been baked before slicing. I like to do that, because you can save the extra canes for future projects with out crushing the delicate design.
You can make lot's of fancy candies like this, by combining different colors and/or patterns.
Jelly beans:
For these use 3 parts translucent Fimo® and 1 part colored Fimo® (red, yellow,green, black).
Condition the clay colors until it no longer cracks or crumbles.
Roll into very thin snakes, then cut into small lengths.
Form these into the traditional jelly bean shape.
Candy papers:
Punch circles from light weight printer paper.
Place them on a soft surface; ie 5 layered paper towels or napkins. Use a stylus or knitting needle to make an indentation in the middle. The edges of the round paper, will raise up and form cups to place your chocolates in.
Boxes:
You can make small boxes out of card stock.
If you have a candy catalog save those tiny pictures of candy boxes. You can decoupage cut-outs of them onto your boxes.
Heart-shaped boxes can be made with a large heart sticker, some quilling paper, tiny flowers and ribbon.
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