I'm trying to make letters from white "chocolate". I did a test run yesterday in which I made one letter from plain white chocolate and one colored with gel coloring. I melted the white chocolate in the microwave at 30% power never letting it get very hot. I just piped them out on to parchment paper and put them in the frig to cool.

The letter made from plain white chocolate melted at room temp (the weather is not terribly hot). The one with added coloring harded up and stayed that way.

Well, I go to make my letters today and make the colored chocolate the exact same way as I did yesterday and it is also getting too soft at room temperture.

Why won't the white chocolate harden and is there anything I can do about it?

Any help would be appreciated. By the way it is Callebaut white choclate not candy melts.

I think I figured it out. I believe I inadvertantly tempered the chocolate in my test run yesterday.

You see, I heated the chocolate and did my first test letter. Then reheated it and added the coloring. I thought the coloring had done something to the chocolate, like partially siezed it (I used gel, not candy coloring). But I must have come close to temps required for tempering.

I thought I might have to temper, but I swear yesterday every site I looked at just talked about bloom and did not mention that untempered chocolate would not harden.

Oh well, lets see if I can temper chocolate on purpose.

HELLO
You might be right about the tempering.

here are a couple of sites that explain the process & temperatures for tempering.

http://www.dianasdesserts.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/bakingtips.ChocolateSweets/ChocolateSweets.cfm

http://www.candylandcrafts.com/temperingchocolate.htm

Also, check the label on the gel color and make sure it does not contain water.

With regard to the chocolate melting... since you piped the letters, are they very thin? When you say they melted at room temperature, did they really melt? or just soften... A very thin piece of chocolate will easily soften up at room temperature.
You may want to leave them in the fridge till it is time to use them; and at that time use a metal spatula to lift them gently from the wax paper & then place them immediately onto their final 'resting place'

Always make extras, because some will break;
If you want an easier way, invest in an alphabet mold. It's actually easier than piping the chocolate & the letters are thicker (less likely to break)

Hope this helps.
ciao

The last time that happened to me, it was hotter than I thought it was where I was sitting the candy. I called my aunt and was told to cook the candy in a double boiler instead of the microwave and to freeze to harden. I have been doing them that way ever since and have not had a problem since then. It also depends on what kind of candy you are using. All I use is the candies that are made for molding. They come in a bag and look like round disk.