Whether you’re trying to prepare for a holiday celebration or a surprise party, you’re likely going to be backing up something sweet. What better way to show someone you care than spending time baking and decorating their favorite dessert?
Alas, you don’t have to stress about your artistic abilities and how to create the perfect array.
Candy melts and chocolate chips are excellent ways to add color, flavor, and texture to your baking dish. Let’s dive into everything you need to know about baking with candy melts vs. chocolate chips.
Generally speaking, candy melts were made to mimic chocolate. When comparing candy melts vs. chocolate chips, you will realize that they have different appearances, flavors, textures, and ingredients. However, they are similar enough to be used for the same things.
Candy Melts Vs. Chocolate Chips: Which Tastes Better?
This taste showdown will for sure get you on team candy melts or team chocolate chips. For candy melts, you will experience a delightful but artificial flavor.
The waxy texture will transfer even when heated, which might leave a filmy taste on your tongue. Harder candy melts will also have a crumbly nature that melts in your mouth.
Depending on the assortment’s flavor, you will most likely receive a vanilla base. But you can find artificially flavored candy melts in strawberry, watermelon, salted caramel, or even orange citrus.
You might even find seasonal blends like peppermint or pumpkin pie!
Candy Melts Vs. Chocolate Chips: Texture Profile
On the other hand, chocolate chips offer a smooth, creamy texture that is slower to melt on your tongue. With candy melts, it’s hard to avoid the filmy, chalky texture.
These tear-drop-shaped delectable morsels can give off a chalky consistency. You might also find chocolate chips in discs or small rectangular shapes.
The chocolate chip’s sweetness reflects directly on its flavor profile. Darker chocolate will give you a more bitter flavor. Where milk chocolate will provide a robust sweetness.
You can now find chips in dark chocolate, bittersweet, peanut butter, butterscotch, mint chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate. You can even find espresso, Reese’s, or cherry chocolate chips!
Candy Melts Vs. Chocolate Chips: Which Has The Better Flavor?
But when it comes down to flavor, chocolate chips are much better than candy melts.
They do not have the artificial flavor after taste and can be pretty exquisite. The quality will directly relate to the brand and cost. Let’s explore the best candy melts and chocolate chips to use for your baking needs.
Candy Melt Vs. Chocolate Chips: A Cost Breakdown
| Item | Cost – 12-ounce pack |
| Candy Melts | $2.68 – $10.20 |
| Chocolate Chips | $2.31 – $15.95 |
The candy melts you’ll find in the store will most like be Wilson’s. This is the most popular brand of candy melt that will offer an inexpensive product with higher quality, seasonal options.
The chocolate chips you know and love are typically made by Nestle, Hershey, and Ghiradelli. You can also opt for popular sugar-free brands like Enjoy Life!
So, are you team candy melt or team chocolate chip? You might not want to choose just yet.
Their utility might change your mind. Let’s explore the most popular ways to use these super-sweet morsels.
What Are Chocolate Chips?
Chocolate chips generally are made with chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, milkfat, and soy lecithin. These sweet morsels come in a variety of chocolates. You can find dark chocolate, milk chocolate, semi-chocolate, etc.
Unlike candy melts, chocolate chips do not have the oil content that helps during the heating process.
Therefore, the heating processes are different. Let’s dive into how to melt candy melts and chocolate chips.
What Are Candy Melts?
Candy melts are mainly made of sugar and oil. The sugar gives candy melts that super-sweet flavor, while the oil allows the candy to break down when heated.
You can find colorful or flavorful candy melts. The majority of candy melts are vanilla-flavored and white. On the other hand, chocolate chips generally have more than two ingredients.
How To Melt Candy Melts and Chocolate Chips
There are two main methods to melt these sweet treats. They are microwaving and tempering.
For candy melts, the oil allows a seamless microwave process. However, chocolate chips will not break down as efficiently and might burn in a microwave. Therefore, tempering is the best way to melt chocolate chips.
Microwaving Candy Melts
Follow this process to microwave candy melts.
- Start by placing no more than 12 ounces of candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Heat your candy melts for 30 seconds at 50% power, then stir.
- If necessary, heat the candy melts again for 30 seconds at 50% power.
- When most of the candy melt is melted, stir until the rest melts.
If you heat the candy melts for too long, they might turn hard. This texture is much like seized chocolate. Ensure that you are checking the microwave and using low intervals for stirring.
Tempering Chocolate Chips
Tempering allows the heating and cooling of chocolate chips. You can then add the melted chocolate to your favorite sweet treat.
This process is a little more time-consuming than the microwave, but it is effective. Here’s how to temper your chocolate chips:
- Start by heating a pan with 1 inch of water over medium-high heat. Once steaming, place a heat-proof bowl on top of your pan. Ensure that it is not touching the water.
- Next, add the chocolate chips to the top bowl.
- You will want to continually stir the chocolate while it melts.
- Once the majority of the chocolate chips are melted, remove the top bowl from the heat source. Then stir until the rest of the chocolate is heated.
You want the chocolate to be gloss-like and shiny. Never cook over 120 degrees because you will then compromise the taste of your chocolate. The great thing about tempering is that you can temper chocolate over and over again.
If you are in a rush and need to microwave your chocolate chips, try adding a tablespoon of vegetable oil to your chocolate chips. This will help break down the chocolate and prevent it from burning.
Now that you have got the melting process down and have perfected the appearance, it’s time to evaluate the taste, flavor, and texture of candy melts vs. chocolate chips.
