Pumpkin Box
Chocolate Project

By Bob Sherman

This project is a basic pour box with embellishments added using a cake decorating tube. For the decorating I used chocolate because it is a lot of work to mix up royal icing for just one of these. Royal icing would have provided much better leaf detail, and I would have used it if I was making several of them.

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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 home molding chocolate. My preferred brand is Merckens which works well with all chocolate molding projects and tastes great. Note: Colored chocolate is white chocolate flavor. If you prefer these could be made in milk or dark chocolate, however it will lose much of its visual appeal.

Melting Chocolate
For a small project like this either melting method may be used.

Double Boiler - See Double Boiler Usage Instructions.

A microwave may also 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 (small amounts will require less - start with 15 seconds).
3. Remove and stir.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the chocolate is creamy.
5. Optimum pouring temperature is about 90 degrees F. Note: Pouring chocolate molds hotter than 160 degrees F. will destroy the mold. Do not place the thermometer in the microwave!

1. The mold is used without modification, however it needs to be propped across a bowl to hold it level.	2. The stem area is filled with green chocolate.
3. Fill the lid and box bottom cavities with orange chocolate. Allow to harden at room temperature.	4. Place the mold in your freezer just until it is able to demold easily.
5. A 2 ounce deluxe squeeze bottle is equipped with a #66 leaf tube. In use this tube is held at an angle to the work with the V notches on the sides (sides containing the V notch are vertical if that makes it more clear). Practice on wax paper if you're unsure.	6. Press the tube to the base of the stem. Squeeze out some chocolate while pulling the tube away. Repeat for each leaf.
7. The finished pumpkin. These may be used for chocolate or dessert cups and are great for Thanksgiving.	8. Just a bit more effort makes these into Jack-o-Lanterns. A 2 ounce squeeze bottle with the #1 round tube it comes with is used.
9. Use the tube to draw on a Jack-o-Lantern face (hopefully a bit neater than mine came out). This looks good in milk, dark, or yellow chocolate.	10. The finished Jack-o-Lantern.
11. This mold includes many tiny shapes which can be used as a filler for the box, however these are difficult to pour and I don't normally use them. Should you decide to use these, a squeeze bottle is the best way to fill them neatly.	12. A gusseted cello bag with Halloween twist tie is a great way to package these.

Support Free Projects
You can help ensure the continued availabilty 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 molding practices as of the time of this writing - August 2006. 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.

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