Best way to melt chocolate anywhere is with heated coconut oil that’s easy to do… and is a good way to stretch your chocolate if you’re running low or need a lot of chocolate and don’t want to spend your grocery bill making chocolate.
Plus, you can pack and transport coconut oil without worry of spillage (like with cream liquids and regular cooking oils). Coconut oil is solid at room temperature… in case you plan on baking, making chocolate outside of your home, or now just a got a new chocolate idea! 💡
Coconut oil is usually found solid when cooled or bought at room temperature. It’s a pale, semi-opaque white color oil and has a consistency like slippery Vaseline.
Besides baking and food making, coconut oil has other uses like healthy topical applications for body, skin, and hair.
It’s versatile in food medicine cabinets or kitchen food pantries.
You can also store in your pantry and make chocolate ganache without running to the store.
Because it’s solid, it’s easy to transport without spillage or extra care (like for plane travel)… and it’s actually not considered a liquid, but a solid..
Unlike fresh creams like heavy cream, coconut oil also lasts a long time as with most cooking oils.
And it’s a great chocolate sauce making alternative… and my favorite way to make chocolate because it’s relaxing to make.
It’s a form of meditation.
And the reason it’s the best way to melt chocolate is because it’s stable, so you’ll get a smooth and shiny chocolate consistency.
If you don’t use another ingredient to mix with chocolate chip morsels when heated, you’ll get a dull chocolate sheen with a dry thick texture.
But, coconut oil will change that… as coconut oil has a 450°F high boiling point (232°C), above butter and other oils (olive oil and canola oil).
And impressively even higher than grape seed oil that’s known to be good for sauteeing and other high heat cooking.
For the best way to melt chocolate, the good news is… you don’t need high heat. You can use hot water that’s from 80°F you get from the stove or an electric water warmer like the kind you use for heating green tea where you don’t want to burn the leaves.
So, ready to get started?
Step one is add coconut oil to a bain-marie (double cooker). You can insert a mug inside a heatproof bowl. Or use a glass Pyrex measuring glass inside a pot.
Remember, the heat doesn’t need to be that high for this to work so you can use what you have in your kitchen for equipment. It doesn’t have to fit perfectly.
Then add the hot water to the outside bowl to heat.
Stir the coconut oil that’s solid in the inside mug with a butter knife or similar. This is the relaxing, meditative part. 😊
Like melting magic, you will see it transform to liquid like water. White becomes clear.
Next, add your baking chocolate chips or chocolate chunks into the oil, and keep stirring. Wait a few minutes to see the chocolate magically turn into a nice shiny, smooth consistency.
You can see the gloss in a healthy recipe like this Chocolate Coconut Bar (No-Bake) -Low-Sugar and No Refined Sugar.
Coconut oil is a great way to make more chocolate especially if a recipe calls for a lot of chocolate and you only have a limited amount.
You can stretch your chocolate and it won’t be thin.
You can always add more of either coconut oil or chocolate to get the right amount and chocolate thickness. It always comes out good.
And it’s easy. Give it a try!
How To Melt Chocolate with Coconut Oil
Equipment
- bain marie or 2 heatproof bowls (one larger and one smaller).
Ingredients
- coconut oil
- chocolate chips
Instructions
- Set a smaller heat-proof bowl or mug inside another slightly larger heat-proof bowl (any height will do for both). Add chocolate and coconut oil to smaller inside bowl or mug. Heat water and pour in outside bowl at least two inches.
- Let set for about 30 seconds. Then stir chocolate and coconut oil with a knife until melted. Best to use while warm.
