"Leph28" > wrote in message
news
> Hi!
>
> A friend recently gave me a recipe for cookies with peanut butter, corn
> flakes & chocolate, and one of the ingredients in the recipe was WAX.
> Now it surprised me at first, having never used that in cooking and having
> never eaten wax, but i was wondering if it's something any of you
> had encountered and if so, what kind of wax should is recommended and
where
> to buy it? I know there's paraffin on sale at the grocery store, but
> is that ok to be used for cooking??
>
> Thanks in advance

Unfortunately, you aren't kidding. The classic recipe for "buckeyes"
(peanut butter centers dipped in chocolate) also includes wax. The specific
wax used in these recipes is paraffin wax that is sold along side canning
supplies in grocery and discount stores. The most common brand in my area is
"Gulf Wax." It is sold in one pound packages that consist of 4 slabs of
wax.

As far as I can tell, the wax is added to prevent blooming of the chocolate
and perhaps to make it more fluid when melted. I'm sure someone here can be
more informative. The question, in my opinion, is whether this is the best
approach to the problem. In very small quantities, it is probably harmless
but I don't think that the wax is intended to be eaten, and I always wonder
how pure a product like paraffin can be. That is, are there trace amounts
of nasty things like benzene?

To be safe, I would suggest that you try using a more natural product.
Specifically, a hydrogenated palm oil shortening would do the same thing.
Yes, I know that hydrogenated tropical oils aren't healthy, but I think they
would be a better choice than a petroleum based product. You can purchase
shortenings specifically designed for chocolate work at cake and candy
supply houses. Here is a link to the Sugarcraft page where you can find
"Paramount Crystal Flakes" to use instead of paraffin.
http://www.sugarcraft.com/catalog/ca...olate.htm#para