On its own, chocolate is already quite the delectable treat. Not only could you choose from the different kinds of chocolate but chocolate bars can be mixed with other ingredients, too! Another thing that makes chocolate such an enjoyable food is that it is so versatile, and it’s very easy to transform a simple chocolate bar into more delicious treats that are even good enough to gift – or sell if you are more business-inclined.
There are several ways to elevate the humble chocolate bar, but one of the easiest things you can try (especially if you are a budding chocolatier or chocolate maker) is making chocolate-dipped desserts or snacks. Who says you can only have chocolate after meals anyway?
How To Make Chocolate-Dipped Anything
The best thing about chocolate-dipped treats is just how simple it is to make. Here are the steps:
- 1 Prepare the food you want to dip in chocolate. We’ve provided a list you can get ideas from below.
- 2 Choose what kind of chocolate you want as the coating. There’s white chocolate, milk chocolate, and dark chocolate, and you can even mix and match the food with different kinds of chocolate!
- 3 Melt your chocolate. There are at least three ways to do this, and we’ll teach you how to do each method below.
- 4 Dip your food in chocolate. We’ve got tips on how to do this neatly and how to level up your chocolate-dipped desserts, also below so keep reading!
What To Dip In Chocolate
Before we delve into specific suggestions on what you can dip in chocolate, let us first establish that if you can think it, you can dip it! There’s really no limit to what you can dip in chocolate (whether it tastes good for you is a whole other conversation), but here are a few suggestions to get you started:
1 Fresh Fruits
Strawberries, apples, mangoes, melons, oranges, and kiwi are just some of the fruits that you can dip in chocolate. A great way to balance the sweetness of the fruits with that of the chocolate is by dipping them in dark chocolate! Dark chocolate has less sugar in it, which can perfectly complement the natural sweetness of your fruit of choice. Give it a try and see how you like the combo before moving on.
2 Dried Fruits
Do you know why dried fruits are usually sweeter than their fresh counterparts? It’s because dried fruits are dehydrated, meaning all the moisture has been removed from the fruit itself. The process of drying fruit intensifies the fruit’s natural sweetness, which is why it’s best to dip dried fruits in dark chocolate. White and milk chocolate are also great choices if you want a creamier bite.
3 Nuts
Nuts and chocolate are as classic a combination as they can get. The key to creating truly irresistible chocolate-dipped nuts is through toasting the nuts first! This allows the nuts’ natural oils to come out, which is where you get most of the flavor. Use cashews, almonds, and macadamia nuts if you want creamier flavors while, peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, and pistachios have unique flavors that will pair well with milk or dark chocolate.
4 Cookies
Simple cookies like ladyfingers, shortbread cookies, and even pastries like palmiers can be leveled up simply by dipping them in chocolate! This is perfect when you want to whip up quick treats for a party. Extra tip to make them yummier on the eyes: add crushed nuts or sprinkles to the chocolate before it sets.
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5 Cakes
As if cakes aren’t sinfully delicious enough, you can make them even more enticing by dipping them in chocolate! And no, we’re not talking about drip cakes here: we mean cutting up your cheesecake or mousse (these kinds of cakes work best) into wedges or even cubes, inserting a skewer, and dipping them whole in melted chocolate. If you don’t take out the skewer, your chocolate-dipped cake-on-a-stick becomes a portable snack, too. You’re welcome.
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6 Fritters, or just anything fried
What do banana fritters, churros, and doughnuts have in common? They’re all fried and taste even better when dipped in chocolate! The key to dipping these fried food into chocolate is by letting them cool slightly before dunking them in melted chocolate so that you don’t get oily or soggy chocolate-dipped treats.
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7 Chips
Did you know that adding a pinch of salt to chocolate brings out its flavors better? That’s why chocolate-dipped potato chips (which are usually salty) work. You can also use banana chips, cassava chips, kamote chips, and basically any other plainly salted chip you can get your hands on. We recommend dipping plain salted chips… but hey – we won’t stop you if you want to experiment with flavored chips as well! We only request that you let us know in the comments how it goes.
