How to make a "softer" tempered chocolate

[Lysbeth]

Last year I purchased some 3D egg shape molds in an attempt to make little solid chocolate eggs that I wrapped in foils and presented in hollow chocolate eggs. When I finally got all those little guys wrapped and had my taste testers (the kids next door) try them, they all commented on how "hard" the chocolates were, both the milk (38%) and the dark (64%).

This year I wanted to do the same thing with heart shapes, but now I'm worried that perhaps I am not doing it right. I know that the little "eggies" and other solid shaped chocolates you buy (even the good ones, as in couverture, not coating) are usually not as hard as mine were. Is there anything I can do to soften the chocolate a bit so that it can still be molded and unmolded? Or should I get some new tatse testers? I for one just let the solid chocolates melt in my mouth rather then trying to bite on it, so it hadn't occured to me. However, now my husband is saying they were a bit hard as well.

I know that I could add some softened butter to the tempered chocolate to soften it, but I have only used this method to pipe large shapes freehand, such as chocolate initials that we hand out during Saint Nick's in Europe. I don't know if the same can be molded and unmolded without a problem.

Any suggestions?

[Kareen]

You could actually add some cocoa butter to your chocolate. As a substituate idea, you could add gianduja, it could add a nut taste to them.

[K8memphis]

Paramount crystals help thin it and help keep it from seizing.

[Lysbeth]

You could actually add some cocoa butter to your chocolate.  As a substituate idea, you could add gianduja, it could add a nut taste to them.

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So adding some Mycryo would make it softer? I thought it helped the crystals grow and would make it harder?

[chocartist]

It's not a good idea to add butter to your chocolate in an attempt to soften it. The water content in the butter will cause the chocolate to seize.

I suggest adding some coconut oil to the chocolate to make it less brittle.

[Lysbeth]

It's not a good idea to add butter to your chocolate in an attempt to soften it.  The water content in the butter will cause the chocolate to seize.

I suggest adding some coconut oil to the chocolate to make it less brittle.

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Chocoartist;

I didn't think I would be able to use the same chocolate/butter mixture for molding that I have used for piping in the past, it is too thick.

Do you know what the ratio is for adding oil? And do you know if I can still mold the chocolate with the added oil? I am very hesitant to add oil for fear it may cause the chocolate not to set up or stick to my molds. Also, will it affect the taste of the chocolates at all?

Thanks for your help

[chocartist]

I would just add a tablespoon or two of coconut oil to your chocolate before you temper it. You should be able to mold with it. Coconut oil is what they usually put in ice cream chocolate coatings. You should not be able to taste it.

[Lysbeth]

Add the oil before I temper the chocolate? I don't know why but it just sounds scary. I guess I'll just have to try it this weekend. Would the 2 tbsp be for about a lb or so you think?

[Wendy DeBord]

You technically can use any flavorless oil, if you have a hard time finding coconut oil. Many professionals add it to their chocolate when forming fans. I forget, it's either 5% or 10%?

[McDuff]

From my admittedly limited experience using mycryo to temper chocolate, it makes it almost brittle. Gives it a nice snap, exactly what you don't want.

[chiantiglace]

cocoa butter doesn't have any water in it, there are no milk solids in cocoa butter. It's a plant oil. If you add more cocoa butter it will become softer, thats why spraying chocolate is usually around 50% cocoa butter becase is softer and holds longer in the gun, hence its softer structure able to pushed through and air compressor.

[Lysbeth]

cocoa butter doesn't have any water in it, there are no milk solids in cocoa butter. It's a plant oil.  If you add more cocoa butter it will become softer, thats why spraying chocolate is usually around 50% cocoa butter becase is softer and holds longer in the gun, hence its softer structure able to pushed through and air compressor.

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Chiantiglace:

I agree with the first part of your statement, but once the warm liquid cocoa butter cools and sets it becomes brittle again. So I would think that this would make the chocolate harder, no?

[JSkilling]

If you get the virgin coconut oil you'll notice a pronounced flavor but the cheaper coconut oil will have a more neutral profile. I have some that I found in the health food store.

[Samaki]

For what it's worth, I also think the cocoa butter would make the hardened chocolate more brittle.

[FWED]

In stead of trying to make couverture chocolate softer by adding coconut oil, how about making the small hearts out of a very stiff ganache. You could use a 2 part chocolate to 1 part cream then add a little butter or flavoring. Put the ganache into the mold and chill until set. Once set, unmold and allow to come to room temp, then place in the larger molded chocolate item. As long as the room temp doesn't get to warm the ganache should hold its shape, like a stiff truffle. Just a thought. By the way I have found that coconut and palm oil get quite hard in my house which I keep at 69 degrees. You might want to try a flavorless vegetable or cooking oil that stays liquid at room temp.

[Lysbeth]

Well, I finally managed to find coconut oil today and I noticed how hard it was at room temp, not at all what I expected. It almost looks like *wax*. So then when my friend returned Jean-Pierre Wybauws book today I noticed that he says that "lauric fats such as coconut and palm oil have a very poor compatibility with fats with long fatty acids such as cocoa butter." Now I'm just quoting him here, but that doesn't sound good as far as mixing the two is concerned.

