Easy Homemade Filled Chocolates
Ever wonder how they get that delicious cream filling inside those bite-sized chocolates? Now you can make them at home! Create your own, custom flavors and colors! Get ready to impress family and friends with Homemade Filled Chocolates.
Step-by-step pictures and instructions included!
For Christmas, we thought it would be fun to get some chocolate molds and make candy with our children. So we looked around on Amazon and found a bunch of really fun molds. We got these super cute flower ones.
I wanted to make chocolates with flavored fillings. I chose strawberry and lemon. It was surprisingly easy to make the filling, and it tasted great and was the perfect consistency!
It’s really easy to make chocolates in molds, but it does take time. Just thought I should be upfront about that 🙂 But the results are worth it!
Today’s Freebie!
How to Make Homemade Filled Chocolates
How to Make Filled Chocolates
First, you’ll need to gather all your supplies. For the chocolate molds, you will need:
- Silicone molds
- Almond Bark (Vanilla, chocolate, or other flavors). You can also use Wilton’s Candy Melts. I don’t suggest using chocolate chips, as the consistency is not quite right for these.
- A clean, small paintbrush. (I bought one just to use for making these chocolates).
To Make the Cream Fillings for Chocolates
Ingredients:
- Granulated Sugar
- Butter
- White dipping chocolate (like the almond bark or candy melts)
- Evaporated Milk
- Marshmallows
- Flavoring
- Coloring
1. To begin, you are going to melt your almond bark in the microwave on the “defrost” setting, stirring every 30 seconds until it is smooth. Then paint it into the molds. You can see I am quite a messy painter.
2. Once you’ve painted all the molds with chocolate, just let them sit at room temperature to cool and harden.
3. Now it’s time to make the fondant filling. You’re going to put 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup) and 8 ounces of white dipping chocolate into a heat-resistant bowl.
4. On the stove in a large, heavy pan, you’re going to mix 2 cups of sugar, 3/4 cup evaporated milk, and 20 large marshmallows (or 2 cups of miniature marshmallows).
5. You’ll cook and stir this over medium-high heat until it starts to boil. Continue stirring and boiling for five minutes. Then remove from the heat and pour over your butter and white dipping chocolate.
6. Stir until smooth and creamy. It should look like this (kind of like thick frosting):
7. At this point, I divided the filling into two separate bowls and added 1 1/2 teaspoons of strawberry extract (along with a couple drops of red food coloring) to one, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon extract (and a couple drops of yellow food coloring) to the other.
8. Once those were all stirred and the color was evenly distributed, I felt like the fondant was cool enough to pipe into my dried chocolate molds.
9. I spooned the fondant into a plastic piping bag with a round metal tip at the bottom. (The shape of the tip actually doesn’t matter. You can use a star tip if you want. It’s all going to get covered by chocolate). Then I gently squeezed the fondant into the chocolate molds.
10. Once you fill your molds, use your finger to gently press down any filling that is sticking up. Then take a spoon and gently add more melted chocolate to cover the cream filling and completely fill the space in the mold.
11. Just wait (at least half an hour–maybe more) to let the chocolates harden. You can put them in the refrigerator to hurry up the process if you like. Then they should easily pop out of the molds, and you’ll have gorgeous homemade filled chocolates!
Tips for Making Cream-Filled Chocolates
- Make SURE your molds are completely dry, as well as the container you melt your chocolate in. Even one drop of water can cause your chocolate to “seize.” (Get hard and crumbly).
- View your molds from every angle as you paint in the chocolate. It’s easy to miss crevices and not get the chocolate all the way to the top.
- Paint the chocolate so that it is quite thick in the molds. Otherwise, your filling will be showing.
- It’s o.k. if your filling starts to look dry. You can still use it. If you have extra, you can roll it into balls and dip it into the melted chocolate to make truffles. In fact, if you want to do this, the fondant should be dry and completely cool. (You can put it in the fridge if you want). It should be very easy to handle and mold.
