getting chocolate to harden

cathy said:

My brother made macaroons yesterday and wanted to dip them into
chocolate so he melted some chocolate chips and dipped them into that,
but of course the chocolate stayed soft. What do you need to do to
melted chocolate so that it'll harden like a shell after you dip a
cookie into it?

Cathy

Paraffin wax IIRC, but I've never done it myself

John Kane said:

cathy said:

My brother made macaroons yesterday and wanted to dip them into
chocolate so he melted some chocolate chips and dipped them into
that, but of course the chocolate stayed soft. What do you need to
do to melted chocolate so that it'll harden like a shell after you
dip a cookie into it?

Cathy

Paraffin wax IIRC, but I've never done it myself

No.

You need to use couverture, and you need to temper it. Generally, though,
the chocolate on dipped items tends to have less "snap" than molded shells.

cathy said:

My brother made macaroons yesterday and wanted to dip them into
chocolate so he melted some chocolate chips and dipped them into that,
but of course the chocolate stayed soft. What do you need to do to
melted chocolate so that it'll harden like a shell after you dip a
cookie into it?

If you melt chocolate chips gently enough that they return to their
original state without degrading the texture, the best you are going to get
it something the texture of chocolate chips. If you want something with
more of a shell texture you have to add some paraffin. I have never done it
myself but my mother makes macaroons and dip them in chocolate. They are a
seasonal treat.

cathy said:

My brother made macaroons yesterday and wanted to dip them into
chocolate so he melted some chocolate chips and dipped them into that,
but of course the chocolate stayed soft. What do you need to do to
melted chocolate so that it'll harden like a shell after you dip a
cookie into it?

Cathy

The chocolate needs to be tempered, which requires some precision if
you do it like a professional candy-maker does.

OTOH, I think you can do a poor-man's version of tempering by melting
half the chips, and then stirring in the other half (not melted) until
the whole thing is melted.

Also, you can refrigerate the cookies until the chocolate is set, and
then remove them from the refrigerator. Sometimes this helps and
sometimes it doesn't.

As an adult, I find myself not wanting to use paraffin since it is a
petroleum product, but our parents and grandparents used it to top off
the jelly jars and to make the chocolate harder, and I'd be hard-
pressed to say that it hurt them in any way.

N.

"cathy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

My brother made macaroons yesterday and wanted to dip them into
chocolate so he melted some chocolate chips and dipped them into that,
but of course the chocolate stayed soft. What do you need to do to
melted chocolate so that it'll harden like a shell after you dip a
cookie into it?

Cathy

Use chocolate, not chocolate chips. If you heat it above 98*, you'll need to temper
it, which is easy enough for something like this, where it's not important that it be
terribly shiny and crisp. Just chop all the chocolate, melt 2/3 of it, then stir in
the remaining until smooth and melted. Dip, and let set at room temp (provided it
isn't mid-July and 106*f outside!). If your room is very warm, you can stick them in
the fridge until set.

kimberly

In article <[email hidden]>,

Nancy2 said:

As an adult, I find myself not wanting to use paraffin since it is a
petroleum product, but our parents and grandparents used it to top off
the jelly jars and to make the chocolate harder, and I'd be hard-
pressed to say that it hurt them in any way.

ISTR that my grandparents used beeswax for the jelly jars. I wonder if
it would harden chocolate?

leo

--
<http://web0.greatbasin.net/~leo/>

Quoted message said:

Subject : getting chocolate to harden
From : [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

My brother made macaroons yesterday and wanted to dip them into
chocolate so he melted some chocolate chips and dipped them into that,
but of course the chocolate stayed soft. What do you need to do to
melted chocolate so that it'll harden like a shell after you dip a
cookie into it?

Cathy

Try adding melted chocolate to double cream.

Or :

http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipes/detail.asp?id=5304&page=8&per=10&category_id=17

On Mon, 16 Apr 2007 02:22:26 GMT, Benny <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Subject : getting chocolate to harden
From : [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

My brother made macaroons yesterday and wanted to dip them into
chocolate so he melted some chocolate chips and dipped them into that,
but of course the chocolate stayed soft. What do you need to do to
melted chocolate so that it'll harden like a shell after you dip a
cookie into it?

Cathy

Add cocoa butter to the chocolate. It will harden.

--
See return address to reply by email

Choc chips don't have to be tempered. They already have enough additives in
them to make them closer to chocolate coating than pure chocolate.

"Janet Puistonen" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:dwsSh.7745$Cl.596@trndny08...

Quoted message said:

You need to use couverture, and you need to temper it. Generally, though,
the chocolate on dipped items tends to have less "snap" than molded
shells.