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I have been dipping chocolates for many years. I recently tried a new brand of chocolate that has a fantasic flavor, but it is thicker than I'd like when melted. I know adding cocoa butter will help, but I don't have any on hand. Is there anything else I can use that will leave me with a hard (as opposed to ganache-like) chocolate coating?

Aaronut
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Juju
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13 Answers13

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Most fats work (this is why cocoa butter works) most people recommend Crisco but a small amount of low flavoured oil (or flavoured for that matter) is fine.

I like ganache so personally extra thick double cream does it for me.

Either way it's easier to add more later than take out! Start with a little bit.

vwiggins
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My Mom has made candies since I was a small child. For melting chocolate she always used Gulf (paraffin) Wax ... it thins the chocolate perfectly and makes it easier to work, doesn't effect the taste or how it drys and gives the candy a nice pretty shine. Perfect for Buckeyes like my Mom made. It also acts as a preservative giving your candy a little longer shelf life. Just be careful on how much you add. Use your own judgement on how thick or thin you want your melted chocolate to be. Start out with just a little paraffin and keep adding a little at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Warning ... adding to much will make your chocolate thin like water. I've made this mistake when I first started making candy. Albeit it didn't hurt the chocolate flavor, it just made my chocolate extremely thin which resulted in having to double dip everything. Nonetheless my candy still turned out fine. It just was twice the work. Anyhoot I hope this helps. Happy Baking :)

HEATHER OWEN
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Butter will work.

In the Booley House
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  • Butter Does NOT WORK. Clumped up my whole batch of chocolate. UGH!!! –  Aug 20 '13 at 04:53
  • Did you create a proper emulsion? I have used butter for a ganache many times, you just have to work it the right way: http://www.finecooking.com/item/37034/how-to-make-and-fix-emulsion-sauces – ash Aug 20 '13 at 07:25
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    Butter definitely SHOULD work. – SourDoh Aug 28 '13 at 18:34
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    Butter will work, but it must be used in sufficient quantities that there is enough water (butter is about 20% water) to overcome the seizing that chocolate does when a *small* amount of water is present. – SAJ14SAJ Nov 21 '13 at 20:19
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You can add a little Cream or Milk. I do this for my cake pops and choc sweets.

Steve
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    DO NOT use milk!!!!! It clumps the heck out of it!!! Terrible suggestion! –  Jul 20 '13 at 16:46
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    It is not the milk that causes the clumping, but the water within the milk. You need enough to get past the seizing stage, and become smooth again. – SAJ14SAJ Nov 28 '13 at 03:30
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Butter, oil, half and half (or heavy cream), reduced, all will work. It depends on what flavor you are going for... My best answer for this is to experiment with all these answers and see what works for you.

nicorellius
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Do not use milk, that is to thicken, do not use water (beginners mistake). Using an oil is safest, guaranteed results!

Emma
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in coating truffles, i find the best "thinner" is plain crisco (not the "butter" type). found this information on several websites a year or two ago...it melts together perfectly evenly and they cite the fact that the fat content in cricso is closest to that of your melting chocolate, hence no lumps to stir through, no change in its ability to cling to the item being dipped, no change in drying time.

betty c
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2 teaspoons of shortening to an 11.5 oz bag of semi-sweet morsels worked great to thin the chocolate for dipping to coat and hardened. My guess is less is more here or chocolate will melt at room temperature.

Jay
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We used milk....lesson learned....do not use MILK! Now as I type we are adding a little Crisco to see if we can reverse the milk issues.......

Now the chocolate is really grainy.

rumtscho
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Maria
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  • See: http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/3012/solutions-for-when-heating-chocolate-and-butter-doesnt-mix-well/34985#34985 – SAJ14SAJ Dec 08 '13 at 13:34
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    Your experience to not use milk is a good addition to the answers already here. But please don't ask for new aspects of the problem within the old question. "How to save chocolate which turned grainy" is a different question. In this case it is a duplicate of an existing one, if it hadn't been, you should have asked it separately. – rumtscho Dec 08 '13 at 15:49
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I worked for Hershey Chocolate for 15 years, DO NOT use milk like Melissa has said. She is correct, it is the water in it that will rune your chocolate. The It will only take a few drops of water and your chocolate will become very brittle. Your best bet is to use a little Oil or Shortening. Some say to use the Wax but I'm not a fan of eating wax sorry. But do not over do it, as it will affect the candy in a warm room. Hope this helps someone..........

Ken Drake
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I have used oil and it works well. Getting the right amount is a little tricky for me. I have also used paraffin wax. It works perfectly, dries quickly, it looks great and is less tacky when dried. However, I too am not a fan of eating paraffin wax. It just doesn't seem right to eat stuff you burn in candles. but the chocolate mixed with oil is always pretty sticky.

Kamsue101
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I tried vegetable oil and it worked for me. So you can use vegetable oil and see if it works for you too.

Mien
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olivia
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I have used olive oil and it has worked very well.

Bárbara
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