Crunchy milk chocolate coating

[Eleni Tzirki-Wale Tzirki-Wale]

Cocoa butter!

[Sussan Estela Olaya]

Hi Eleni,

Thank you for your question! In this recipe, cocoa butter plays a very important role: it gives the melted chocolate a smooth, fluid texture, helps it set with shine and firmness, and contributes to a crisp bite.

Replacing it with grapeseed oil is not recommended, as this oil remains completely liquid at room temperature. That could result in a chocolate coating that’s too soft, less glossy, and lacking the desired texture.

If you don’t have cocoa butter on hand, here are a few more suitable alternatives:

Substitutes for Cocoa Butter:

• Refined (deodorized) coconut oil:
  It stays solid at room temperature and has a similar melting point. Just make sure it’s deodorized so it doesn’t affect the chocolate’s flavor.

• Commercial chocolate coating with added fat:
  If you’re using a couverture or melting chocolate with a high fat content, you may be able to reduce or skip the added cocoa butter though you’ll lose some control over texture and fluidity.

• Small amount of neutral oil (like grapeseed or sunflower):
  Only as a last resort, and in very small quantities (10–15 g per 600 g of chocolate). It won’t provide firmness or shine, but might help with melting if absolutely necessary.

Recommendation: If you can get cocoa butter, it’s the best option for this recipe especially to achieve a firm, crunchy coating.

I hope this information is helpful! If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out I’ll be happy to assist you.

Best regards,
Sussan
Scoolinary Team