If your chocolates bloom (get white streaks) don't throw
them away. Blooming doesn't affect the taste but it will the
texture. The chocolate will become crumbly after about a
week and you lose the nice creamy texture. Try to use them
within a week or freeze them to prolong the time. A lot of
time the white streaks will disappear at room temperature.
Butter mints can easily grain. I have found the longer
you can pull them the quicker they will change, so you
need to cut them up quickly. I had made a batch, done
everything right, and pulled it well. As I was cutting
them they started to go grainy. I was really bummed and
couldn't figure out what went wrong. I put them in an
air-tight container and was going to re-cook them another
day when I had time. When I checked on them later, I
found that they were very mellow and had turned out
right after all. Long story short, pull butter mints
thoroughly, cut them quickly, and if you think they are
grainy, give them a day in an air-tight container before
you re-cook them because they might be just fine.
When you are dipping with chocolate, you might not use
up all the chocolate that you had melted. When it sets
up it will probably bloom (get white streaks). Don't
throw it away, it is just fine. When you are ready to
dip more chocolates, re-melt it and stir it well before
dipping. Chocolate can be used over and over again.
Just make sure to stir the oils in thoroughly after
melting it. If you won't be re-using it for a long
period of time, I recommend storing it in the freezer.
Also, you can keep your chocolate melted and warm for
several days. Just make sure you stir it well before
you start dipping to get the cocoa oils mixed in.
