AI bought some Wilton candy melts and had no luck trying to melt them using both a microwave and double boiler, so I tried some Merkens instead and I'm having the same problem, it's driving me crazy!

All I end up with is a kind of paste. I want to use it for cake pops or choc dipped Oreos but its impossible with the paste like consistency.

I've done some research and it seems like its a common problem, and I see many suggestions about adding shortening. My problem is that I'm in Australia and its not readily available here. Are there any alternatives?

Thanks in advance!

This sometimes happens if you overheat it. And sometimes, if the candy melts are old even if they are unopened, you never know how long the store has had them on the shelves, so it's not necesarily your fault (unless you bought them a long time ago!). I know here in Europe we get what appear to be old ones even though they have no sell by date on them! 

If you can't get Crisco, try vegetable oil, it works for me. Bear in mind that the more oil you add, the softer the chocolate will set up though. I gave up on candy melts a long time ago. I buy white chocolate chips, melt them, and colour them with powdered colour. They set up hard again. Good luck!

can you get paramount crystals? these work wonders for fixing fluidity issues with old/overheated candy...I use them all the time!

If you continue to use the Wilton Melts, you can put them in a microwave safe bowl.  Heat the chocolate on a low heat, and time the heating to 1 minute the first heat, then 45 seconds thereafter.  Don't put more than a half a tablespoon of Crisco in when melting the chocolate.  If you use too much, it will cause white stripes in the set chocolate, and will make the chocolate taste thick and greasy.  Overheated/burned chocolate will look thick and almost like it has air in it...

Sorry...Since you don't have Crisco, then low heat, and short heating times should melt the chocolate fine.  Can't say how cooking oil would work, as I have never tried it. 

AThanks for your replies. I should have mentioned that I'd already tried adding some vegetable oil to no avail. Possibly they are an older batch (tho still within the use by date).

I've just ordered some paramount crystals as suggested as my last hope. Otherwise I'll have to resort to the other suggestion of using white melts coloured and throw all the red ones I bought!

Thanks again

I always have problems with red candy melts. The others work great. Just not the red...

Just an update for anyone else who encounters this - paramount crystals worked a treat.  I just kept adding more (while heating) and watched my melts magically transform from a pasty mess to a runny dream!