However, then he goes on to explain that "fats with long and heavily unsaturated fatty acids, such as nut oils reduce hardness when mixed with cocoa butter." No ratios or applications though. So the question still remains as to how much to use and when to add....

FWED - I am concerned about having ganache without a shell as these items will be sold in bakeries and they get quite warm there as you can imagine. I do use this method for the chocolate letters that I make in december, but then I leave the cream out and I just add the butter. This makes for a nice stiff "ganache" that is still fluid enough to pipe.

[FWED]

OH I see about the temp issue. Well how about molding the ganache and then coating it in a thin layer or layers of the appropriate chocolate like a coated truffle? I'm not totally sure about the shelf life there. Perhaps others may be able to help with that.

[Lysbeth]

FWED - You're right, shelf life is kind of the whole issue. I can easily make ganache filled chocolates (and I am), but now the shelf life is about 2 weeks. So I thought that in addition to my filled chocolates I would try and make plain milk and dark shapes (hearts for Valentines day and eggies for Easter). Hoping that I can have some of these items out earleir and for a longer period of time. Plus I think kids would prefer the plain chocolates instead of eating something that has alcohol in it or like a tea ganache... These chocolates I can then have on display in the stores and they can sit there for a while before they go bad. I was just trying to think of a way to extend the shelf life and to appeal to another part of the consumer group. Unfortunately not everyone out here will go for something that is filled with a jasmine tea ganache or with an eggnog/walnut mousse. As they say in my country " what the farmer doesn't know, he will not eat"...

[chocartist]

Jean Pierre is right about the incompatiblity of lauric fats such as coconut and palm kernel oil with cocoa butter. If you've ever tried to decorate a chocolate piece with colored compound coating (which is palm-kernel-oil based) you know that the decorations will eventually bloom and release from the chocolate. To be safe you could add a non-lauric fat such as soybean or cottonseed oil. I still think you can get by with adding a very small amount of coconut oil to your chocolate as they do with chocolate ice cream coatings. The best way to know is to try it for yourself. Keep in mind, however, that one of the things you look for in a piece of well-tempered chocolate is a brittle snap when broken.

I am still troubled by your wanting to soften your chocolate. Frankly, I don't think it's a good idea to tamper with a manufactuere's formula. Which chocolate are you using? The higher the cocoa solid content, the harder the chocolate. Compare dark chocolate with milk chocolate and white chocolate in terms of hardness. Milk and white chocolates are always softer than the darks. Perhaps it is the thickness of the moulded chocolates that is the problem. Thick pieces of chocolate will always be harder to bite than thin ones. If the cavities of your moulds are deep, don't fill them to the top.

I would be careful adding nut pastes to chocolate for moulding purposes. They will make the chocolate softer but the chocolate may not release from the moulds. Gianduja, for example, is not good for moulding.

Now that you have peaked my interest, I'm going to question some of my chocolate technical buddies to see if they have some suggetions.

[Lysbeth]

Chocartist,

I think you are cathching on to my concerns. I could have already gone into the kitchen, tempered some chocolate and added whatever has been suggested so far (although ratios still seem to be a little iffy). For some reason I have a hard time "screwing" with a good quality chocolate and perhaps ruining it, it just breaks my heart to even think of it.

Now, the molds that I used last year were just small egg shapes molds that make about 1" long candies and they are about 3/8" deep. These make halves so you need to "glue" them together (so filling them halway won't work as now you can no longer make the two halves meet). I guess the best comparison are the eggs and hearts that Dove makes. Now their chocolate is also "softer" but I believe that it is still all couverture. I agree I do want snap and all that, but really, these eggs just seemed too hard to bite into. My heart molds are not 3-D so maybe beause they are only half the thickness, they will be better. I will try those today with just plain old tempered chocolate and see what I think.

BTW - I use Cocoa Barry 64% and 38%

[JSkilling]

It seems like if you just made them with milk chocolate you'd get a product more consistent with what you are looking for. I'm thinking of those little foil wrapped footballs that are two halves stuck together. They are not solid as a rock but have a smooth, creamy consistency. They are probably crap chocolate but they remain soft and easy to bite into.

Me, I don't like the Cocoa Barry milk chocolate because it's too sweet but my husband can eat pounds of it! I love the ones you are working with but have had the same issue of them being quite hard once tempered and molded. I didn't try to mold their Gianduja but used it as a ganache inside a truffle mold and must say it's my favorite flavor. And since it's a milk chocolate the tempered large block I had was very soft and easy to break off pieces.

Hope you figure it out and post back. I'm just starting with molds and fillings and love fiddling but the damn stuff sure is finicky....

[chocartist]

Chocartist,

I think you are cathching on to my concerns. I could have already gone into the kitchen, tempered some chocolate and added whatever has been suggested so far (although ratios still seem to be a little iffy). For some reason I have a hard time "screwing" with a good quality chocolate and perhaps ruining it, it just breaks my heart to even think of it.