We could NOT stop eating these! They taste just like professional chocolates and were so fun to make! (Full disclosure: my kitchen was a disaster afterward, but it was worth it!)
Today’s Freebie!
Have more questions about these homemade filled chocolates? Be sure to scroll down below the recipe where I answer common questions you may have!
Easy Homemade Filled Chocolates
Make these easy, home made chocolates with filling for Valentine's Day or your anniversary! Create your own, custom flavors and colors! Step-by-step pictures and instructions included!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dipping chocolate, any flavor (use almond bark or candy melts, not chocolate chips)
- 8 ounces white dipping chocolate
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup evaporated milk
- 2 cups miniature marshmallows (or 20 large marshmallows)
- 3 teaspoons flavor extract (strawberry, lemon, rum, peppermint, etc.)
- 2 drops food coloring (or more to get your desired color)
Instructions
- Melt the 8 ounces of dipping chocolate in the microwave on the "defrost" setting in 30-second increments, stirring after each 30 seconds until completely melted and smooth.
- Using a small, clean paintbrush, brush the melted chocolate in your silicone candy molds, making sure to thoroughly cover all the crevices. Leave to dry and cool while you make the fondant filling.
- For the filling, put the 8 ounces of white dipping chocolate and the butter in a large, heat-resistant bowl.
- On the stove in a large pan, add the 2 cups of sugar, 3/4 cup evaporated milk, and marshmallows. Heat over medium-high, stirring frequently. Bring to a boil. Once the mixture boils, keep stirring and boiling for five more minutes.
- Remove from the heat and pour over the butter and white dipping chocolate. Stir until everything is melted and smooth. Mixture should look like thick frosting.
- If desired, add flavoring and coloring now. Use 3 teaspoons of any flavor extract you like for the whole batch. Or split up the fondant and use the proportional amount of flavoring. Add drops of food coloring to match the flavor.
- When fondant is cool enough to handle, spoon into a piping bag (or parchment bag). Either cut a medium-sized hole in the bottom of the bag and just squeeze, or you can put a metal cake decorating tip in the bottom of the bag for a little more control.
- Gently squeeze the fondant into each of your chocolate molds. Press down any filling sticking up.
- Use a spoon to carefully pour melted chocolate over the filling to the top of the mold. Let cool for at least 30 minutes (preferably longer) before removing from molds. Will keep at room temperature for several days.
Notes
Be sure to scroll up and read the whole post for step-by-step pictures and essential tips for success!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 45Amount Per Serving: Calories: 116Total Fat: 5.5gSaturated Fat: 3.5gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 29mgCarbohydrates: 16.4gFiber: .2gSugar: 15.6gProtein: 1g
Common Questions about Homemade Filled Chocolates
Unsalted or Salted Butter?
I used salted butter, but I wouldn’t panic if you only have unsalted — it won’t ruin the recipe!
How long will the cream filling stay good after it’s made (and before it’s covered in chocolate)?
I believe the cream filling will stay good for about a week in the fridge (could be longer, but I’m not sure). While it’s in the fridge the cream will harden. When you’re ready to fill your chocolate molds, you’ll need to put them in the microwave and set it to defrost. Make sure to keep an eye on it, and pull it out when it becomes soft enough to handle.
If you don’t want to squeeze it into the molds, you can also roll the hardened filling into balls and press it into the molds.
Should I leave the chocolate molds at room temperature to harden? Or put them in the freezer?
I would just leave the chocolate molds to harden at room temperature. When I did this, the chocolate in the molds didn’t take long to harden.
That said, you can put them in the freezer if you’d like. They might just be more prone to sweating.
Can I use candy flavoring or candy oil, instead of extract?
Totally! Just be careful to read the directions for the flavorings to make sure you don’t put too much in. Most candy oils are concentrated, super-strength, flavors (that way they can withstand the higher temperature that you need to make candy).
