Can someone please let me know what the secret is to making chocolate confections that do not melt the instant fingers touch them. Today I made peanut butter cups they were delicious but melted on fingers the second they were picked up. I have the same problem with truffles. If I buy something similar in a shop they seem to hold up better to being held by hand while enjoying.

I use good quality chocolate and melt in the microwave.

Thanks

There is special gloves you can buy to handle chocolate to help so they don't melt.I'm not sure where to get them but I'm sure someone will chime in and let yah know!!

The addition of some paramount crystals can help with this issue.

The crystals help the chocolate to be more fluid when melted and then to be more firm once set up.

This is, of course, assuming that your chocolate has been properly tempered from the start.

HTH
Rae

Thanks for the responses.

I meant that the chocolate melts when they are being eaten. Just thinking about wearing gloves to eat them makes me LOL

Where can I buy the crystals?

I am obviously not tempering my chocolate as I just melt it in the microwave. So if I temper it will it hold up better to being held?

Today I was holding some 'cheap' easter chocolates and they weren't melting in my bare hand at all, even after several minuts.

Q.Where can I buy the crystals?

A.Available at most cake and candy supply stores, online search froogle.com for paramount crystals

Q.I am obviously not tempering my chocolate as I just melt it in the microwave. So if I temper it will it hold up better to being held?

A.Absolutely. Real chocolate MUST be in temper if you expect to have shiny chocolates that have a nice "snap" when bitten into.

Q.Today I was holding some 'cheap' easter chocolates and they weren't melting in my bare hand at all, even after several minuts

A.They may not have been real chocolate with cocoa butter in them. Some of the cheapest ones are more on the side of candy melts. They have a higher melting point. They don't need actual tempering, but they can't be gotten too hot when melting or they won't set up right, either. Some commercial chocolate candies can have ingredients in them that keep them very hard--and as a result, they probably don't taste like good quality chocolates, either.

Rae

Thanks so much. I will give tempering my chocolate a try. I am sure if I do a search on CC I will find out everything I need to know.