How to Thin Wilton Candy Melts for Perfect Cake Pops
Have you ever had trouble using Wilton Candy Melts for cake pops? I know I have! It’s often too thick and clumpy and I get sooooo frustrated when this happens! But the truth is, the candy melts are sooo convenient! They’re already colored in a whole rainbow of colors and they’re very easy to find online or in craft stores or Walmart.
Well, you can not imagine how excited I was to see this video that Wilton recently shared on YouTube… and they share how to fix the candy melts to make perfect cake pops! Watch it here:
They’re #1 suggestions is to mix in 2 Tbsp. of EZ Thin Dipping Aid. Honestly, I had never heard of this before watching this video, but it appears to be an awesome product! If i see some in stores, I will be grabbing it and giving it a try!
There are a couple of other things I’ve used that helps with this problem…
First up – shortening (which is also mentioned in that video). Before a few months ago, shortening was my go-to fix for thick melted candy melts. I’d just keep stirring in a teaspoon at a time until I got the candy melts to a good consistency.
But a few months back, I read somewhere about using Paramount Crystals to thin candy melts. I didn’t know what that was either but since I was willing to try anything to make cake pops easier, I ordered me a bag and voila – they also work like a charm!!
By the way, I suspect that paramount crystals and EZ Thin are very similar products, if not identical, although I haven’t tried the EZ Thin yet. Anywho… if you’ve ever had trouble with thick, goopy candy melts, maybe now you can solve that problem to make your cake pop adventures go a little easier!
Anywho… if you’re new to cake pops, I highly suggest these posts below:
and… if you want a video to watch too… check out this FREE Craftsy Class:
Creative Cake Pops (FREE Craftsy Class!)
Tell me, tell me! Do you have any other tips for making Perfect Cake Pops? Leave me a comment!!
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Want more?? Here are a few of my detailed cake pops tutorials…
How to Make Hulk Fist Cake Pops
and these… Peanut Butter Oreo Cake Pops. You need these!!
And last… How to Make a Homemade Cake Pop Stand!
Rose, I think the paramount crystals are nothing else than shortening flakes. I think. I read the ingredients a long time ago when I started using them and they matched for the most part 🙂
Hmmm… I wonder if that’s true. The paramount crystals seemed to work a little better for me than straight shortening, but maybe it was my wishful thinking 😉
The paramount crystal worked wonders for me. I tried shortening but I didn’t get the needed consistency. I love the crystals.
I had a problem with the candy melts on my cake pops. They were never really smooth like I wanted them to be. I tried the shortening and did not like it. The candy melts was still not smoothed. I was on the Internet one night watching another lady making pops. She was using the paramount crystals in her chocolate. They turned out so pretty. So I ordered the paramount crystals. Love it. They turned out 100% better.
Paramount crystals are coconut oil.
The ones I buy are not. The ingredients listed are Hydrogenated palm kernel oil, mono and diglycerides, soy lecithin.
The paramount crystals are made out of hydrogenated palm kernel oil , soy lecithin. I did not like the way the shortening maded my pops turn out. I use nothing but paramount crystal now. Love it.
I recently bought the Wilton EZ-Thin at Walmart in the “Celebrate” section. They were melted and weren’t flakes anymore probably cause no one buys them at Walmart. It also says on the back it can be used melted or not. They worked like a charm and I will most definitely buy them again.
Good to know! Thank you 🙂
Such a handy post x soooo glad I’m not the only one who struggled with candy melt dipping!! I had no idea they needed thinning first I just thought it was me Lols!!
Thankyou sooooo much rose x
Does the shortening change the flavor of the candy melts?
No – not at all!
I used coconut oil to thin it out it tasted like coconut which I like but not everyone does. Wiltons is very hard to spread. Can this be stove melted?the micro just didn’t work well. First timer here need help!
I also use coconut oil, and it works great. Try the refined kind without coconut flavor. I microwave the melts on the chocolate melting setting. I assume it’s half power. The key is to stop and stir often or you risk burning it.
Would I need to thIn melts that are being used to dip pretzel rods in?
Maybe?! I’d just do a test run and see how well they’ll dip!
Thanks, will try that.
