Why do chocolate chips stay softer after being baked?
I could be wrong, but I have the feeling that after baking chocolate chip cookies, the chocolate chips are still melted; or at least a lot softer than before you bake the cookies.
It's logical that the chips melt, when they are in the oven, and even half an hour later. But why are they still softer the day after? What's the explanation behind this? It's as if the melting point has lowered.
Or am I imagining things?
Best Answer
During baking, all of the nice "tempered" crystals that come in the chocolate chips are melted out. The chocolate loses its temper, if you will. When the chocolate solidifies again, it does so with different crystals that result in a softer chocolate with a lower melting point.
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Quick Answer about "Why do chocolate chips stay softer after being baked?"
When the chocolate melts, without tempering, in the cookie the crystals in the cocoa butter melt but do not form properly again, this means the chocolate becomes soft, dull and 'blooms' fat which is where the cocoa butter rises to the surfaces forming a white layer (this will disappear upon melting).How do you keep chocolate chips solid after baking?
Simply tossing chocolate chips in a little flour or a bit of cake mix will help suspend them in your batter, Suz. This flour trick helps keep other garnishes from sinking, too. Try it with nuts, dried fruits, and fresh berries before folding them into your cake, cupcake, or muffin batter.Do chocolate chips harden after melting?
The melted chocolate will start melted until it hardens. It will take about an hour for it to harden at room temperature, 10 to 20 minutes in the fridge, and 5 to 10 minutes in the freezer. After that, you have to melt it again.Do chocolate chips melt when baked?
Cooking chocolate tends to have less cocoa butter than eating chocolate, which raises the cooking chocolate's melting temperature and makes it more difficult to melt. However, the chocolate will still melt in the oven. The chocolate chips in your cookies are simply held in shape by the surrounding cookie mixture.How do you make melted chocolate chips soft?
An aversion to water This is especially true when the chocolate is lumpy but not overly scorched. Simply add about a tablespoon of cooking oil or shortening per cup of melted chocolate and blend until smooth.The Best Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Answer 2
Chocolate is in is most essential form made up of cocoa butter and cocoa solids. The chocolate you buy is tempered, the crystals in the cocoa butter are aligned and properly formed, this is what keeps it shiny and gives it a snap.
When the chocolate melts, without tempering, in the cookie the crystals in the cocoa butter melt but do not form properly again, this means the chocolate becomes soft, dull and 'blooms' fat which is where the cocoa butter rises to the surfaces forming a white layer (this will disappear upon melting).
Also in a cookie there will be a high proportion of fat and when the chocolate melts it combines with the fats (in the butter) and will create essentially pockets of chocolate glaze, which obviously doesn't set hard.
Answer 3
Its because chocolate chips aren't just chocolate. They have additives in them for this purpose. Its the same reason you don't want to use them for tempered chocolate.
Answer 4
Are you using real baking chocolate chips. It sounds like you are using regular chocolate?
Chocolate chips are not usually normal chocolate, they have low level of cocoa butter, and have other fats and additives to ensure they hold their shape while being baked. They do not therefore respond to normal chocolate tempering, and stay firm after baking
Regular chocolate will stay soft after being baked because it has lost it's tempering. Only use this if you want it to stay soft
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