Do chocolate chips need to be tempered if they are being used for dipping? I love the Hersheys special dark, but didn't know if it needs tempering.

I don't know about tempering, but when you use chocolate chips for a fountain, you have to add oil (yuck! ) or cocoa butter to keep it smooth. I would assume it is the same for the special dark chips.

The instructions for my fountain say that only Belgian chocolate has the right content of cocoa butter to not add anything.

Hope this helps.

I am so glad you asked that question because I need the answer also.

I always had trouble with the consistency when I melted chocolate chips. Nothing ever dipped smoothly. Someone told me that you should add a little oil to make it smooth. Hope this helps.

I have a candy making book that says chocolate chips are actually just candy melts, so if that's true then I would say no, they don't need to be tempered. I melt them all the time in my double boiler with no problems unless I get condensation in the pan, or the water is too hot underneath. I haven't used the dark ones though, so I can only speak for milk chocolate, or semi sweet.

Chocolate chips won't temper properly, since they contain numerous additives to help them keep their shape at a high temperature.

I forgot though......I do add some melted paraffin to the chocolate chips when I'm dipping; it helps smooth the chocolate and thin it a little. Sorry!

chutzpah is right you can not temper chocolate chips due to the additives. You need to use chocolate that is high in cocoa content.

i use merkens chocolate disk all the time... they melt beautifully.... i use the white... the milk chocolate.... and the dark chocolate... never had a problem.. hth

When I use chocolate chips for dipping cakeballs, I add about a tablespoon of vegetable shortening to them as I melt them. It makes them a tad smoother for a better dip. HTH.