Divine 8-Step Chocolate Gelt Magic

Hanukkah is such a magical time, right? Between the flickering candles and the smell of frying doughnuts, it’s all about tradition and sharing joy with the people you love. My grandmother always made sure we connected with those old customs in a fun way, even if life got hectic. That’s why I absolutely adore the idea of making our own Challah bread for the holiday table, but today we’re getting sweet!

Forget the sad, waxy coins you find sitting around waiting for dreidel games to start. We’re making real, deeply satisfying chocolate gelt right here in your own kitchen. As someone who believes cooking should bring more happiness and less stress to your everyday life, this is the perfect, low-fuss family project. Trust me, seeing the kids’ faces when they unwrap a coin you actually made yourself is worth the five minutes of effort!

Why Making Homemade Chocolate Gelt is a Great Hanukkah Tradition

Honestly, most store-bought coins are kind of a letdown, right? When you make homemade chocolate gelt, you control everything! That’s the beauty of it; you can use that gorgeous dark chocolate you love instead of whatever the factory is using. This recipe is fantastic because it turns a simple giveaway into high-quality Hanukkah candy, and it’s a perfect hands-on activity. You can bake my Sufganiyot one night and then melt down chocolate the next—it’s all about keeping the holiday spirit alive with simple, delicious tasks.

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The Joy of DIY Chocolate Coins

This is where the real fun starts, especially if you have little ones running around. Buy some colorful molds, and let them help pour in the warm chocolate. But the best part? The wrapping! Kids absolutely love taking those shiny gold foil chocolate coins and carefully twisting the edges around the chocolate. It’s tactile, it’s colorful, and it connects them directly to the tradition.

There’s just something satisfying about creating something symbolic with your own two hands. It feels meaningful, way more than just grabbing a bag off the shelf. It shows a little extra love for the holiday, and it makes the whole dreidel game feel a little more special when you’re playing for something you actually made!

Ingredients Needed for Perfect Chocolate Gelt

We keep this list short because, honestly, the fewer ingredients, the easier it is to nail the flavor! If you’re going to put in the effort to make these DIY chocolate coins, use the best chocolate you can find. We need about 12 ounces of high-quality chocolate—whether you prefer rich dark, sweet milk, or classic semi-sweet.

You’ll also need your chocolate coin molds, naturally! And if you want that truly authentic look, grab some food-safe gold foil wrappers. That’s it! Simple, focused, and ready to go.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions for Chocolate Gelt

When I say good quality chocolate, I mean it. Chocolate chips are tempting because they’re already measured out, but they have stabilizers that mess with the melt. If you can, grab baking bars or discs—they melt so much smoother. For flavor, I tend to go for 60-70% dark chocolate; it gives a nice snap and balances the sweetness of the Hanukkah celebration.

If you can’t easily find those specific gold foil wrappers, don’t panic! You can totally skip the wrapping if you prefer a minimalist look. Another fun thing I’ve done is use a fine, clean paintbrush to dab edible gold luster dust right onto the finished, unwrapped coins while they are still slightly cool. It gives them a gorgeous shimmer without the fuss of wrapping every single one.

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Essential Equipment for DIY Chocolate Coins

Okay, now that we’ve got our incredible chocolate ready, we need the right gear to turn that liquid gold into shiny coins. Don’t worry, you don’t need a professional candy shop setup for this! The most crucial items here are your chocolate molds. I find that silicone molds are the easiest for beginners because they are so flexible—you can just pop the coins right out when they are set.

If you are using plastic molds, you’ll need to be a little more patient when unmolding, but they often give a crisper edge, which is nice. Whichever you choose, you absolutely must make sure every single mold is perfectly clean and, this is key, bone dry. Water is the sworn enemy of melted chocolate; it makes it seize up immediately, and nobody wants a panicky chocolate seizure on Hanukkah!

You will also want a good, sturdy bowl for melting. I usually just use a metal bowl placed over a simmering pot of water to create a makeshift double boiler. If you plan on scraping the excess chocolate off the back of the mold—which you should, to make those perfect, flat DIY chocolate coins—an offset spatula is your best friend. If you don’t have one, just use the back of a butter knife, but be slow and steady with your scraping motion.

Step-by-Step Instructions to Make Chocolate Gelt

Now for the fun part! This is straightforward, but just like my truffle recipes, the little details make all the difference between a soft mess and a truly satisfying coin.

Melting and Tempering Your Chocolate Gelt Base

First, chop your 12 oz of good chocolate into small, even pieces. This helps everything melt evenly. You have two options here for melting: the microwave, working in 30-second bursts and stirring well each time, or a double boiler for gentle heat. My biggest personal tip, and please write this down: if you use the double boiler method, keep the steam *away* from the chocolate bowl! Even a tiny drop of water will cause your beautiful chocolate to seize up on you, and nobody wants that headache.

