TEMPER CHOCOLATE

how to

CAN BE USED FOR: - coating candy - dipping cookies - nut clusters - chocolate bark - homemade nut bars - dipping marshmallows - chocolate truffles - chocolate curls

why temper?

Tempering makes chocolate hard, shiny and snappy. It won't melt in your fingers or smudge on a plate!

USE REAL CHOCOLATE LIKE A CHOCOLATIER!  NOT WAX!

Tempering chocolate is a simple process of melting and cooling chocolate to encourage the growth of one specific cocoa butter crystal while melting away the unstable crystals.

how do we  temper?

- digital thermometer - microwave - good chocolate

you'll need:

01

Place two-thirds of the chocolate in a glass bowl and gently heat until fully melted (30-second half-power intervals in the microwave).  Don’t exceed 120°F!

Gently melt chocolate

02

This will cool the melted chocolate and seed it with the right crystals.  All of the good crystals will melt above 94°F, so you need some unmelted chocolate pieces present between 90°F- 94°F.

Stir in some chocolate pieces

03

Stir constantly to help the chocolate pieces melt, form the right crystals, and cool down the chocolate.  Keep sprinkling in more chocolate pieces until melted and/ or you reach the working temperature (see temperatures chart in blog post).

Cool to ~88°F

04

Dip a spoon in the chocolate and set it aside. Within 2- 3 minutes, the chocolate should set and look evenly matte (not streaky or patchy). Hold it at 88- 90°F and get to work!

test the temper

- Streaky, dull, grainy, crumbly - It will quickly melt when touched - May have gray or white bloom on the surface - It will set SLOWLY (5- 10+ minutes)

not tempered

06

make all the candy!

You now have the most incredible skill.  And you don't have to serve people parrafin wax.

Click below for more ideas of how to use tempered chocolate and to get recipes for ALL KINDS of homemade candy!

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