Strawberries, cake balls, pretzels, peanut clusters, spoons, peanut butter balls, marshmallows, cookies, biscotti. These are just a few things to dip in chocolate. I like dipping just about anything in chocolate. It can be difficult, though, to achieve the right consistency and keep the chocolate from clumping. It also takes some finesse to get your food covered smoothly, completely, and not too heavily.
What Chocolate to Purchase
The type of chocolate used is important. I have used chocolate chips, and they often clump. You can add a couple teaspoons of Crisco to melted chips, which works pretty well. I see candy melts mentioned frequently in recipes, but I haven’t used them. My favorite chocolate is Walmart’s Great Value Almond Bark and Chocolate Almond Bark. Kroger brand is great, also. They’re 24-oz packages, so you get lots of dipping out of each. CandiQuik Candy Coating Baking Bar is also very effective, but it’s pricier than the store brands.
How To Prepare Your Chocolate
I have found that the best way to melt your chocolate is in a small, short glass. It needs to be wide enough to easily fit a pretzel or rolled ball, but not as wide as a mug. Place 2-3 squares of bark into the glass and microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring between each heat. I like using a chopstick, because it minimizes the amount of chocolate that is wasted, and the chopstick later serves as a nice way to push your pretzel or ball off the dipping fork.
Dip and Shake
You know in Legally Blonde, how Elle’s friend Paulette learns Elle’s move, “Bend and Snap”? This is like that, only we dip and shake. Make your dipping fun. Play some music. Dance in the kitchen.
When I place a single pretzel or ball into the cup of melted chocolate, I recommend using a fork to turn it over and gently raise it out of the chocolate, allowing the excess to drip between the tines of the fork. Pick up the glass so you can hold it at an angle while shaking the fork, tapping it against the glass to allow the chocolate to fall back inside.
Allow to Cool and Harden
Place your dipped candies on wax paper and let them dry until no longer glossy. They can be stored in air-tight containers for several weeks, ready to be enjoyed for all of your holiday celebrations.
Use your newly-acquired skills for Things To Dip In Chocolate:
Cake Balls
Dipped Pretzels
Chocolate-Covered Peanut Clusters – When the last of your chocolate remains in the bottom of your glass, what better way to take care of it than to add a few peanuts (1/4 cup? maybe more!) and stir them around until coated. Then, just spoon them out onto waxed paper and allow to cool for peanut clusters!
Stirring Spoons – The spoons and marshmallows pictured above are an easy way to make serving hot cocoa more festive. Just stir your hot cocoa with these spoons, and the drippy chocolate melts away and reveals a marshmallow to pop up in your mug.
Strawberries – expanded tutorial on methods and tricks to make strawberry dipping less of a hassle – coming soon!
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