Candy coating, also called compound coating or confectionery coating, is a chocolate-like coating made with vegetable oil (often palm or coconut oil) instead of cocoa butter, giving it a longer shelf life and lower cost than real chocolate, though a less rich flavor and different mouthfeel. It emerged in the early 20th century as manufacturers looked for a cheaper, more heat-stable substitute for chocolate. It's used to coat and decorate confections like chocolate-dipped pretzels, truffles, and cake pops, in candy bars and coated nuts, and as a colorful topping for cakes and cookies, since it can be tinted with food coloring more easily than real chocolate. Candy coating should not be confused with couverture chocolate, a higher-cocoa-butter chocolate used for the same dipping and coating jobs but requiring tempering.