How to Make Chocolate Smoother for Candy Making

Create smooth melted chocolate for your homemade candies.

When you want to create chocolate-dipped candies, it's important to melt your chocolate to an extremely smooth consistency so you don't end up with lumpy or grainy looking chocolates. Melting chocolate is not a complicated process but you need to be aware of a few things to avoid creating a lumpy ball of burnt chocolate. Take the time to prepare your chocolate and carefully monitor it during the melting process.

Things You'll Need

• Cheese grater
• Chocolate
• Double boiler
• Water
• Spoon
• Candy thermometer

Instructions

1. Grate the hard chocolate with a cheese grater or use a sharp knife to chop the chocolate into small pieces, which will melt faster than large chunks.

2. Place the chopped or grated chocolate into the top pan of a double boiler or a heat-proof bowl that fits snugly onto the top of one of your saucepans while remaining at least three to four inches above the bottom of the saucepan.

3. Fill the bottom pan of your double boiler or your saucepan with approximately 2 inches of water.

4. Heat the water over low heat but do not bring it to a boil. If the water begins to boil, reduce the heat as needed to prevent boiling.

5. Place the pan or bowl that contains the chocolate over the hot water and stir the chocolate often as it melts.

6. Insert a candy thermometer into the chocolate to monitor the temperature. Do not allow the temperature of the chocolate to rise above 115 degrees F or it may begin to seize up and become lumpy or grainy.

7. Remove the pan or bowl containing the chocolate from the heat as soon as it is smooth and melted.

8. Stir the chocolate again to ensure that it is completely melted and continue to stir it periodically to keep it smooth while you make your candies. If the chocolate cools and hardens, you can repeat the process to melt it again.

Tips & Warnings

• If your chocolate does seize up and become difficult to work with, add approximately 1 tbsp. of vegetable oil or vegetable shortening for every 6 oz. of chocolate. Stir the oil into the chocolate and heat it over low heat until it softens and becomes smooth. You can add more oil, 1 tsp. at a time, if necessary.

• Do not allow any water or steam to escape from the bottom saucepan while you are heating your chocolate. The moisture from the hot water could cause the chocolate to seize up or become hard.

References

• Good Housekeeping: How to Melt Chocolate
• The Accidental Scientist: Why Does my Melted Chocolate Seize Up?
• University of Illinois Extension: Melting Chocolate