To Melt Chocolate Without The Fuss, Break Out The Slow Cooker

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Warm, melty chocolate is a delightful treat just about any time of year, but none more so than during the fall and winter seasons. There are so many uses for melted chocolate and almost as many methods by which you can achieve the perfectly smooth texture using your favorite chocolate bars, melting discs, and more. If you've got the time to spare and need to melt a sizable amount of chocolate for later use, this is one unexpected food to try in your slow cooker ASAP.

Rather than using a double boiler on the stovetop or risking inconsistent microwave heating, your slow cooker is the secret to evenly melted chocolate and a number of decadent chocolate desserts. To properly melt chocolate in your slow cooker, you will employ a double-boiler-style technique that's fairly hands-off. Place your preferred style of melting chocolate in a bowl in the bottom of a slow cooker surrounded by a thin layer of water that doesn't reach higher than the bowl. Turn your slow cooker on high and leave the lid off to avoid allowing condensation to get into your melting chocolate.

Make sure to keep a close eye on your chocolate. It should take between 30 minutes to a couple of hours to fully melt the chocolate, depending on how much you're using. Keep a long spoon handy to stir and check the chocolate to gauge its consistency. From there, it's simply a matter of making delicious desserts.

Whether you want to make a luscious hot chocolate, a rich and delightful cake, or even a dip for fruits and more, using a slow cooker is your best bet. After all, patience is key when it comes to melting chocolate for baking. With enough time and patience, you can even bake an entire chocolate cake in your slow cooker by mixing up a batter and cooking it on high for about two hours.

If you're planning to make a holiday hot chocolate, use a mix of semisweet chocolate, sugar, whole milk, heavy cream, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract in your slow cooker. It will take roughly five hours on low or about three hours on high with regular stirring and mixing every 45 minutes to an hour to maintain the temperature and texture. This is also an excellent method if you want to make a spiced Gran Marinier hot chocolate.

The slow cooker method works with dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and even white chocolate. Consider making it the centerpiece of your next holiday gathering, lining up a selection of pineapple spears, strawberries, marshmallows, shortbread cookies, pound cake, and more that your guests can carefully dip into melted chocolate. With slow and steady melting and thoughtful use, this versatile process will be a gift to your dessert table all year long.