Chocolate-covered foods are popular as desserts and snacks, and the variety of chocolate-coated treats out there is astounding. Brand names like Canada's Glosette and America's Raisinets enjoy enduring popularity, and the range of chocolate-covered oddities seems to grow every year. Lucky for chocolate lovers, it's super easy to make your own chocolate-covered treats at home.
Easy Everyday Chocolate-Covered Treat Ideas
Practically anything can be covered in chocolate and someone out there will enjoy it. Some of the more popular chocolate-coated goodies around include chocolate-covered pretzels, chocolate-covered nuts, chocolate-covered raisins, chocolate-covered coffee beans, and various chocolate-covered dried fruits. Frozen bananas dipped in chocolate are divine, as are, of course chocolate-coated cookies and caramel popcorn.
How to Make Chocolate-Covered Nuts, Raisins or Candy
Making chocolate-covered treats is fairly simple: all you really need is chocolate, shortening and something tasty for the centre. Melt the chocolate and the shortening together, stirring constantly, and be sure to chill the centres before coating them in chocolate. An excellent easy chocolate coating recipe suitable for candies, nuts and more can be found at Hershey's, complete with instructions.
How to Do a Chocolate Fondue
Whipping up a chocolate fondue can be a lot of fun, and is a great, interactive way to get fresh fruits and cookies coated in chocolate. Gather family and friends together around a pot of melted chocolate, whipping cream and vanilla, made by following this recipe from Canadian Living's test kitchen.
Making Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries
Chocolate-dipped strawberries are perhaps the easiest of all, requiring just chocolate, strawberries, and if you'd like, chopped nuts or shredded coconut to sprinkle on top. Visit Martha Stewart's website or The Food Network for chocolate covered strawberries recipes.
Unusual Chocolate-Covered Foods: Bacon, Bugs and More
There are a million weird chocolate-dipped foods out there, some miles more appetizing than others. Chocolate-covered bugs have been on the market for years, but that doesn't make them any less creepy: ants, crickets, and scorpions are a few of the insects regularly getting the chocolate treatment. Chocolate-dipped bacon has been hot for a while; if you don't want to make your own, you can even order it online. Chocolate-covered shredded squid is apparently marketed in some parts of Asia, and chocolate-covered chili pepper canollis are supposed to be quite yummy.
Ideas for Chocolate Dipped Foods
The potential for chocolate-covered foods is endless; they even have their own food holiday, National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day. In fact, it seems like there's always a new, wild way to use chocolate coating popping up on the Internet. Whether you like to stick with traditional recipes or enjoy experimenting with unusual chocolate-dipped foods, it's clear that a quick chocolate dip can make a tasty treat.
Sources:
Chocolate-Covered Squid. Greggman. Retr. 16 Feb 2011.
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