Who doesn’t like melted Hershey’s chocolate right? The creamy and smooth chocolate is the perfect addition to any dessert to make it irresistible. Melted chocolate is not only a key ingredient to many desserts but also beverages, milkshakes, and multitudes of different types of coffee that are available these days. It is also used as a dipping sauce for pancakes and crackers.
The thing however is, chocolate is not sold in melted form so one usually has to melt chocolate bars to get the creamy goodness. But the question is how to do it. Chocolate can be melted easily but it also burns easily. Supply any more heat to it than necessary and it will become a mushy smelly blackish and burnt goo.
One way to melt Hershey’s chocolate bar of course is to place it in a heatproof bowl and place it on another bowl filled with very hot water and cover the entire set-up. After 5 minutes or so, the steam will soften the bar and you can stir the chocolate and make it thinner.
But this process takes a long time. The other, easier process is to microwave the chocolate bar.
Can You Microwave Hershey’s chocolate?
Yes, you can microwave Hershey’s chocolate.
It only takes a few minutes and the results are better than melting using any other method because sometimes the heat is not transferred equally and it leaves solid lumps in the chocolate which is yet to be melted. The same won’t happen if you melt a Hershey’s bar inside the microwave oven as the heat is transferred to the pieces of the chocolate bar evenly and thus it melts in an even manner.
To ensure an even texture, you can microwave the chocolate bar in increments and use a silicone spatula to stir and settle the chocolate in between.
How To Melt Hershey’s Chocolate in Microwave?
Microwaving Hershey’s chocolate for the purpose of melting them is actually quite easy. But since this the microwave is talking about, it does not harm to follow some basic guidelines. Treat these as simple steps to melt Hershey’s chocolate bar with ease and quickly.
Get a clear Microwavable Glass Bowl
Having a microwavable glass bowl is the prerequisite to microwaving anything, really. It takes considerable heat to completely liquify a frozen bar of chocolate and normal bowls that are not heatproof will not be able to withstand the heat.
The next clause is getting a clear bowl, preferably glass. This is so that you can track the melting chocolate from the outside and see if it’s melting properly or not. Pyrex glass bowls should do as they are both transparent and heatproof.
Prep the Chocolate
Prepping the chocolate is not anything complicated even if it sounds a bit so. All that you have to do is take the chocolate out of the wrapper, both the paper and plastic, and break the bar into small pieces.
The pieces should be equal in dimensions so just take a knife and cut through the grooves that are already present on the bar to make equal-sized smaller pieces. The pieces need to be equal so that they are able to melt evenly. Unequal pieces with major size differences will melt at different time intervals as the bigger one will take more time and the smaller piece may start to overheat.
Even if you don’t have a knife nearby you can simply break the bars into smaller pieces using the grooves on the bar and achieve the same results.
Microwave the Chocolate
After you have safely placed the smaller pieces of the bar inside the bowl, place it inside the microwave and melt it at medium or 50% power in increments of 15 seconds.
Basically set the timer to fifteen seconds and take the bowl out to give the chocolate a stir with a silicone spatula. The chocolate should start to lose its structural integrity. Once it does, stir it and even out the chocolate with the spatula and continue to repeat the process until there are no lumps.
After the chocolate is taken out of the bowl, do not immediately pour it out as it is still melting from the residue heat of the bowl. Let it sit for a minute and then use it for whatever purpose.
How long does it take to melt a Hershey bar in the microwave?
This depends on the size of the chocolate. The standard sizes that are most commonly sold are 40gms and 100 gms respectively.
According to Hershey’s company website, their chocolate bars melt at 75 degrees Fahrenheit which is several degrees lower than commercially used baking chocolate.
Now the timing varies between how much chocolate you are melting as one average-sized pyrex glass bowl can easily hold pieces of at least two Hershey’s chocolate bars weighing 40 gms each.
Usually softening up one chocolate bar should not take more than 30 – 45 seconds depending on how frozen it initially is and how big it is. After it loosens up, you have to continuously stir it to achieve the desired consistency while microwaving it at an increment of 15 seconds.
Stir until the chocolate has no more lumps and can be easily poured out.
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Can I use Hershey’s kisses as melting chocolate?
Yes, you can use Hershey’s kisses as melting chocolate.
Hershey’s kisses come in many flavors such as white chocolate, milk, and dark. Since the composition of these different types is not the same, the mealtime time will vary if you wish to achieve a soft creamy consistency.
Many use chocolate chip cookies to get melted chocolate but Hershey’s kisses can be substituted with that easily. The only thing that you need to keep in mind is that these are coated with wax to maintain their structure and thus need a higher temperature of 108 degrees Fahrenheit to melt.
As already mentioned, the timing taken by each type of Hershey’s kisses will vary. Just remember to microwave it in increments of 15 seconds and stir it until there are no more lumps and the consistency you were looking for has been achieved.
Can I use Hershey’s Chocolate bars as melting chocolate?
Yes, you can use Hershey’s chocolate bars as melting chocolate.
In fact, many chefs, baristas, and bakers who use melted chocolate on a daily basis prefer Hersheyç chocolate bars because it is just suited for the purpose. It melts at 75 degrees Fahrenheit and gets a semi-liquid and molten consistency pretty fast. This is much faster as compared to other baking chocolates and is an efficient choice for professionals who run on a time constraint.
However, you need to keep in mind that because the chocolate bars melt faster, they also burn pretty fast so you have to keep an eye on them while it is melting. Stay before the microwave and stir it continuously so it does not stick to the bottom of the glass bowl.
You can coat the entire bowl with melted butter, to begin with to avoid the chocolate from sticking in the first place.
5 Tips on melting Hershey’s chocolate in the Microwave
Here are some essential tips to melt Hershey’s chocolate so that it doesn’t end up burnt or crystallized.
- Use a clear glass bowl to melt the chocolate to be able to monitor the melting process thoroughly.
- Do not cover the glass bowl while microwaving it as the steam will get trapped and may end up seizing up or hardening the chocolate.
- Make sure to operate the microwave at only half / medium / 50 % of its power. As already mentioned, Hershey’s chocolate has a really low melting point and excessive heat will scorch it and render it inedible.
- Make sure to stir the chocolate at regular intervals. This will ensure the chocolate doesn’t not stick to the bottom or sides as well as there are no lumps inside.
- If the chocolate stiffens, then add a teaspoon of shortening to it for every ounce of chocolate and stir it well.
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The Bottom Line
The most frequently asked queries about microwaving Hershey’s chocolate have been covered and hopefully this will assist you well in making your own batch of creamy goodness that will make the most scrumptious dessert ever!