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2 Ways To Melt Chocolate
Chocolate is a delicate thing, and it’s easy to overheat it when you aren’t paying attention. Overheated chocolate will seize and clump up – and there’s no coming back from that; you won’t be able to achieve smooth, shiny melted chocolate anymore once that happens.
Here are two ways you can melt chocolate, and how to avoid overheating it:
1 How To Melt Chocolate In A Double-Boiler
Melting chocolate on the stove can be tricky because chocolate can easily burn. Making melting chocolate more foolproof on the stove usually requires a specialized pot called a double-boiler, which is essentially a pot that nests over another pot. The bottom pot is filled with water, while the top one is where the chocolate would go – instead of melting chocolate over direct heat, the chocolate is melted using the steam from the simmering water, which is gentler and will not overheat the chocolate quite as fast.
If you don’t have a double-boiler, don’t fret! You can still make a makeshift double-boiler with these simple steps:
- 1 You will need a heatproof glass bowl or a stainless steel bowl and a sauce pot. Make sure the bowl fits over the pot; it should not sink into it.
- 2 Fill the pot about 1/4 of the way up, making sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl when it’s placed on the pot.
- 3 Over high heat, bring the water in the pot to a simmer. Then, lower the heat to Medium.
- 4 Add the chocolate into the bowl and place this over the pot of simmering water.
- 5 Use a rubber spatula to continuously scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. This distributes the heat through the chocolate more evenly and prevents the bottom and sides from burning. Use a kitchen mitt to hold onto the bowl and prevent it from sliding off the pot. Plus it protects your fingers/hands, too, as you hold the bowl steady.
- 6 When the chocolate is almost completely melted, take it off the heat. Continue to stir and scrape until the chocolate is melted through.
Here’s a video to guide you through the process:
2 How To Melt Chocolate In A Microwave
Using a microwave is the easiest way to melt chocolate! Not only is there less to clean up afterward, but it only takes less than 2 minutes to do so.
Here’s how to melt chocolate in a microwave:
- 1 Place the chocolate in a microwavable container.
- 2 Heat the chocolate on High or Medium-High for 30 seconds.
- 3 Scrape the sides and stir the chocolate.
- 4 Repeat steps 2-3 until the chocolate is almost completely melted.
- 5 When there are only small lumps left, take the container out and continue stirring the chocolate to let the residual heat melt the last lumps.
Tips For Making Chocolate-Dipped Treats
1 When melting chocolate, avoid water dripping into your bowl.
Moisture is chocolate’s biggest enemy. Letting water drip into your chocolate when you’re melting it (or even before melting it) will cause your chocolate to seize or clump up, and it will be almost impossible to get that silky melted chocolate you need to dip your treats in! Make sure any tools you need to use to melt the chocolate are completely dry before they make contact with the chocolate.
Bonus Tip: Do NOT refrigerate chocolate that you intend to melt! Chocolate keeps well at room temperature (just make sure it’s sealed tightly with an airtight container or cling wrap). Cold chocolate, when taken out from the cold to warm to room temperature, tends to form condensation. Condensation is essentially water droplets that will form on the surface of your chocolate, which makes it wet… which will ruin your chocolate when you try to melt it.
2 Use the right containers for dipping.
Dipping things in chocolate is a fairly straightforward task, but it makes it even easier when you put the melted chocolate in a container that’s deep and adheres to the shape of the treat you’re dipping. For example, put the melted chocolate in a drinking glass if you’re dipping cylindrical food like biscotti, churros, or bananas, or use a deep bowl if you’re dipping a wedge of cake or even cookies and bigger pieces of fruit.
3 Twirl to get a smooth finish on your chocolate-dipped snack.
After dipping, you might be tempted to tap your treat on the side of the bowl to get rid of the extra chocolate. Don’t! The chocolate will drop off naturally, and tapping can make the coat of chocolate uneven. Instead, twirl your treat over the melted chocolate. This will allow the chocolate to coat it more evenly, and this way there will be fewer accidental drips on your work surface.
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