Now, do you need to temper? My philosophy is, if you want those professional, shiny, snappy coins that don’t get that dull white haze (that’s called bloom, by the way), you should absolutely temper it. If you’re in a huge rush, you can skip it, but your coins will be softer and melt faster in little hands. Tempering is just bringing the chocolate up and then slightly down in temperature to stabilize the cocoa butter. For simplicity, I usually recommend tempering if you have a candy thermometer, but if you’re just having fun, a careful melt works!

Filling Molds and Achieving Flat DIY Chocolate Coins

Once your chocolate is silky smooth, it’s time to fill those molds. Gently pour or spoon the chocolate in until it’s almost over the top. Then, pick up the mold and tap it smartly a few times against your counter. Hear that little *thud*? That’s the sound of air bubbles escaping! You want the chocolate level and bubble-free inside the cavity.

Next, grab that offset spatula or the back of a knife and scrape firmly across the top of the mold. This ensures the back of your DIY chocolate coins is perfectly flat for wrapping later. Pop those filled molds into the fridge—no cheating! Let them chill completely, usually about 30 minutes, until they are rock hard. When you’re ready to unmold, gently flex the silicone or plastic, and they should slide right out. If they stick, pop them in the freezer for five minutes, and they’ll cooperate!

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Tips for Success When Making Chocolate Gelt

As much as I love making things easy, dealing with chocolate—especially when you want it to look good—can sometimes be tricky. But don’t you worry! I’ve learned a few tricks over the years from trying to get my holiday fudge just right, and these apply perfectly to your chocolate gelt.

The biggest thing to remember, which I touched on earlier, is keeping things totally dry. If you see any condensation on your bowl or utensils while melting, wipe it off immediately. Water is what causes that dreadful seizing where your smooth chocolate turns into thick, grainy paste. It’s fixable if you catch it fast by stirring in a tiny amount of hot oil or warm water, but honestly, total dryness is the best strategy!

Another pro-tip is about the final presentation, specifically if you tempered your chocolate correctly. If you did temper it right, you should get that beautiful, shiny coating reminiscent of commercial treats. If you skipped tempering, that’s fine for a quick project, but those coins will be slightly softer and might start looking dull or streaky (blooming) if your kitchen is warm. So, if you skipped the temper step, keep those gorgeous gold foil chocolate coins tucked away in the coolest, darkest spot in your pantry until you hand them out.

Lastly, when you unmold, be gentle! Chocolate is surprisingly delicate when it’s set. You want to avoid touching the flat sides too much, as the oils from your fingers will leave smudges. If you’re wrapping them in the foil, that’s a perfect solution because the wrapper hides any little fingerprint mistakes. If you aren’t wrapping them, just handle them by the edges!

Storage and Presentation of Your Homemade Chocolate Gelt

Once your beautiful shiny coins are unwrapped—or even if they are still nestled in their gold foil—you need to store them correctly so they taste great when it’s time to play dreidel. The goal is a cool, dry place. Chocolate hates humidity and sharp temperature swings. If your kitchen gets warm, forget about leaving them out on the counter!

If you followed my tip and skipped tempering, definitely keep them tucked away where it’s consistently cool. They’ll last for a good couple of weeks this way, which is more than enough time, knowing how fast kids eat chocolate gelt!

For presentation, don’t just hide them! Use them everywhere. Pile them high on your dessert platter next to any cookies you baked. They look fantastic dusted lightly with powdered sugar if you didn’t wrap them. Or, try using a few of the wrapped coins as cute little toppers on gifts or on top of a festive jar of jam you might be giving away. Instant holiday cheer!

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Frequently Asked Questions About Chocolate Gelt

I know you might have a few little worries popping up when you decide to dive into making candy, especially if you’re not a professional confectioner. That’s exactly why I always add this FAQ section—we want you to feel confident baking, even with tricky things like melted chocolate! These are the questions I get asked most often about making homemade chocolate gelt.

Can I use chocolate chips instead of bars for homemade chocolate gelt?

You totally *can*, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re aiming for that perfect, shiny snap. Chocolate chips are designed to hold their shape while baking, which means they often contain stabilizers or more vegetable fats. When you melt them down, they sometimes don’t melt as smoothly as a good quality baking bar or disc.

If you’re in a total pinch and you only have chips, go for it! But if you can grab a bar of good chocolate, even if it’s dipping chocolate or good baking chocolate, you’ll get a much better texture and a cleaner shine on your DIY chocolate coins. It just makes the whole treat taste so much more luxurious!

How long will my DIY chocolate coins last?

This really depends on whether you tampered with the chocolate, but generally, they last quite well if you treat them right! If you skipped tempering—meaning you just melted and chilled them—I’d say try to eat them within two weeks. Store them in a cool, dry, airtight container, far away from any heat source or sunlight. Chocolate doesn’t really go bad quickly, but it can start to discolor or soften, and we don’t want that happening!

