Melting Chocolate
We recommend compound buttons for choc making for the following reasons:
- Compound buttons are easy to melt and mould
- Compound buttons are generally less expensive than purer types of chocolate
- Compound chocolate does not require tempering
- Tastes just as good
Melting buttons - Choose one of four methods
Electric Frypan
Half fill the frying pan with water. Place buttons in a glass jar or dish and turn on frypan to lowest heat setting. Stir buttons until they start melting, turn frypan off. When it thickens turn frypan back on for a couple of minutes.
Microwave
Place buttons in a glass bowl and microwave on LOW setting for 20-30 second intervals - stir in between. Times can be increased depending on amount of buttons and wattage of microwave.
Double Boiler Method
Bring to the boil some water into the bottom half of the double boiler. Turn off the heat and move to the side. Place buttons in top half of the boiler and let the water from the bottom half of the boiler slowly melt the buttons, stir several times until melted. Do not melt the buttons while the boiler is on the stove as the temperature will be too high. This is my favourite method as you can leave it for 10 minutes and come back to it and the buttons have gently melted.
Crockpot
Place buttons in crockpot. Use the lowest setting to melt the buttons stirring occasionally. Turn crockpot off when buttons have melted. Be careful as even the low setting can overheat the buttons if left for too long.
Warm Weather, Transport of Choc buds
Warm weather will not damage the buttons. Even if the buttons soften, they will remain a good quality even when they stick together. Cadbury compound buttons can be melted and re-melted many times.