I have had to thin the melts for pretzel rods. I used the Wilton Ez thin. This worked great.
How about with candy apples?? and is there another way to melt the chocolates with out the melting pot?? I tried the micro method… A disaster!!!
The only other way I can think of would be a double-boiler method.
Jars in your crockpot with water in bottom.
What temp do you set your crock pot to? I have settings like 4 hours-6 hours-8 hours-10 hours-and warm. I am very interested in using this method as the microwave method makes the chocolate cool down too quickly and it gets thick.
What temp do you set your crockpot on when you do jars in it?
I make tons of chocolate covered items in my shop and my go to method for melting chocolates are mini crock pots. I warm the chocolate up slow and stir frequently. I turn it off when the chocolate is melted leaving me perfectly melted chocolate. Sometimes I may have 7 or 8 crockpots going at once to accommodate multi-colored items in a batch. I wouldn’t recommend this method if you’re just needing small amounts though. First those, I use coffee cups. They retain heat exceptionally well. Hope this helps!
Is it 2 tablespoons to a bag of candy melts?
Yes 🙂
Hi
I also use 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil for one bag of melts! Our craft store just recently started carrying the crystals so I haven’t used them yet, but the oil works well!
Karen
does the “candy melt” melts in your finger at room temperature?
does it hardened like real chocolate?
No, it does not melt in your fingers. Yes, it does harden.
What a great tip! I will have to remember this if I ever attempt cake pops again…the chocolate was the hardest part! Thanks for sharing at Welcome Home Wednesdays.
Cake Pops are so fun for holidays and parties. Thanks for the tip!
Is it 2 tablespoons or 2 tespoons? Tablespoons seem like alot. Just double checking
I use tablespoons. You could certainly start with less and see how it works for you though.
Candy wax also works great. That’s what I always use.
Can you use coconut oil to thin out the chocolate?
Hmmm, I imagine it would work but I haven’t tried it so I can’t say with certainty.
I recently added coconut oil to chocolate for cake pop dipping (wiltons black colored chocolate) and it did work well for thinning BUT when I put the cake pops in the fridge they got a little spotty which I believe was due to the hardening of the coconut oil.
Ive been making cake pops for quite a few years and tried a few things to thin the chocolate and I have found nothing works better than coconut oil, its brilliant. I found vegetable oil tainted the taste of the chocolate where as coconut oil does not change the taste of the chocolate. I try to use as little as possible, so I start by adding a teaspoon then add more if need be. I haven’t come across Wilton Ez thin here in New Zealand
How many cake pops are done with one bag of melts?
Thanks.
Honestly I’m not sure! Sorry!
I get 24
Why do I sometimes get seeping from the pops after dipping? Is the ball too cold?? It looks like oil, but not sure.
You know, I have the same problem sometimes and I’m really not sure what causes it! 🙁
I recently read that you can omit the oil from the cake recipe to prevent the oil problem. I bake my cake according to the recipe and put it in the food processor after baking. I dont use any frosting in the cake pop. The food processor makes a good dough without the frosting and I dont have the oil problem anymore.
When I first started doing Cake Pops, I used oil, water and of course the eggs. The oil seeped through. Was a disaster! I did an experiment….. I substituted the oil for 1 Stick of melted butter and the water for one cup of milk!! Guess what…… it worked! No more seeping!
You can also use a electric skillet, water should be warm enough to stick your finger in.
what would you use to make the wilton candy melts shinny? Have used crisco etc. Thanks for any hints.
I’m not sure – sorry!
I hate Wilton melts, the milk and dark chocolates melt fine but the white or any other color is clumpy and thick. I’ve tried using paramount crystals but I find that once I get it to a good consistency, I’ve put too much and then my cake pop looks streaky because the chocolate is running off the cake pop. I haven’t done cake pops for awhile so today I decided to pour heavy cream into my melt. I put very little and it became a paste. I added a little more and it became a thick ganache. I thought I messed up but when I kept stirring, the melt became shiny. I tested a little to see if it would dry/harden sitting out and it did; not like pure chocolate kind of hardness but eventually it seemed to harden enough so that I don’t worry about it melting off my cake pop. It was also very easy to dip, none of my cake pops broke while dipping. I was actually amazed. I Google searched for any brands that are not Wilton so I can try that are readily available around my area and stumbled upon this post. I hate Wilton melts but if all other brands are thick and hard to work with just like Wilton then I’ll just have to suck it up and continue doing what I’ve been doing.
