I don't know if this helps, but my husband has a recipe for chocolate balls, and it calls for four squares of Baker's chocolate to 1/4 cup of shredded paraffin wax.

"I use 1/4 bar (1-ounce) paraffin wax per 1 (12-ounce) package of semisweet chocolate chips. I use this also when making Christmas candies. Just melt it with the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot water."

From baking911.com. I have done this for dipping biscotti I shipped to someone but really didn't see much difference. I stopped bothering.

I'm not going to use paraffin. You can taste it and it isn't necessary. While straight chocolate will melt a bit when picked up, the texture and taste are much more pleasing. Additionally, I think the chocolate chips have a stabilizer in them and eliminate the need for paraffin. I'll be using Belgium chocolate that doesn't have additives, so my friends will just have to lick their fingers!

The whole idea of paraffin in food makes me uncomfortable. Is it even healthy? I mean if we are worried about stuff like hydrogenated oils...wouldn't paraffin be worse for your health? I mean seems like it would clog your arteries. I can't see me ever making a recipe with paraffin. I think I'd rather them melt a bit on my fingers!

Paraffin (wax - food-grade) is in that nebulous "Generally Recognized As Safe" category and is also categorized as a "chemical preservative" - generally used on fruits and vegetables. It quickly passes through your system without being broken down, so no clogged arteries from it. It's also the stuff they coat waxed paper with.

In candy-making it provides the "shine" on those chocolates and helps keep items from losing moisture and they keep better at room temperature.

I add coconut oil instead of paraffin. Non-hydrogenated coconut oil is quite hard at cool room temperatures, but it begins to melt if the temperature is around 70-degrees F or warmer, so keep that in mind.

Another old tip - coconut oil was also used in fondant icing on donuts to keep the icing looking good in humid weather. This is one of those tips I found and keep in my "Book of ODD Knowledge".

-Grainlady

I generally use a ratio of 1:10 paraffin to chocolate, but you can use as much as 1:6, which many people recommend. If you use less than 1:10, it will not have much effect, but it does help with preventing (to some extent) the chocolate from melting in people's hands. I've made chocolate turtles without using the paraffin, and people did not seem to mind the chocolate on their hands, but it was pretty messy to eat.

Paraffin has a much higher melting temperature than coconut oil, but I'm sure that coconut oil has a much better flavor.

Lars

Oooooh, no thank you! Chocolate is chocolate. It melts.

I thought tempering is what gave chocolate that shine. I also thought that paraffin is derived from fossil fuel, but I may have it confused with something else. What exactly is paraffin, aside from being a wax? Where does it come from?

Sally

Grainlady: what proportion of Chocolate to Coconut oil do you use?

Isn't it a laxative?

westelle -

I don't remember any more - it's been too many years since I've made chocolates (I live a hop skip and a jump from a Russell Stover factory -- LOL).

In recipes that call for shortening in the chocolate, I use equal amounts.

-Grainlady