Tip #283: Create an Even Better Holiday Display with this Surprising Tip

If you’re looking to create an impressive holiday display in your candy shop, many would agree large moulded chocolates make great showpieces. However, working with chocolate as your medium certainly presents enough challenges to cause you to look for another subject to be the center of attention. Whether for fear of the potential effects of exposure to sunlight, humidity, curious customers, or ____________ (you fill in the blank), you may have decided long ago that even a jolly, three-foot-tall chocolate Santa in all his glory is not worth the investment of time and resources every year, especially during holiday season.

This week’s tip will allow you to deliver the same impact only a large chocolate Santa could, but with eventually the same effort as takes to do some light dusting. Simply follow the steps below to create a chocolate look-alike Santa (or snowman, Easter bunny, turkey, etc.) out of Plaster of Paris.

Step-By-Step Instructions for Chocolate Santa Look-Alike
By RCI member, Marie’s Candies of West Liberty, Ohio

Materials needed:

Marie's Candies has made plaster Easter
bunnies so realistic it's hard to tell the difference.

• Plaster of Paris
• Mixing bowl
• Popsicicle stick (or other mixing utensil)
• Access to water
• Brown acrylic paint or spray paint
• Paint brush
• Glue gun (optional)
• Icing eyes (optional)

Instructions:

1. Make sure your favorite chocolate Santa mould is clean. The great thing about using moulds you already have is the Santa in your display will look just like the real chocolate Santas you want to sell.
2. Follow the mixing instructions on a package of plaster of Paris.
3. Wet the inside of the mould, so the Santa can be removed easily. Fill the mould a quarter at a time, tapping it to remove air.
4. Remove Santa from the mould after one hour and let it dry for 24 hours.
5. Wash the mould and any other tools immediately after use.
6. Once Santa is dry, use spray paint or a brush to paint it chocolate brown.
7. Use a glue gun to add icing eyes (optional).

After following these simple steps, you will have an impressive moulded chocolate so realistic, you’ll want to display it year after year! As far as we can tell, the only downside here is that you might have to perform a lick test if you get your look-alikes mixed up with actual chocolate. Have your real moulded chocolate displays ever met their untimely demise due to curious customers or exposure to the elements? Share your story in the comments below.

RCI's Tip of the Week blog is just one of the many resources we offer to help candy makers refine their craft and build upon their business and marketing practices. Review past blog posts for quick and actionable tips to apply to your business. Look for the "Subscribe now" box on the right to enter your email address and start receiving weekly tips, like this, delivered straight to your email inbox.

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