How to bake with chocolate

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Some people believe eating chocolate relieves stress, but baking with chocolate can have the opposite effect. Follow these 8 tips and you’ll enjoy baking with chocolate almost as much as you enjoy devouring it.

• Store chocolate in a dry, cool place between 16°C and 26°C. If the temperature is higher or the humidity is above 50 percent, wrap chocolate in moisture-proof wrap.
• If chocolate is stored in the fridge, let it stand at room temperature before baking with it.
• Be sure to break up or chop chocolate bars or squares before melting.
• Never heat dark chocolate above 49°C (120°F) or white or milk chocolate above 43°C (110°F).
• To melt most types of chocolate, cook uncovered in a microwave on Medium (50%), stirring once every minute, just until melted.
• If you get water in your chocolate, it may get thick, lumpy and sometimes grainy. This is called "seizing.” You can save seized chocolate by stirring in 1 teaspoon vegetable oil or shortening for every ounce of chocolate melted.
• If little specks of hardened chocolate appear when you are stirring melted chocolate into other ingredients, melt the chocolate with the liquid or fat that is also called for in the recipe. Simply use at least 1 tablespoon of liquid or fat to 2 ounces of chocolate.
• Never stir cooled melted chocolate into ice-cold ingredients because it will harden immediately.

Now that your lesson’s over, it’s time to indulge.
Put your skills to good use with these delicious recipes:

• Chocolate Ganache Cake
• Best Ever Chocolate Sour Cream Cake
• Chocolate Crunch Fudge
• Luscious Chocolate Truffles