Tempering semi-sweet chocolate doesn’t have to be difficult. If you want to learn about the basics of what tempering is, you can read my post on it here. Otherwise, let’s move on. You’ll want to know the basic temperature for the type of chocolate you are working with as noted in the table below:
I treat semi-sweet like a cross between milk and dark chocolates. Often, semi-sweet chocolates have started putting in milk which makes it a little more prone to burning, so I heat it slowly. Start out at 30 seconds, stir and repeat until 3/4 is melted. Then drop down to 5 – 10 seconds until you reach 113F. Remove, cool to 88F (31C) and you are ready to go! I’ll include a pictorial explanation.
I practice with baking chips that contain cocoa butter 
Heat in burst of 30 seconds and stir even if they don’t look melted 
At this stage, use 5 -10 seconds, checking the temperature before heating 
Once fully melted, check the temperature. If necessary, continue to heat until you reach 113F (45C) 
Not to bad with a microwave! It’s okay that it’s a little high as you can go higher without burning 
No need to go higher than this unless you want to see what happens when you keep heating 
Optional: stir in tempered chocolate to help reseed the right crystals and cool down faster 
It’s now in temper and ready to use! 
It’s okay to work with as long as it’s between 84-91F (29-33C) 
If you like, stir in some candies 
I used leftover graham crackers 
and marshmallows 
S’mores anyone? 
Let sit until fully cooled, sometimes it can a few minutes or take a few hours if it’s really thick.
Enjoy your new knowledge and happy chocolate making. What will you make now that you learned how easy tempering semi-sweet chocolate can be. Think of all the possibilities!
Ingredients
- 8 oz (226g) semi-sweet chocolate
Instructions
- In a microwave safe bowl, heat 3/4 of chocolate for 30 seconds and stir.
- Repeat this step until most of the chocolate is melted. Check the temperature. If you are close to 113F (45C) start heating in 5 second intervals, stirring between each cycle and rechecking temperature as it can heat quickly in the end stages and burn.
- Add in the remain chocolate. Continue to stir until the temperature drops to 88F (31C.)
- Your chocolate is now in temper and ready to use.
Thank you for this video, it has helped me tremendously when making peppermint patties.
You are very welcome, Donna! Peppermint patties are the best. 😊
I am substituting this method for an old recipe that calls for Paraffin wax. Wish me luck.
Good luck!🍀 The parrafin wax technique is a great alternative to tempering. It’s great for dipping berries or making peanut butter balls.
I’m going to use this method for Valentine’s day 2021 to make my Husband turtles. You’re instructions are very well written. And I’m confident in my ability.
Thank you very much
I’m glad it was helpful. Happy Valentine’s Day to you and your husband! Turtles are amazing. He’s going to love them. 🙂