Chocolate Turning Hard

by Bonnie
(Georgia)

How do you keep chocolate from turning hard?


I have just started trying to work with making candy (I have always made fudge with no problem)and I have tried making your "Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups" a couple of times and the chocolate gets hard very fast to work with and then after it sets up it really does get hard.


I can't understand because I have followed the directions very closely. What am I doing wrong?

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Hi Bonnie,

That's great that you are expanding your candy making experiences.


You mentioned you are using the recipe for chocolate peanut butter cups. There are two different recipes on that page, with slightly different consistencies as a result.


I'm guessing you are using the first recipe for the cups rather than the sheet. There are two things you can do to help avoid the melted chocolate turning hard too quickly.


First of all, add a teaspoon of vegetable shortening or vegetable oil to the chocolate during the melting process.


The second option is to place the bowl of melted chocolate over the top of a pan or smaller bowl of hot water. This will help keep the chocolate warm and melted during the process so that it is easier to work with. Just be careful not to allow any of the water to get in the chocolate. That will make the chocolate seize up and ruin it for you.


The chocolate is supposed to set hard in that recipe. It will generally set as hard as the original chocolate chips that you started out with. By adding the shortening or oil you will most likely have a slightly softer chocolate as a result.


Let me know how it turns out! You could show off your finished peanut butter cups, too, if you are able to take a photo and add it in the form provided. :-) We'd love to drool over them.

~Angie