Does homemade chocolate need to be tempered?

by Liz H
(Clayton, NC)

If I make the chocolate using the recipe on the site, do I have to re-melt it later and temper it when I pour it into molds so that it won't melt at room temperature, or can I pour it straight into the molds when I make it and not worry about it?


I've melted store-bought chocolate before and had to keep it in the fridge to stop it from melting again.

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Hi Liz,

I'm not sure which recipe you are referring to, but I don't think we have a recipe on the site to actually make chocolate from scratch that will work well in molds.


Generally speaking, I always use chocolate bars, chips, or melts/wafers to melt down and make molded chocolate candy.


Homemade chocolate candy doesn't need to be tempered all the time, but if you really want it to be special, you can go to the extra trouble of tempering.


Many chocolates are already tempered so that if you are careful when melting (don't overheat), the chocolate won't lose its temper and it will save you the hassle.


You can get Wilbur Wafers at Candyland Crafts and that works really well.


Your store-bought chocolate shouldn't melt or need refrigeration unless the temperature is too high in your home or you have overheated the chocolate when melting. You may try adding a tsp. of Crisco shortening to the chocolate when you are melting it to get a better finish.