Now, the molds that I used last year were just small egg shapes molds that make about 1" long candies and they are about 3/8" deep. These make halves so you need to "glue" them together (so filling them halway won't work as now you can no longer make the two halves meet). I guess the best comparison are the eggs and hearts that Dove makes. Now their chocolate is also "softer" but I believe that it is still all couverture. I agree I do want snap and all that, but really, these eggs just seemed too hard to bite into. My heart molds are not 3-D so maybe beause they are only half the thickness, they will be better. I will try those today with just plain old tempered chocolate and see what I think.

BTW - I use Cocoa Barry 64% and 38%

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Your chocolate has a fairly high cocoa solid content which explains why it's so hard. The standard for semisweet and bittersweet chocolate is 35%--so there's a big difference between that and what you're using. I suggest trying another chocolate with a lower cocoa solid content. I doubt that Dove is using a chocolate with a 64% cocoa content.

[chocartist]

Well, I finally have an answer to your problem, Lysbeth. Dark chocolates with high fat percentages that don't contain cow's butter are notoriously hard. Cacao Berry as well as most imported chocolates don't contain any butter fat. Peter's Burgundy, the chocolate that I use, does have a small amount of butter fat in it to retard bloom. There are several remedies: You can add butter oil (which is difficult to buy in small quantities) or add 3% coconut oil for every pound of chocolate. For 1 lb. use 1-2 teaspoons of coconut oil.

But the easiest way to soften your chocolate is to add some white chocolate (which contains butter fat) to it. Since white chocolate contains cocoa butter, adding it will not compromise the legality of your product and the butter fat that it contains will give your chocolate some bloom protection. Adding a small amount of white chocolate to dark chocolate should not significantly effect the color very much.

[Lysbeth]

Well, I finally have an answer to your problem, Lysbeth.  Dark chocolates with high fat percentages that don't contain cow's butter are notoriously hard.  Cacao Berry as well as most imported chocolates don't contain any butter fat.  Peter's Burgundy, the chocolate that I use, does have a small amount of butter fat in it to retard bloom.  There are several remedies:  You can add butter oil (which is difficult to buy in small quantities) or add 3% coconut oil for every pound of chocolate.  For 1 lb. use 1-2 teaspoons of coconut oil.

But the easiest way to soften your chocolate is to add some white chocolate (which contains butter fat) to it.  Since white chocolate contains cocoa butter, adding it  will not compromise the legality of your product and the butter fat that it contains  will give your chocolate some bloom protection.  Adding a small amount of white chocolate to dark chocolate should not significantly effect the color very much.

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Chocartist - Thank you so mcuh for your research! These sound like good options. I have to finish some chocolates for a fund raiser for tomorrow, but if I have any left I will try to play around, or else I will try first thing next week. I am very excited about adding the white chocolate as an option, as it will leave the product more pure. For most people 64% is too dark anyway to eat as a solid piece.

Thanks again, I'll let you know how things go!

[Sebastian]

If the coconut oil you found was hard at room temperature, you've got yourself a hydrogenated coconut oil, most likely with a melting point around 92F. Natural coconut oil will be almost entirely liquid at room temperature. Neither one of them, however, is going to be a good option for you if you're looking to slightly soften your chocolate, for, as someone already pointed out, they're incompatible oils. You may be able to get by adding 1-2% of a lauric oil to cocoa butter (chocolate), but it's a tricky proposition at best. There's an effect called 'eutetics' which is basically a hard way of saying that when you mix the oils together, you're going to get very unexpected and unpredictible results. Nonlauric oils such as cottonseed and soybean are going to be alittle more tolerated in chocolate, but i'd be hesitant to take it to more than 5% of the total fat. Keep in mind that the instant you've added coconut, soybean, or cotton seed oil to your chocolate, you can no longer call it chocolate (peksy standards of identity). Nutoils have a great softening affect on chocolates as well. You can add hazelnuts (or hznut paste) to chocolate and still maintain the SOI for chocolate.

If you're looking to just slightly soften your chocolate, anhydrous milk fat is probably your best bet. If you're not able to find that, you may be able to get by with just goood ol' store bought butter, but i've never tried that. If it's a milk chocoalte your working with, it's already got at least 3.39% butter in it already. you've got to be a little careful here, for as you add more butterfat to a chocolate, it becomes increasingly difficult to temper - however once you've achieved your temper, it makes it more resiliant to bloom. I'd be pretty hesitant to take the total milk fat contribution much over 6%. At 5-6%, youre going to have a noticeably softer chocolate.

Now, if you're looking to create a ganache type filling with longer shelf life (forgive me, I didn't have time to read the full thread, just scanned it), I've made fillings by using roughly 90% chocolate with 10% of a natural soybean or natural coconut oil. Here we're capitalizing on the eutetic effect to obtain a center material that never going to harden, even tho the vast majority of the fat is cocoabutter. It's shelf life will be near indefinate, as you've not got any water present (as with the cream).

White chocolate's going to have, at minimum, 3.5% milk fat, and in most cases it won't have much more than 4%. I'd think it'd take quite a bit of white chocolate to add sufficient milk fat to make a noticeably softer end product..