How to melt chocolate chips (and other baking chips) in a slow cooker and maintain a perfect melted consistency.
- Put the baking chips (or other melting chocolate) in a bowl or jars and set them inside the slow cooker. I used pint mason jars, because they are tall and narrow enough that I could fit several in my slow cooker at one time. You can use wider mouth jars or any heat tolerant bowl that will fit inside your slow cooker.
- Add hot water to the slow cooker approx. half way up the sides of the jars. WARNING: be careful not to get any water inside the jars. Water will make the melted chocolate seize & thicken.
- Turn the slow cooker on high. Don't cover it--you don't want moisture to form inside the lid and drop down into the chocolate. After 30 minutes, stir the chips (I used long iced tea spoons). My chips were soft and completely melted after 30 minutes; however, slow cookers can vary, so yours may need to heat more or less time. Once the chips are all melted, lower the slow cooker heat to the low or warm setting. (If you want to speed up the melting, you can zap the jars in the microwave in 20 second intervals, stopping and stirring each time, just until the chips all melt in when stirred. Then transfer to the slow cooker.)
- That's it! Now your melted chocolate will keep its thin dipping, drizzling consistency for at least 2-3 hours. As you're using the melted chocolate, if you discover that you need more, stir in more baking chips; they will keep melting into the mixture. I refilled my jars several times as I worked.
