FollowThis White Chocolate Candy Doves with tutorial will show you how you can make centerpieces for weddings, births, bridal showers, Easter, and any other special occasion for that matter. The doves are easily formed by hand with “clay” made from candy melts and corn syrup, and the nests are made from a simple meringue recipe, piped on parchment. They can be made several days ahead and stored in an airtight container.
The meringue nests are light and crunchy, and melt in your mouth. The doves are similar to a very firm fudge. Both are delightful!
WHITE CHOCOLATE CANDY DOVES
1 bag of white candy melts, 12-ounces (find the whitest type, like Wilton’s “Bright White”)
1/4 cup corn syrup
Black food coloring or melted dark chocolate for the eyes.
If you need visual instruction for making the white chocolate candy doves, please see the image tutorial below.
Directions-
1. Set 2 candy melt pieces aside in a small bowl or ramekin. Melt the remaining candy melts in a small bowl in the microwave. Microwave in 15 second increments, stirring each time. When most of the chocolate is melted, let the bowl sit for a few minutes and then stir. If all of the pieces haven’t melted, microwave for an additional 15 seconds.
2. Allow the mixture to cool until it is just warm and add the corn syrup. Stir well. Spread out on a plate and let it sit for one hour. Place in a plastic bag and let the clay rest for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
3. For small doves, use 1 level teaspoon of clay. Knead it briefly to soften enough to shape. Pinch off two small pieces for wings.
4. The head can be formed in two ways. You can pinch off a piece of clay and roll it into a ball which will be attached to the body or you can form the head as part of the body, whichever works best for you.
5. The remaining clay is the body of the dove. Roll it into a ball and then roll one side to make a teardrop shape. Hold the clay with your left thumb and finger on either side, just above the narrow end and pinch with right thumb and finger on top and bottom of the narrow end to form a flat fan-like tail. With the back of a knife or a toothpick, press lines along the tip of the tail to represent feathers.
6. If you are adding the head, first pinch to form a tiny beak, and then set it on the front end of the body. Taking a finger dipped in a tiny bit of cornstarch or a toothpick, blend the head into the body so it looks like one piece. (This will also keep the head from falling off)
7. If you are forming the head from the body, squeeze gently to pull some of the clay up, then shape into a head. This will take a little practice, but if you aren’t happy with the results you can just squish it together and try again.
8. If the clay gets too soft while you are working with it, let it rest outside of the bag while you work with a fresh piece.
9. Use cornstarch lightly to keep the clay from sticking, and to smooth out the finished bird.
10. For the wings, start with ball shapes and then flatten and stretch to form thin wings. It helps to press them on a smooth surface lightly dusted with cornstarch. Experiment with shapes. You can make open wings with feathers along the bottom made with the back of a knife or toothpick, or you can have the wings resting at the bird’s side. The resting wings are easiest to attach and are probably more realistic for a nesting bird, but an open-winged bird on the side of the nest can add interest.
11. It’s easiest to set the wings alongside each bird as it’s made, because you’ll want to add a little bit of melted candy melts to keep them from falling off, and it’s best to do them all at once to avoid re-melting the chocolate over and over. Melt the two candy melts in a small bowl just as you did before – at 15 second increments. Dip a toothpick in the melted candy and dab it on the wings before you smooth them onto the doves.
12. Dip a toothpick in melted dark chocolate or black food coloring and dot the eyes on the bird. Be careful if using food coloring; if you get any on your finger you’ll smudge the rest of the birds.
13. Set the birds in the meringue nests and admire your artistry!
As you can see from the photos above, the possibilities are endless with these White Chocolate Candy Doves in Nests made of meringue! Get busy and start creating some of your very own.
Oh, before I forget, make sure you check out White Chocolate Candy Dove Nests for instructions on how to make the meringue nests. Enjoy!!!!