If you took the time to temper the chocolate properly, they behave much more like store-bought chocolate and can easily last four to six weeks in a cool area. If you’re making a huge batch of Hanukkah candy, maybe keep the extras in the pantry, or even the fridge if your home runs warm, though the fridge can sometimes cause condensation when you take them out—so room temperature is best if you have a cool spot!

What if I don’t have a specific coin mold?

Oh, that’s a great question! If you don’t have a mold, you can still make fun shapes! You don’t need a special coin mold to make something special. Instead of pouring into a mold, you can try taking a sheet of parchment paper (like the kind I recommend for my hot chocolate bombs) and gently drizzle the melted chocolate onto it in lines or big circles. Let those cool completely, and then, once they are solid, you can use small cookie cutters (like a tiny circle or even a dreidel shape if you have one!) to cut out your own custom shapes. They won’t be perfectly round coins, but they will still be delicious and totally homemade!

Estimated Nutrition for Chocolate Gelt

Okay, I know some of you are curious exactly what you’re eating when you sneak one of these gorgeous chocolate gelt coins when the kids aren’t looking! Since we are using good quality chocolate and skipping out on all those weird stabilizers found in the store-bought versions, the actual nutrition changes a little based on what kind of chocolate bar you chose (dark vs. milk).

Please remember, since this recipe is so flexible—we might use high-end dark or standard milk chocolate, and the yield depends entirely on the size of your molds—these numbers are just an educated guess based on an average serving size. I always put this disclaimer out there for my homemade treats so you know exactly what you’re dealing with!

• Serving Size: 1 coin (Estimate)
• Calories: 80
• Sugar: 8g
• Fat: 5g
• Saturated Fat: 3g
• Carbohydrates: 9g
• Protein: 1g

See? Not too bad for a festive treat, especially eaten in moderation while you’re playing dreidel! They are certainly a better option than grabbing something with high fructose corn syrup. Enjoy them, and don’t stress too much about the numbers when you’re celebrating a wonderful holiday!

Share Your Hanukkah Candy Creations

Well, we did it! We took everyday chocolate and turned it into beautiful, meaningful chocolate gelt for your Hanukkah celebration. I truly hope this simple little project brought some extra joy to your kitchen this season. Honestly, seeing your creations pop up online is one of the neatest parts of running this blog!

If you made a batch of these DIY chocolate coins, please come back and let me know how it went! Did you use dark or milk chocolate? Did the kids ever manage to help wrap those shiny gold foil chocolate coins, or did that job fall to you? Leave comments below—I read every single one!

And if you snapped a photo of your finished platter of Hanukkah candy, I’d absolutely love to see it! Tag me on social media! It always inspires me to keep sharing these simple, joyful recipes that bring families together around the table. Happy Hanukkah, and I hope you enjoy all the yummy treats you make this year!

If you’ve got extra time and need another fun holiday bake in your rotation, check out my main recipe index for lots more inspiration!

Homemade Chocolate Gelt Coins

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Make your own delicious chocolate gelt coins at home for Hanukkah using simple molding techniques.

• Author: Carla Davis
• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 5 min
• Total Time: 50 min
• Yield: Varies by mold size
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Molding
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

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• 12 oz good quality chocolate (milk, dark, or semi-sweet)
• Chocolate coin molds (plastic or silicone)
• Food-safe gold foil wrappers (optional)

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Instructions

1. Prepare your chocolate: Chop the chocolate into small, uniform pieces.
2. Melt the chocolate: Use a double boiler or microwave in short bursts (30 seconds at a time), stirring frequently until the chocolate is smooth. Do not let water splash into the chocolate.
3. Temper the chocolate (optional but recommended for a good snap): If you want a professional finish, temper the chocolate according to standard confectionery methods to prevent blooming. For a simpler approach, skip tempering but expect a softer coin.
4. Fill the molds: Carefully pour or spoon the melted chocolate into the coin molds. Tap the molds gently on the counter to release any air bubbles.
5. Scrape excess: Use an offset spatula or the back of a knife to scrape off any excess chocolate from the back of the mold, making the coins flat.
6. Chill: Place the filled molds in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or until the chocolate is completely firm.
7. Unmold: Gently pop the chocolate coins out of the molds. If they stick, place the mold in the freezer for five minutes.
8. Wrap: If using, carefully wrap each coin in the gold foil. This step is fun for a family project.

Notes

• Using chocolate chips is easy, but using high-quality bars will give you a better flavor profile.
• If you skip tempering, store the coins in a cool, dry place, away from direct heat.
• These homemade coins make great gifts or additions to your Hanukkah celebration, perhaps alongside planning for your next holiday meal.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 coin
• Calories: 80
• Sugar: 8g
• Sodium: 5mg
• Fat: 5g
• Saturated Fat: 3g
• Unsaturated Fat: 2g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 9g
• Fiber: 0g
• Protein: 1g
• Cholesterol: 5mg