Teddy Bear Pour Box Chocolate Making Project

By Bob Sherman

This chocolate making project makes a great year round treat for that special someone. This project uses a simple layered mold painting technique that is just a step up from basic mold painting.

We stock a large selection of chocolate making supplies and many of the items you may need can be ordered directly from this page for your convenience.

PLEASE NOTE!! - Although chocolate making is relatively safe for the entire family to participate, adult supervision is required.

Chocolate
 I prefer to use chocolate wafers designed for molding chocolate. My preferred brand is Merckens which works well with all chocolate molding projects and tastes great. Although illustrated with milk chocolate, white chocolate also looks very good on these.

Melting Chocolate
Either melting method may be used, but I find the double boiler works best for this. Regardless of which method is chosen, using the chocolate at 90 degrees F. is optimum.

Double Boiler - See Double Boiler Usage Instructions.

Microwave - A microwave may be used but care must be taken not to overheat the chocolate.

  1. Place the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl.
  2. Heat for 30 seconds.
  3. Remove and stir.
  4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the chocolate is creamy.
  5. Optimum usage temperature is about 90 degrees F. Do not place the thermometer in the microwave!

De Molding Chocolate Boxes
Chocolate box bottoms require a slightly different de molding procedure as outlined below. Due to the shape of the mold it should be repositioned halfway through the time in your freezer.

  1. Allow the chocolate to harden fully before placing the mold in your freezer.
  2. Place mold in your freezer upside down for 5 minutes.
  3. Remove and place it right side up for 5 minutes.
  4. Examine the mold to make sure most of the chocolate has separated from the mold. Areas that have not separated will look like wet spots when viewed through the clear plastic mold. If not place it back in the freezer, dividing freezer time between right side up and upside down.
  5. Grasp the mold with your thumbs alongside the mold cavity and your fingers against the box bottom on the other side of the mold. Hint: If you have small hands this can be simplified by trimming the mold sheet to within 1/2 inch (12 mm.) of the mold cavity.
  6. Apply gentle pressure with your fingers.
  7. Shift your hand position and apply gentle pressure again.
  8. Repeat step 7 working your way around the mold until the chocolate comes out.

Chocolate Making Supplies And Materials

The following chocolate making supplies and other materials were used to make this project. Clicking on the item name will bring you to that item's page with a full description and ordering information.

Step By Step Instructions

 

Step 1

No modifications to the molds are needed. It will be necessary to prop up one side before pouring to maintain the mold level. If you have never painted a mold before you may wish to review basic painting instructions before continuing.


Step 2

Melt a bit of the nose color (brown used here) and apply a dab in the nose area with a paint brush. This step could be skipped but adds a lot to the appearance. Remember - painting molds is the opposite of regular painting and whatever you want to show on top (in front) must be painted first.


Step 3

Melt some trim color (white chocolate was used here). Use the brush to paint the inner ears and foot pads. Use a dabbing motion when painting the snout area atop the nose to prevent melting the first color and causing streaks.


Step 4

Pour the box. The depth of this mold greatly increases the chances of trapped air. This can be reduced by pouring the chocolate into one corner and allowing it to flow, however several hard raps against the counter should also be done. It is very important that these be as level as possible for best appearance so I allow the surface to harden before moving the mold to the freezer. Allow it to harden before proceeding.


Step 5

Place in a freezer until the pieces de mold easily. This takes substantially longer on a mold this size than for most chocolate making, however the lid will be ready to de mold long before the box bottom.


Step 6

Melt some chocolate in the body color and apply a dab to the eyes.


Step 7

Position the eyes. Note that since eyes are hand made, you should select a pair that match well and pay attention to how they are aligned on the bear.


Step 8

The same method was used to apply this daisy sugar embellishment between the paws.


Step 9

The completed project. Just fill with some tasty treats.


Support Free Projects
You can help ensure the continued availability and production of free chocolate projects by telling your friends about them. The more popular they are the more we can produce so tell your friends, mention them on message boards, link to them from your web site, etc... More information is available here.

Disclaimer: The information presented here is accurate to the best of my knowledge and common chocolate making practices as of the time of this writing - originally published in December 2005 and updated in November 2010. The author and the publisher accept no liability for the use or misuse of any of the information presented in this article. This article is presented for informational purposes and is used at your own risk.

Author: Bob Sherman

Publisher: Bobby's Craft Boutique Inc.

This article is provided free of charge for use. Products may be made and sold using this idea royalty free.

Web sites may use links to this page without restriction.

No portion of this article may be reproduced for publication elsewhere without express permission from Bobby's Craft Boutique Inc. with the following exceptions:

All other requests need to be submitted via our reprint request form.