Melt the chocolate slowly, in a microwave at 50% power or over a double boiler. Transfer to a piping bag or plastic sandwich bag.
Place the kisses mold on flat, moveable surface, such as a baking pan or cutting board.
Cut the tip from the bag and pipe the chocolate into the mold.
Swirl a toothpick in each mold cavity all the way down to the pointed tip to release any air bubbles. Then tap the pan holding the mold several times on a countertop to bring any released bubbles to the surface.
Refrigerate the mold on the pan until the chocolate is completely set. Times vary depending on the chocolate used (10 minutes to 30 minutes).
Once firm, gently push the kisses out of the mold. If the kisses are difficult to unmold or if the tips are breaking off, freeze the mold for 2-3 minutes before unmolding.
Directions for swirled kisses
Separately, melt the dark and the white chocolate, in a microwave at 50% power or over a double boiler. Transfer each to a separate piping bag. Cut a small piece off each tip.
Place both melted chocolate bags into a piping bag together.
Place the mold on flat, moveable surface, such as a baking pan or cutting board. Fill the mold holding the piping bag over each cavity and move the piping bag in a circle, creating a spiral as you squeeze out both chocolates simultaneously.
Swirl a toothpick in each mold cavity all the way down to the pointed tip to release any air bubbles, then tap the pan holding the mold several times on a countertop to bring any released bubbles to the surface.
Refrigerate the mold on the pan until completely set. Times vary depending on the chocolate used (10 minutes to 30 minutes).
Once firm, gently push the kisses out of the mold. If the kisses are difficult to unmold or if the tips are breaking off, freeze the mold for 2-3 minutes before unmolding.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
I highly discourage the use of dark, semisweet, or milk chocolate chips for this recipe. Chocolate kisses made with dark or milk chocolate chips will quickly develop a white coating called bloom. Only use these chips if you are going to bake or eat the molded candies immediately.
White chocolate chips or flavored chips (butterscotch, mint, cinnamon, peanut butter) work well for molding.
Baking bars or chocolate bars work well in these molds. Guittard, Whole Foods, and Divine are brands I tested successfully.
Don’t use candy melts if you want your candy to taste like chocolate. Candy melts are made of flavoring and wax. They usually contain no cocoa or cocoa butter.
Melting chocolate, like Guittard A’Peels, are the easiest to work with because they have chocolate flavor from cocoa but no cocoa butter that could separate out.
Each type of chocolate used takes different amounts of time to firm in the mold. Watch carefully to determine the correct chilling time for the type of chocolate you are using.
If the chocolate is hard to get out of the mold or if the pointed tip is breaking off, freeze the filled mold for 2-3 minutes.
Only oil based candy coloring or flavoring should be used with chocolate. Water based food coloring and flavoring will cause the chocolate to seize and become grainy.
Using oil based candy coloring, color white chocolate to make candies for showers and gender reveals, sports teams, wedding favors, holiday treats.
Homemade candies allow you to control the ingredients to accommodate dietary requirements for candies that are vegan, dairy free, gluten free, nut free, kosher. Santa Barbara Chocolate is a great source for specialty chocolate.
To foil wrap kisses, place the candy in the middle of a 3" x 3" foil square. One at a time, bring the foil corners up to the point of the kiss. Press the foil against the kiss and twist at the top.