Meltaways

[pastrygirl]

23 minutes ago, RobertM said:

It would be far more expensive, but, wouldn’t coca butter work as well?  

 

No, if the meltaways are chocolate-based, they need a different fat to soften the cocoa butter that's already in there.  Coconut oil, nut oils, clarified butter, etc, will all have a softening effect, making the candy melt in the mouth faster.

[patris]

23 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

I suspect ghee or butter oil would work reasonably well - make a tiny test batch.

 

Mixed up a 100 gram batch and ghee does work nicely from a texture standpoint. I used the EZTemper silk and meant to add about 2% or so, but my scale has trouble with such tiny measurements so I likely went over. The sun butter itself is a bit grainy compared to the Jif I usually use in the PB version, so that comes through a bit - but not offensively so. The flavor seemed a bit flat; I added a bit of salt and that improved things some. No one is going to mistake them for the original, but they’re not going to necessitate an EpiPen or a trip to the ER for my sweet little Violet, so I’d consider them a success.

 

 

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

1 minute ago, patris said:

 

Mixed up a 100 gram batch and ghee does work nicely from a texture standpoint. I used the EZTemper silk and meant to add about 2% or so, but my scale has trouble with such tiny measurements so I likely went over. The sun butter itself is a bit grainy compared to the Jif I usually use in the PB version, so that comes through a bit - but not offensively so. The flavor seemed a bit flat; I added a bit of salt and that improved things some. No one is going to mistake them for the original, but they’re not going to necessitate an EpiPen or a trip to the ER for my sweet little Violet, so I’d consider them a success.

 

 

 

 

It's always a good day when you don't end up in the ER!

[Tri2Cook]

Are we using regular off-the-shelf whatever's at the grocery store coconut oil for meltaways or tracking down the deodorized stuff? I've wanted to try them for a long time but wasn't sure if the stuff at the store was going to make them taste like coconut mint or coconut peanut butter meltaways.

[Kerry Beal]

4 minutes ago, Tri2Cook said:

Are we using regular off-the-shelf whatever's at the grocery store coconut oil for meltaways or tracking down the deodorized stuff? I've wanted to try them for a long time but wasn't sure if the stuff at the store was going to make them taste like coconut mint or coconut peanut butter meltaways.

Somewhat deodorized is best.

 

 

[Tri2Cook]

2 minutes ago, Kerry Beal said:

Somewhat deodorized is best.

 

 

I suspected that would be the case but I've never used any type of coconut oil for anything so I wasn't sure how strong the regular stuff is. I'll check the store again to be sure because stuff changes there all the time and I haven't looked recently but this will probably have to wait until my next amazon order.

[Kerry Beal]

Just now, Tri2Cook said:

I suspected that would be the case but I've never used any type of coconut oil for anything so I wasn't sure how strong the regular stuff is. I'll check the store again to be sure because stuff changes there all the time and I haven't looked recently but this will probably have to wait until my next amazon order.

It really does seem to differ between brands. I have a big block of hydrogenated deodorized oil that I got from Bunge a while back - totally neutral flavor.

[Tri2Cook]

1 minute ago, Kerry Beal said:

It really does seem to differ between brands. I have a big block of hydrogenated deodorized oil that I got from Bunge a while back - totally neutral flavor.

They sell one on amazon that's no more expensive than the regular stuff at the local store with free shipping so it should be easy to get. It wasn't something I planned to have done before Christmas anyway but I'll check at the store again first just to make sure I don't order it for no reason. Do these wind up being similar to icy squares in texture?

[Kerry Beal]

1 minute ago, Tri2Cook said:

They sell one on amazon that's no more expensive than the regular stuff at the local store with free shipping so it should be easy to get. It wasn't something I planned to have done before Christmas anyway but I'll check at the store again first just to make sure I don't order it for no reason. Do these wind up being similar to icy squares in texture?

Yup - icy squares are meltaways.

[dhardy123]

4 hours ago, Tri2Cook said:

Are we using regular off-the-shelf whatever's at the grocery store coconut oil for meltaways or tracking down the deodorized stuff? I've wanted to try them for a long time but wasn't sure if the stuff at the store was going to make them taste like coconut mint or coconut peanut butter meltaways.

I bought a big bucket of coconut oil from Costco. It was deodorized and worked perfectly for me.

[Bentley]

17 hours ago, dhardy123 said:

I bought a big bucket of coconut oil from Costco. It was deodorized and worked perfectly for me.

Hmmm.  The coconut oil I saw at Costco was unrefined.  I need to look again I guess.

[Kerry Beal]

2 hours ago, Bentley said:

Hmmm.  The coconut oil I saw at Costco was unrefined.  I need to look again I guess.

Might be the Canadian Costco vs the US (or even regional within Canada or the US).

[Tri2Cook]

Thanks everybody. I don't need a large amount, at least not for now, I just needed to verify that I should use the deodorized stuff. The ~400 gram jars I can order from amazon will be plenty to get started with if there's none at the local store.

[patris]

1 hour ago, Tri2Cook said:

Thanks everybody. I don't need a large amount, at least not for now, I just needed to verify that I should use the deodorized stuff. The ~400 gram jars I can order from amazon will be plenty to get started with if there's none at the local store.

