Q&A for How to Melt Chocolate Chips

Yes, you can use your Wilton Chocolate melting pot or the microwave to melt the chocolate.

If you want to spread over a cake, it's best to make a ganache. Heat 1 part cream until it starts to steam - don't boil it - and add 2 parts chocolate chips. Stir until combined, then pour that over the cake.

The melted chocolate will start melted until it hardens. It will take about an hour for it to harden at room temperature, 10 to 20 minutes in the fridge, and 5 to 10 minutes in the freezer. After that, you have to melt it again.

If you're going to be a while using the chocolate, such as dipping numerous food items into it or spreading it onto food, then it's a good idea to set up a simmer station. You'll need a double boiler or bain marie for this purpose, a bowl within a saucepan type arrangement. Have water gently simmering in the lower part of the double boiler and keep the melted chocolate sitting in a bowl above this. Ensure that no water can get into the melted chocolate though, or the chocolate will seize; this means having a bowl with edges far above those of the pot beneath (to prevent condensation) and being careful not to introduce liquid from whatever you're working with. Also, do not have the base of the bowl holding the melted chocolate touching the water, or the chocolate will scorch. This will keep the chocolate melted until you're finished using it.

Chocolate chips are often not the best quality of chocolate and as such, can be easily ruined if overheated or have liquid introduced. Butter contains water, unless it is clarified butter. To avoid the fudge-like consistency to which you refer, you could try several solutions, such as: Melting the butter and the chocolate separately first, then combining off the heat source; using only clarified butter (and ensuring it is melted separately from the chocolate); using a more controlled method of melting, such as in a double boiler over a stove top on very low heat; using higher quality chocolate chips (some high end chocolate manufacturers do create chocolate chips).

When the chocolate burns or scorches, it is no longer usable and must be discarded. This is due to the flavor that will now permeate the chocolate - a very unpleasant flavor that cannot be masked.

No, don't add oil, just melt the chips.

No. They are meant to keep their shape while baking. Heating in the oven, even at low temperatures, doesn't make them liquid. It simply dries them out, and they get chalky.

Yes, but with the microwave option you will have to stir more often than with dark chocolate chips. You should stir every 10 seconds, since white chocolate runs a risk of burning more easily than dark chocolate chips.

You can make your own double-boiler. Fill a pot with 1 to 2 inches of water and place it on the stove. Put a heat-safe glass bowl n top of the pot; the bottom of the bowl should not be touching the surface of the water. Turn the stove on, and let the water come to a boil. Add the chocolate chips, and stir them until they melt; be careful not to let any water get inside the bowl.

Yes, of course! However, the chocolate will be runny, so keep that in mind.

Usually not, but you can check the bottom of the bowl. If it says 'microwave safe', it should be safe to use - but don't use your favorite dish because it is not guaranteed not to distort

Yes, if you freeze the melted chocolate chips long enough, it will harden.

No, the wax will melt in the microwave as well. Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe dish for better results.

It will most likely burn. Use the microwave or a double boiler, not an oven.

You can use a chocolate bar mold to shape the candy or pour melted chocolate onto wax paper and let it cool into whatever shape it makes when it is poured.

It depends on the type of chocolate chips you use, but normally it won't take any longer than 10 minutes.

While most microwaves have a way to adjust power levels, some do not. If yours doesn't, try microwaving for 20 - 30 seconds at a time, stirring, then repeating until melted.

You are overheating the chocolate, so it is seizing. Try heating the chocolate more gently and check every 10 seconds if you're using a microwave.

Put it on when they are cool. This should prevent the chocolate from dripping off the edges of the cookie.

Some people tend to use coconut oil because it will prevent the chocolate from sticking to the bowl or boiler.

You could make it cup like by placing a small, clean marble or a ceramic blind baking ball into it before freezing or making it a mold. Remember to remove the marble or ball before creating the chocolate.

If you want to make chocolate bars, use rectangular or long shaped molds; there are molds made specifically in chocolate bar shapes. After pouring the melted chocolate into molds, freeze in the freezer for 30-45 minutes. If it’s not completely frozen, put back into the freezer for another 15 minutes.

You don't need to use shortening to melt the chocolate chips, you just put them in the microwave or double boiler and melt them.

If your chocolate has a burnt flavor to it, you will need to discard it and melt a new batch, as the burnt flavor will not go away and is very unpleasant. Next time, make sure to melt the chocolate chips while keeping track of the time and temperature. In the case where the chips are not burnt, it may be possible to save the "fudge" like consistency by adding a tablespoon or two of liquid, such as milk.

You only need to use something in the chocolate if you're creating a flavor of chocolate, such as peppermint bark. Other then that, no. Just make sure that it is a heat proof mold, such as rubber.