Candy Melts Vs. Chocolate Chips: Which is Better for Cake Pops?
It’s been over a decade since cake pops took the baking world by storm. This gooey, colorful super-sweet treat is perfect for any celebration. Whether it’s a birthday party, Christmas gathering, or baby shower, cake pops fit the bill.
If you aren’t familiar, a cake pop is a little bite-sized ball of cake on a stick. Arguably, one of the best parts of the cake pop is its hard outer covering.
This shell helps the cake keep its form and stay on the stick. It’s also the most fun part to decorate. So, are candy melts or chocolate chips best for cake pops? Let’s dive in.
What’s the Best Apparatus for a Hard Outer Shell?
Candy melts are super versatile when melting and getting the perfect decorative shape. This makes them the optimal apparatus for a cake pop. When making the smooth outer layer of a cake pop, you need a thin base.
Chocolate chips are harder to melt down to the light consistency you need. You can try to add oil to your chocolate chips, but you might jeopardize their flavor profile.
Since candy melts are generally super sweet vanilla, you won’t complicate the flavor of the cake in your cake pop. It might be a little trickier to match the chocolate flavoring to your cake flavor. Therefore, candy melts lack of taste is the best fit for a cake pop.
Decorating Cake Pops
Candy melts are also better than chocolate chips for decorative purposes. You can easily find white candy melts that allow you to color and flavor them however you choose. On the other hand, chocolate chips are most often dark and cannot change color.
You can try to add food coloring to white chocolate chips but remember that white chocolate is most often off-white in color.
When it comes to decorating, candy melts take the cake. Not only can you make a cake pop look like a donut or an Easter bunny, but you can also decorate cookies, pretzels, cupcakes, and cakes with candy melts. You must try this easy cake pop recipe.
The Best Cake Pop Recipe
You will need 20-30 cake pop sticks, parchment paper, a large cookie sheet, and a Styrofoam block.
Ingredients
- 1 – 15-ounce box of cake mix (cook according to package directions)
- 2 – 12-ounce package of white candy melts
- 1 – container of your favorite frosting
- Sprinkle or decorations
- To begin, crumble the cooked cake into a large mixing bowl. You will want to make sure it is finely broken down.
- Then add 2 tbs of frosting to the cake crumbles. You’ll want to mix the cake and frosting together with your hands. Add more frosting until the cake has enough moisture to hold together.
- Next, using a medium ice cream scoop, scoop out the cake mixture one by one. Roll each dollop into a ball and place it on parchment paper over a large cookie sheet. You’ll need to put these cake balls in the freezer for at least 10 minutes.
- While the cake balls are freezing, start melting your candy melts. Place a large portion of the candy melts into a microwavable bowl, then heat at medium heat in your microwave for 30 seconds. Keep stirring and returning to the microwave at small intervals until the candy melts are almost completely melted.
- Remove the cake balls from the freezer. Grab your cake pop sticks. First, place the tip of these cake pop sticks into the hot candy melt mixture, then push the cake pop stick into each cake ball. The candy melt will help the stick keep its place.
- Then take the cake pops and fully emerge them into the candy melt liquid. Gently spin the cake ball until it is entirely covered by the candy melt liquid. Before the chocolate starts to harden, you can add sprinkles or decorations to each cake pop!
- Place each finished cake pop upright into a Styrofoam block. If you don’t have styrofoam, a glass filled with rice will work. It should take about an hour for the candy melt to harden. Then enjoy!
Why Use Chocolate Chips?
On the other hand, chocolate chips are dynamic in their utility. You’ll want to skip the candy melts when you’re making chocolate chip cookies.
Nothing compares to your favorite tear-drop-shaped morsels in a warm gooey cookie. If you want to try a new way to experience chocolate chips, try this chocolate chunk cookie recipe.
Chocolate Chunk Cookies
For this recipe you’ll need:
- 1 cup salted butter – softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup light brown sugar – packed
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups chocolate chunks
Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F. Then line a baking pan with parchment paper.
- Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in a separate bowl. Set aside.
- Mix butter and sugars in a new bowl. Stir until combined.
- Beat in eggs and vanilla.
- Slowly add in dry ingredients. Beat until combined.
- Add chocolate chips and stir.
- Drop 2-3 tbs-sized dough balls onto the parchment paper.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. You want them to be turning brown.
- Place on a cooling rack to cool.
Then enjoy the most delectable chocolate chip treat!
Make Decorating Your Bake Dish Easy
The most versatile aspect of these sweet morsels is that they can melt down into the shape you need. This allows you to get creative. You can make a cake pop into a snowman.
The composition of candy melts and chocolate chips is not the same. Their ingredients will affect their utility. Therefore, the process of melting down your candy melts and chocolate chips is a bit different.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to cake pops, candy melts are the perfect candy coating. They are versatile in creating the ideal thin layer to give your cake pop an extra crunch.
Don’t forget that you have the option to decorate with the most vibrant colors and flavors since candy melts give you a blank canvas.
But don’t leave chocolate chips out in the cold. You can easily use chocolate chips for cake pops as a substitute. Otherwise, use them for an intended purpose as a chocolate chip cookie.
My name is Keren Tayler. I am a stay-at-home mama to three lovely girls, Sarah + Rachel + Hannah. Prior to becoming a mom, I had a successful career in the accounting field, steps away from becoming a CPA. I decided to give up on my career in order to raise my own kids (as opposed to letting a nanny do it, no judgment here :)) I learned a lot and I love sharing it with other moms. Along the way, I also became a Certified Food Handler.