Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

When you are dipping strawberries into chocolate, stick a toothpick into the top of the fruit. Then after dipping, turn berries upside down and stick toothpicks into a block of styrofoam. This will prevent flat spots.

Baking Chocolate Substitution

All out of unsweetened baking chocolate? Substitute 3 tablespoons cocoa powder mixed with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or butter for each one ounce square.

Nut Goodie Bars

Nut Goodie Bars

12 oz. pkg. semisweet chocolate chips
12 oz. pkg. butterscotch chips
2 cups peanut butter
2 cups salted peanuts
3-oz. pkg. vanilla pudding and pie filling mix (not instant)
1/2 cup light cream
7-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Melt chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in heavy saucepan, stirring until smooth. Add peanut butter and mix well. Spread half of this mixture into a buttered 15x10" jelly roll pan and refrigerate. Stir peanuts into rest of chocolate mixture and set aside.

In large saucepan, melt butter. Stir in pudding mix and cream. Cook and stir until mixture begins to thicken - do not boil. Remove from heat. With mixer, beat in powdered sugar and vanilla until blended and smooth. Carefully spread over chocolate layer. Refrigerate 30 minutes to set.

Drop remaining chocolate-peanut mixture by spoonfuls over chilled pudding layer and carefully spread to cover. Refrigerate until firm and store in refrigerator.

Substitute for sweet baking chocolate

To substitute for 4 ounces sweet baking chocolate, use 3 tablespoons cocoa, plus 2 2/3 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening, plus 4 tablespoons sugar.

Chill Out!

Chilled chocolate can be grated and chopped more easily than chocolate at room temperature.

Oven Melted Chocolate

You can melt chocolate in the oven. Place grated chocolate in a metal bowl and put it in an oven set at 110° F. If your oven doesn´t go that low, use the lowest temperature and keep the door ajar. Your chocolate will melt in about an hour.

After Dinner Chocolate Cups

After Dinner Chocolate Cups

Use these cups to serve a favorite after-dinner liqueur for a very elegant presentation.

3 1-oz. squares semisweet chocolate, chopped
8-10 miniature foil cups

In small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate, stirring constantly. Brush melted chocolate inside foil cups until about 1/8" thick. Refrigerate 5-10 minutes until chocolate is set. Repeat with another layer of chocolate. Refrigerate until chocolate is very firm. Carefully peel foil from cups and store in refrigerator or freezer until just before serving. Then fill with your favorite liqueur. Be very sure there are no holes or gaps in the chocolate before filling with the liqueur - you don´t want it dripping on your guests!

Melting Chocolate w/ liquid

What if your recipe calls for melting chocolate along with water or some other type of liquid? That´s fine, as long as the liquid is mixed with the chocolate from the beginning of the melting process. It won´t seize with this technique, but adding even a drop of liquid in the middle of melting will cause this problem.

Chocolate Loves Heat

Heat accentuates the flavor of chocolate by releasing aromatic compounds from the oil. For more flavor, slightly reheat baked items containing chips or chocolate chunks in the microwave before serving.

Edible Designs

To make edible chocolate designs, melt vanilla or chocolate flavored candy coating over low heat. Cool for a few minutes, then pour into a small heavy duty plastic zipper bag. Cut a tiny opening in one corner of the bag and squeeze the bag to drizzle designs onto waxed paper. You can also draw designs on paper and place it under the waxed paper so you have lines to follow. Let cool and harden and peel carefully off the waxed paper.

Baking Chocolate

All out of unsweetened baking chocolate? Substitute 3 tablespoons cocoa powder mixed with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or butter for each 1 ounce square of the chocolate.

Don´t Mix Water and Chocolate

When you are melting chocolate do not allow any water into the chocolate or it will seize and be hard and lumpy. This is also why you shouldn´t cover the bowl when melting chocolate in the microwave.

Melting Chocolate

Be careful when melting chocolate or it can seize, which results in a grainy mess. The lighter the chocolate, the higher the chances of this happening, so be especially careful with vanilla milk chips. The most important thing to remember is that chocolate melts better and faster at lower temperatures. Never let your chocolate get above 115° F.

Substituting for baking chocolate

This is a handy substitution for recipes asking for baking chocolate since most people have cocoa and shortening in their pantry. It is also less expensive.

3 level tablespoons of cocoa + 1 tablespoon shortening or oil = 1 square (1 oz.) unsweetened baking chocolate.

Dutch Process Cocoa

Dutch process cocoa has a darker color and a more mellow flavor, because it is processed differently than regular cocoa.

Satin Fudge Sauce

Satin Fudge Sauce

4 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup butter
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 5-oz. can evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine all ingredients except vanilla in heavy saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until mixture boils. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Serve warm over ice cream or desserts. Store in refrigerator.

Quick Chocolate Sauce

For a quick chocolate sauce, melt chocolate chips with a little peanut butter in the microwave. This is a thick sauce, wonderful served over ice cream.

Substitute for Semi-sweet Chocolate

To substitute for 6 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate, melted, or a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted, use six tablespoons cocoa plus 1/4 cup shortening plus 7 tablespoons sugar.

Hazelnut Truffles

Hazelnut Truffles

11 1-oz. squares semisweet chocolate, chopped
1-oz. square unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. hazelnut liqueur, if desired
1 cup finely ground hazelnuts

In small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolates, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. In another small saucepan, heat cream and butter just to a boil. Stir cream mixture into melted chocolate and blend well. Add liqueur, if using. Refrigerate 2 hours until mixture is firm and easy to handle, stirring occasionally.

Roll into 3/4" balls, then roll in nuts. Store in refrigerator.

Melting white chocolate

White chocolate requires very low temperature to melt properly and not seize. Use your microwave on LOW power (30% or less) or melt in a heavy saucepan over very low heat.

Melting Chocolate

Bar chocolate melts faster if it is broken up into chunks first. Stir constantly over very low heat to prevent scorching.

Milk Chocolate History

Switzerland is the home to milk chocolate. In the 1800s, a man named Daniel Peter created milk chocolate when he added milk to a basic chocolate mixture.

Easy Tempering

Here´s an easy way to temper chocolate, so it remains firm at room temperature after melting. Take 1/4 cup of the chopped chocolate or chips and set aside. Melt remaining chocolate, remove from heat, and stir until smooth. Add the reserved chocolate and stir constantly until the mixture is melted and smooth again. This allows crystals to form, which is the goal of tempering.

Freeze Chips First

If you want the chocolate chips in chocolate chip cookies to retain their shape better, freeze them before adding to your cookie or cake batters.