Choose your favorite to pin!
Want some more yummy treats for Valentine’s Day? Try these!
Yum! What a great idea for Valentine’s day!
I love the idea of making homemade candy to surprise the family with on Valentine’s Day!
Homemade candy brings back fond memories! Beautifully put together!
This looks like the perfect Valentine’s Day treat!!!! Very nice!!
These are just the prettiest Valentine’s Day treats I’ve ever seen! Seriously, they’re stunning, and could we TALK about the fillings? They wouldn’t last long in my house, that’s for sure.
How long will your fondant filled chocolates keep?
Hi Alan! They can last up to a month in the refrigerator. Great question!
How did you color the white almond bark pink? I know you can’t use typical food dyes since a lot of them are water based.
Mark, you can actually buy the chocolate that color! I got the Wilton Candy Melts. They come in all kinds of colors!
Can you use marshmallow cream instead of be marshmallos.
Hey Kathy, that is a great question! I have never tried it with marshmallow cream, so I don’t know. If you try it that way, please let me know how it turns out!
How long will the cream filling stay good after it is made and before it is covered in chocolate? Days?
Hi Mindy. The cream filling will stay good for probably a week in the refrigerator. However, it will harden up. If you need to soften it up again, just microwave on the defrost setting briefly until it becomes soft enough to handle. If you don’t want to squeeze it into the molds, you can also roll the hardened filling into balls and press it into the molds.
Wanting to do this for a party favor. Will these start to sweat after take out if fridge after a week?
Tiffany, it’s possible. You can actually store these at room temperature for a week if you are worried about the sweating!
What is meant by a “cube” of butter? Do you mean a tablespoon? Or a whole stick of butter? Or should we just eyeball a cube? Thank you.
The recipe says that a cube is equal to 1/2 a cup. Hope that helps! I should probably change that to say a “stick” of butter!
Hi could you please say what type of sugar is used for this recipe. Thank you.
Just regular granulated sugar!
Can chocolate almond bark be used in place of white chocolate for a soft milk chocolate center?
I don’t see why not! Give it a try and let me know how it turns out!
sorry if i missed reading on there but for the butter is it salted or unsalted? and i cant wait to try this, Thanks!
I always use salted butter 🙂
Hi – These look great but I’m wondering what you mean by ‘white dipping chocolate’ is that just white chocolate?
Hi Olivia. When I say “white dipping chocolate,” I’m referring to chocolate candy melts (you can get Wilton brand–they look like round disks) or white almond bark. Hope that helps!
Yes, or at a candy store, white chocolate discs. Micheals sells them also!
Wondering if it is better to leave the chocolate molds at room temperature to harden or better in freezer for 10 mins and then room temperature? Worried it would sweat and melt?
Lisa, I would just leave everything at room temperature. The chocolate in the molds firms up pretty quickly.
Can i use candy flavoring? Instead of extract? And if yes would i need to use vanilla extract instead? And a few drops of candy flavoring?
Hi Shannon. I’m not sure what candy flavoring is. Just give it a try and see if it works out, and then let me know!
Hi Shannon/Melissa,
You would not need to use vanilla extract with your candy flavorings, you’ll “muddy” their taste. I use LorAnn’s candy flavorings…they recommend 1/4 to 1/2 tsp per pound in chocolate making…I typically start at 1/4 tsp for 4 cups of filling….I don’t usually go much higher than 1/4tsp as the oils are super-strength, but that’s my preference, …anyway, just check your brands candy oil conversion to extract rate and let your taste buds do the decision making for you
Great base recipe Melissa…THANKS! Can adjust it for any flavor and the texture looks awesome! I’ll give this one a try the next time I make chocolates..
Thank you so much for your expert advice!
Whats the weight on one patch?
I’m sorry. I don’t quite understand the question. Can you restate?
