Candy melts and baking chocolate
Valrhona and Callebaut couverture chocolates, callets and chips in professional sizes, colored Candy Melts, cocoa butters, and modeling chocolate: everything you need for ganaches, molded chocolates, drip cakes, and coatings.
Couverture, callets, and chips
Valrhona chocolates cover all three categories: Guanaja 70% for intense ganaches, Jivara 40% with caramel notes for milk chocolate mousses, and Ivoire 35% for white chocolate entremets and colored glazes. Callebaut Callets melt quickly and offer excellent value for regular production.
3 to 5 kg callets are suitable for professional kitchen volumes, while chips hold their shape during baking at up to 200°C: ideal for cookies, brownies, and muffins.
Candy Melts, cocoa butters, and modeling chocolate
Candy Melts are colored vegetable oil-based wafers that melt in the microwave without tempering and set in 5 to 10 minutes: perfect for cake pops, drip cakes, and coated cookies. Also find ready-to-use icings for quick finishing.
Colored cocoa butters are sprayed into molds before pouring for multicolored chocolates. Modeling chocolate can be sculpted like sugar paste and hardens as it cools, with a true chocolate flavor.
Tempering: key temperatures
Dark chocolate: melt at 50-55°C, cool to 28-29°C, work at 31-32°C. Milk chocolate: melt at 45-50°C, cool to 27-28°C, work at 29-30°C. White chocolate: melt at 40-45°C, cool to 26-27°C, work at 28-29°C.
Successful tempering gives chocolate shine, a crisp snap, and easy release from the mold. Use an accurate thermometer and never add water or water-based flavoring to melted chocolate: it will seize into lumps.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between couverture and standard baking chocolate?
Couverture contains at least 31% cocoa butter, compared with 18 to 25% for standard chocolate: a more fluid melt, superior shine, and a crisp snap after tempering.
Can Candy Melts replace chocolate?
For drip cakes, cake pops, and simple coatings, yes, without tempering. For molded chocolates, bars, and fine ganaches, choose couverture chocolate.
Why does chocolate turn white?
A change in temperature or humidity causes cocoa butter or sugar to rise to the surface. The chocolate is still safe to eat but loses its shine.
How should chocolate be stored?
Between 15 and 18°C, in a dry place, away from odors and light, never in the refrigerator. Allow 12 to 18 months for dark chocolate, 8 to 12 for milk chocolate, and 6 to 8 for white chocolate.