I don’t have that kind of trouble with the Wilton melts – once I add the paramount crystals or shortening, I can stir it to get a smooth, shiny (not streaky) appearance. I also use Merkens candy melts sometimes and they melt beautifully! They have lots of colors you can browse here: http://amzn.to/2wt4mXM.
Would butter work to thin it? If so, what are the proportions?
No, butter has a high water content that would cause the candy to seize.
Would paraffin wax have the same effect as the crystals?
Maybe so – I haven’t tried it though.
I use paraffin wax when I am making my peanut butter balls. It makes the coating shiny and does not come off on your fingers. It does not change the taste.
I use coconut oil to thin the melts. Works great and tastes way better than shortening.
When coloring vanilla melts and adding paramount crystals my vanilla melts gets thicker and you can see the white of the paramount crystals it comes out thinker for some reason, how can I fix think vanilla melts?
I have tried making the birthday cake pops several times. I have used the pink candy melts, then the vanilla ones and added red food coloring, but it still doesn’t quite taste the same. It has a waxy taste to it. I have also used white chocolate chips, melted on the stove, but that didn’t work out.
do you know anything else that works instead of these things? Can’t seem to get it just right. I’m trying to duplicate Starbucks birthday cake pops. Thanks!!!
I was mid dipping and ran into the thick candy melt issue (making Oreo truffle balls) and the only shortening I had was butter flavored crisco, and since I was dipping into white, I was freaking out. I ended up using coconut oil and it worked awesome. Just thought I’d share.
THanks Nikki! Merry Christmas!
Thank you for your website. Can you tell me why I get speckled white on my Blue cakepops I used wilton melts. They were Blue chocolate.
I used the melts last night while attempting to make “petit fours” for my sister’s paris-themed bridal shower. I basically just used a cake pop recipe for making the dough and created squares instead of balls and no sticks. The Wilton candy melts came out too thick and almost grainy. I just about cried while watching my perfect little square cakes crumble in the thick sauce 🙁 but I was able to save it by adding a couple tablespoons of canola oil to the melts until it was thin enough. Worked perfectly.
I find the Wilton candy melts get so clumpy and very hard to use. I also get very frustrated trying to dip anything in them. I’ve tried the paramount crystals brut for some reason it doesn’t help much. Maybe I’m not using enough. My go to is coconut oil!! Works wonders for me.
I’ve had a lot more trouble with Wilton lately than I used to. I’ll have to try the coconut oil fix and see if that helps!
I use cocoa butter. It’s what real chocolate is made of. I saw it on a blueprint video on cake pops. Tastes great.
Hi, Rose! I just picked up some Candy Wafers at Hobby Lobby to make some drip for a cake. Could I use vegetable oil to thin the candy or some cocoa powder? If so, how much would I need to use of each for a 12 oz. bag? Thank you!
I usually add a teaspoon of shortening at a time until I get the desired texture. I haven’t tried oil.
Does the chocolate harden for cake pops when you add shortening?
Yes, it will still harden.
Could you use vegetable oil or does it have to be the shortening?
Coconut oil should also work, right? I am just a bit worried about the coconut taste.
So I tried making cake pops tonight, with the white wilton candy melts and it did not melt great, after 5 tablespoons of vegetable oil and shortening, it still didn’t go well, I melted them on the stove in a double boiler. How much oil do you guys end up putting in to this this stuff? The chocolate was very uneven on the cake pop, looked awful.
Use coconut oil not vegetable oil. Add about a desert spoon to a packet of melts. In New Zealand 1 packet of candy melts is 290 grams. I would just start by adding a couple of teaspoons and then just add more until you have the consistency you want. It just take a bit of trial and error to get the right consistency of chocolate that works well to covering you pops, not too thin so it drips everywhere, not too thick so the pop doesn’t end up looking kinda lumpy. You can always dip a second time if the cake pop isnt nice and smooth like you wanted it. Any air bubbles just pop with a toothpick.