Choosing a Chocolate
If you would like to use a chocolate mold, you need to choose the right chocolate first. It is not as simple as buying some chocolate chips at the grocery store and melting them. In order for the chocolate to set up correctly in the mold, it must first be tempered. Tempering is the process of melting and cooling the chocolate at a specific temperatures to make sure the cocoa butter crystals set up properly. The temperature is different based on the type of chocolate; for example, milk chocolate generally tempers best around 87 degrees, whereas, dark chocolate is generally around 89 degrees. If you do not temper real chocolate, it will not be completely solid after you take it out of the chocolate mold, and it will have a dull finish.
One easy way to avoid tempering is to buy chocolate coatings, or sometimes called chocolate compound or compound coatings. Chocolate coatings are made with different types of oil combinations and have a lower cocoa butter content. While not technically "chocolate", many people prefer to use chocolate coatings because of their ease of use and availability. Some of the more popular companies selling compound coatings are Wilton, Merckens, and Callebaut, but there are many more. Chocolate coatings can be bought at craft stores or in the craft departments at major department stores, like Wal-Mart. Chocolate coatings can be bought in a wide variety of flavors and color choices.
Using chocolate coatings is very simple, you just melt the chocolate according to the manufacturers instructions, put the chocolate in the mold, then cool. Once hardened, remove the chocolate from the chocolate mold.