Does the fondant stay soft at room temp? I don’t want it hard enough to roll at room temp. I usually make cream fillings the consistency of caramel. Usually the chocolate & marshmallow will harden to much for chocolates that I’ve made. Thanks.
I haven’t had issues with the filling getting hard. If it does, you can just microwave it for a few seconds.
This looks so good! What a fun way to make your own chocolate sampler for Valentines Day!
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
I’m not sure. They never last long!
What if the filling isn’t thick enough
It thickens up as it rests. If it’s super thin, just add more powdered sugar.
I find that tapping the tray several times on the counter after every step while filling brings up all the air bubbles, (because there will be some ). This way the candies don’t have poc marks and will look near professional!
Great tips, Barbara! Thanks for sharing!
I made these with maple cream and hibiscus rose filling, and they tasted delicious. However, the ratio of chocolate to filling was very off. I ended up using 24 oz of chocolate to use up the filling that came out of 8 oz of white almond bark and still had a ton of filling left. Also, the marshmallows burned when melted in the milk/sugar mixture and boiled.
Jill, I’m sorry you had troubles with these chocolates! The issues you had with burning have never been reported to me before, so I’m not sure what happened there! But I’m glad your chocolates tasted delicious! That hibiscus rose filling sounds amazing!
Hello!
Can you use marshmallow fluff instead? Thank you!
Sure! Just pipe it into the chocolates like with the regular filling!
The filling needs to be refrigerated before they’re made, but once it’s encased in the chocolate, how long are those good for? would they need refrigeration? I want to make my own filling, but the recipes I like all use butter
I have never refrigerated the finished chocolates. I am not sure, but I think they would be fine at room temperature for weeks (like regular chocolates you buy in boxes at the store).
I made these and they turned out Perfect. I used freeze dried fruit powder to flavor and color
I love your idea of using freeze dried fruit powder! So glad they turned out perfectly for you!
I want to know if it if it’s safe to use regular food coloring versus candy color because the chocolate being in the fondant
Yes, it’s safe to use regular food coloring.
Help please,, I made these and my filling was extremely watery. I followed all the directions and the ingredients (I think) so I am not sure what I did wrong. Would you have any clue to where I may have botched this? I used the big marshmallows (20).
I do have to say though even though they did not turn out I had fun making them. Thank you very much for posting your recipe.
Dawn, I’m so sorry your filling was watery! This has never happened to me, so I’m not sure what went wrong! I’d say give it another shot and see if it works out for you! Let me know!
I want to use store-bought strawberry filling do I need to refrigerate after they are made? How long will they be good for? will the chocolate turn white if I refrigerate them?
Hi Lynn. You do not need to refrigerate these if you use store-bought strawberry filling. That will already have been cooked, so there is no danger of spoilage. That being said, I would eat them within a week. If your chocolate is tempered, it should not turn white in the refrigerator. If you use candy melts (like Wilton’s Candy Melts) for the chocolate shell, it will not need tempering and should not turn white when refrigerated. Good luck!
Can you add flavored brandy, port or other alcohols to your filling recipe without making it watery?
Robert, it depends on how much you add. I would stick with extracts just in case. If you do decide to add alcohol, just add a little at a time and make sure your filling doesn’t get too runny.
Can I add nuts or cherries?
Of course! I think that would be a great idea!
I am going to make these for Valentine’s Day, have you ever used bakers chocolate instead of the almond bark? Do you think you would have the same outcome?
Tricia, I think you can use baker’s chocolate as well.
I had trouble getting them out of the molds without them squishing. Any helpful hints?
Sorry they squished when coming out of the molds! Two ideas: Make the base layer of chocolate (that you paint into the molds) a little thicker, and place them in the refrigerator for about half an hour before trying to get them out of the molds. Hope that helps!
I want to try this recipe and was wondering if I can use homemade Marshmallows instead of store bought?
I have never tried it with homemade marshmallows. If you do, please let me know how it turns out!