Can I add cocoa butter to 100% chocolate
I have several kilos of 100% Grenadian chocolate bars that are old. I enjoyed them when they were fresh but now they are dry and, although they still 'snap', somewhat crumbly. I would like to temper them and add cocoa butter to increase the creamy taste. Is there a limit to how much I can add? Will just tempering them restore to original consistency?
Best Answer
Chocolate can age in different ways. The most common, and probably what happened to yours, is that it 'untempered' (blooming?). I believe simply melting in and properly tempering again will recover the brightness, texture, and flavor. If it doesn't, it might have oxidized and got rancid. This is very uncommon though since the cocoa fat is very stable and rich in antioxidants. It lasts more than two years usually.
Cocoa butter can surely be added to create a silkier and smoother texture. It is solid and stable at room temperature so in principle I don't see why there should be a limit. The science behind tempering is that of crystallization. Cocoa butter can crystallize in six different forms, each having very different physical properties (melting point, resistance to shear, etc). For this reason, it is good to keep in mind that the more butter you add, the trickier it can be to temper properly.
Personally, I find it easier to temper mixing with some already tempered chocolate, a method known as seeding. But in your case I don't know if it is worth it if this means mixing your 100% Grenadian (good stuff!) with some other commercial chocolate.
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Can you add cocoa butter to chocolate?
Use 1% of cocoa butter to pre-crystallize or temper the chocolate couverture. For example to every 2lb 3 oz (1 kg) of chocolate couverture you will add 1 % 1/3 oz or (10 gram) cocoa butter. 1. Melt the chocolate to 115\xb0F (46\xb0C) over a very low simmering water bath (Bain Marie).Can I add cocoa butter to chocolate chips?
It sounds like you are using chocolate chips to coat something with and the melted, in temper chocolate is a bit thick. If that is the case, yes, you can add cocoa butter to reduce the viscosity some so the coating is not quite so thick.How do you use cocoa butter in chocolate?
The function of cocoa butter in chocolate is to suspend and lubricate sugar particles. Cocoa butter lowers the viscosity of melted chocolate, but does not significantly contribute to chocolate flavour, having little flavour of its own. Cocoa butter has several unique qualities that make it a very desirable fat: 1.Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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