 

Chiming in late, but definitely can verify that the refined/deodorized stuff is what you want. Wasted a whole batch of peanut butters with unrefined stuff from Trader Joe’s because I didn’t taste or smell it first. Not a terrible flavor, but not right either.

[Jim D.]

This is late, but there is a useful eGullet discussion of the different types of coconut oil.

[Tri2Cook]

How difficult are these to handle if you don't coat them in powdered sugar? With the commercial versions, you have to go from wrapper to mouth without much hesitation or you get messy fingers but it's doable. Is it the same with these or do they really need that coating? I'd like to pipe it in shells but I have a feeling that would spoil the meltaway effect.

[Kerry Beal]

12 minutes ago, Tri2Cook said:

How difficult are these to handle if you don't coat them in powdered sugar? With the commercial versions, you have to go from wrapper to mouth without much hesitation or you get messy fingers but it's doable. Is it the same with these or do they really need that coating? I'd like to pipe it in shells but I have a feeling that would spoil the meltaway effect.

They do tend to melt when they get touched - so I do either the powdered sugar or I dip them. Last batch I made I actually made some bar molds and just piped the meltaway into it after I cooled to around 28º C and added 1% EZtemper silk. 

[curls]

52 minutes ago, Tri2Cook said:

How difficult are these to handle if you don't coat them in powdered sugar? With the commercial versions, you have to go from wrapper to mouth without much hesitation or you get messy fingers but it's doable. Is it the same with these or do they really need that coating? I'd like to pipe it in shells but I have a feeling that would spoil the meltaway effect.

I piped passionfruit meltaways into shelled molds at our last eGullet chocolate workshop in Vegas. Really like them -- even though there is a chocolate shell around the filling. I recommend giving it a try when you have the time. Important note -- the only way that I have successfully piped meltaways is to use the EZtemper silk. There may be another way but if you have the silk, it makes the process super easy.

[Tri2Cook]

8 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

They do tend to melt when they get touched - so I do either the powdered sugar or I dip them. Last batch I made I actually made some bar molds and just piped the meltaway into it after I cooled to around 28º C and added 1% EZtemper silk. 

 

8 hours ago, curls said:

I piped passionfruit meltaways into shelled molds at our last eGullet chocolate workshop in Vegas. Really like them -- even though there is a chocolate shell around the filling. I recommend giving it a try when you have the time. Important note -- the only way that I have successfully piped meltaways is to use the EZtemper silk. There may be another way but if you have the silk, it makes the process super easy.

Thanks! I was going to use the EZtemper silk whether I shell them or not so I'll just shoot some of it in a couple shells before I frame the rest and see how I like the result. I mainly just asked in case it was an already known bad idea but since that's not the case... a testing we will go. As soon as I get my coconut oil, that is.

[Kerry Beal]

3 hours ago, Tri2Cook said:

 

Thanks! I was going to use the EZtemper silk whether I shell them or not so I'll just shoot some of it in a couple shells before I frame the rest and see how I like the result. I mainly just asked in case it was an already known bad idea but since that's not the case... a testing we will go. As soon as I get my coconut oil, that is.

Use the silk for the framed ones too

[Tri2Cook]

6 hours ago, Kerry Beal said:

Use the silk for the framed ones too

Yep, that's the plan. I remembered you posting about using it for the meltaways and being really happy with the result so I was already going to do that when I decided to ask about using meltaway as a filling.

[dhardy123]

I have done both dipped and icing sugar coated meltaways. When dipped it really takes away the meltaway feeling as you have a crunchy outer shell of chocolate.

I have also used frames but now use a silicon square insert to make them. No leaks and I only need to cut in 1 direction.

[Tri2Cook]

On ‎2017‎-‎12‎-‎28 at 7:51 PM, dhardy123 said:

I have done both dipped and icing sugar coated meltaways. When dipped it really takes away the meltaway feeling as you have a crunchy outer shell of chocolate.

I have also used frames but now use a silicon square insert to make them. No leaks and I only need to cut in 1 direction.

 

I wanted to mold it in silicone heart-shaped molds but the smallest one I found has hearts that are 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 3/4" thick. I can adjust the thickness by how full I fill them but 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" is too big for a one-bite piece so I probably won't do it in that shape. But just for general knowledge, does it pop out of silicone molds without too much trouble?

Edit: Found some that are 3/4" x 3/4". That should work.

Edited January 7, 2018 by Tri2Cook (log)

[Kerry Beal]

1 hour ago, Tri2Cook said:

I wanted to mold it in silicone heart-shaped molds but the smallest one I found has hearts that are 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 3/4" thick. I can adjust the thickness by how full I fill them but 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" is too big for a one-bite piece so I probably won't do it in that shape. But just for general knowledge, does it pop out of silicone molds without too much trouble?

It should. 

[dhardy123]

6 hours ago, Tri2Cook said:

I wanted to mold it in silicone heart-shaped molds but the smallest one I found has hearts that are 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 3/4" thick. I can adjust the thickness by how full I fill them but 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" is too big for a one-bite piece so I probably won't do it in that shape. But just for general knowledge, does it pop out of silicone molds without too much trouble?

Edit: Found some that are 3/4" x 3/4". That should work.

 

Yes it came right out with no issues