Recipe(tried): How to Temper Chocolate (re: how to keep chocolate from melting)

KATHLEEN:
Good Morning. I am guessing Kathleen what you are saying is that when handling the chocolate you end up with chocolate smudges on your hand. If so, that problem is not chocolate melting, it is that after you melted the chocolate the melted chocolare was not "TEMPERED". If you would like to learn the technique to temper chocolate you can find that information in any baking book that features a section on chocolate. "OR" you can melt chocolate & add an ingredient that does away with the cumbersome technique of tempering & get the results you wish,ie, solid hard shining chocolate covering. Have a nice day young lady,
~Chef Dunask.

Editor's Note:

Tempering Chocolate
Source: The Cookie Book

When chocolate is used as a decoration on cookies, it must be tempered or it will harden with unattractive (but perfectly edible) grayish white streaks of cocoa butter.

Tempering is a process that stabilizes the cocoa butter so that it doesn't separate and float to the surface once the chocolate is cool. Don't be intimidated by tempering. It's simply a process of melting, cooling, and gently stirring the chocolate.

One easy way to temper chocolate for the purpose of decorating cookies is to hold back a third of the chocolate and melt the remainder as described above. Be sure the portion of the chocolate you hold back is finely chopped. Stir the finely chopped chocolate into the melted chocolate. Continue to stir occasionally (and gently) until all the lumps are melted and the chocolate feels cool when touched to a spot just below your lower lip, but is still quite liquid. (The skin below your lip is very sensitive to temperature.) Work quickly once the chocolate is tempered-there is a small window of opportunity here. If the chocolate becomes too cool and hard, it will be difficult to work with.