How to melt chocolate.

If you know how to melt chocolate, a whole new world of candy-making is open to you. Seriously, you’ll want to start dipping everything in chocolate!

I hope you find this tutorial on How to Melt Chocolate informative and useful!

A wooden spoon covered in melted chocolate is held above a bowl of melted chocolate with chunks of solid chocolate in the background and text reading "How to Melt Chocolate.

Melting chocolate is not difficult, but there are a few things you need to know if you’ve never melted it before.
I prefer to melt chocolate in a microwave.

Table of Contents

HOW TO MELT CHOCOLATE

These are directions for melting in a microwave

Get good chocolate melts, not chocolate chips. I prefer Wilton Candy Melts pictured above.
Empty melts into a microwave-safe container. I prefer a large glass measuring cup with a handle.
For every 1 and 1/2 cup of melts add 1 teaspoon solid vegetable shortening such as Crisco. This will make chocolate smooth and shiny.
Begin by melting chocolate for 30 seconds. Stir completely. You will not see much melting in the first 30 seconds but stir anyway.
Microwave another 30 seconds and stir completely. Do not microwave for more than 30 seconds at a time and stir completely between each interval.
Microwave another 30 seconds and stir. It usually takes my microwave 90 seconds to melt chocolate. When you take the chocolate out this time it will appear to not be melted completely. Keep stirring, more will melt the longer you stir. If you have to place it back in the microwave do so at 10 to 15-second intervals from this point forward.
Be very careful not to overheat the chocolate. Chocolate has a very low heat tolerance and will scorch easily. Once scorched, you can not ‘undo’ the damage. You’ll need to throw that batch out and start again.

How to melt chocolate. The easiest way to melt chocolate and tips for perfection!

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Also, make sure your bowl and spatula (or spoon) are completely dry. Water will make the chocolate seize up or “clump”. The chocolate also cannot recover from this; trash it and start again.
Once the chocolate is smooth, begin dipping or coating your candy. Work quickly. If the chocolate begins to dry and harden, microwave it and stir it beginning with 15-second intervals until melted and smooth again.
After dipping candy, cookies, apples, etc lay on waxed or parchment paper to dry and set completely before storing or packaging. Drying time will vary depending on the thickness of the chocolate.
If you are dipping more than once, make sure the first coat is completely dry before layering on more.
If you want to drizzle chocolate over candy or apples instead of dipping the entire item in chocolate, layer a heavy freezer zip-top bag in a microwave-safe bowl and place the chocolate inside the bag. Melt using the method above. (Squeeze the bag to mix instead of stirring.) When melted snip the corner off (very small snip!) and squeeze chocolate into the desired pattern on the item.

You may also want to read How to Pipe with Melted Chocolate.

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