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White Chocolate Pretzels

By Joanna Maligaya on September 21, 2011 | Comments (0)

White chocolate covered pretzels are nearly compulsory for the holidays, but they’re just as good to have just because.

Did you know that the original version of the pretzel was a strip of dough, given to children as a reward for memorizing parts of the Bible? It was then called “pretiola” which is Latin for “reward.” It rapidly became popular and was prepared in other parts of Europe such as Germany, the country that coined the term “bretzel” which eventually changed into “‘pretzel.”

The crunch of the pretzel coupled with the sumptuousness of the chocolate covering never fails to leave people asking for more! You can either immediately bite while enjoying chocolate covered pretzels or let the chocolate melt in your mouth first before enjoying the pretzel.

Most people use the smooth and rounded pretzels to coat with different types of chocolate such as dark, milk, or white, just like this recipe! It is so diverse that some are using pretzel sticks or bars, some are half-covered with chocolate, while some are completely coated with it!

These fun chocolates make for fantastic gifts as well! Who wouldn’t enjoy the sweetness and saltiness rolled into one perfect bite these white chocolate covered pretzels have to offer?

White Chocolate Pretzels

• 1 package long pretzel rods
• 1 package almond bark or vanilla candy coating
• Decoration choices:
colored sprinkles, colored sugar, or M&M’s®.
during the holidays try crushed candy canes

Place the candy coating in a microwave-safe bowl. Make sure you do not get any water in the bowl because any water at all will cause the candy coating to not melt properly and separate.

Microwave the candy coating for 1 minute, stir and microwave an additional minute, until it is completely melted and smooth.

Stick a pretzel rod into the chocolate, and with a spoon, cover about 3/4 of the pretzel with chocolate. Let the excess drip back into the bowl.

Sprinkle the chocolate with any of the decorative choices based on your preference.

Place the decorated pretzel on a piece of waxed paper or aluminum foil, and let it dry completely, about 1 hour.

Gently pull the pretzels off the paper.

Enjoy!

Categories: chocolate recipes
Tags: chocolate coating, chocolate dessert, pretzels, white chocolate

Chocolate Covered Potato Chips

By Joanna Maligaya on September 14, 2011 | Comments (0)

The temptation of chocolate-covered anything is indeed hard to resist. And almost anything can be covered in chocolate nowadays so people keep finding out more and more attention-grabbing and out of the ordinary combinations of chocolates and certain food.

I even heard someone jokingly saying, and I am paraphrasing, “I will eat anything covered in chocolate. You can cover a tennis shoe in chocolate and I’d still eat it.” Yes, you read right. Chocolate can certainly get the best out of us sometimes! Haha

Potato chips are one of the most popular and craved snacks enjoyed by many individuals worldwide. It is reportedly one of the most consumed food items next to rice. It is typically sliced thinly and deep fried in oil to come up with crispy potatoes that’s why it is also known as “crisps”.

Some decades back, potato chips were made by peeling potatoes by hand which eventually gave way to machine peelers as these chips were in very high demand.

Manufacturers produce a variety of types of potato chips but the ridged ones are acknowledged as the “yummier” type as it can hold the flavors as opposed to the plain ones. Today, many of these potato chips are available in ridged forms making it ideal for parties and social gatherings. That is the reason why it is also the best choice for this recipe!

Chocolate Covered Potato Chips

• 8 ounces sweet or milk chocolate, chopped finely
• 24 thick-sliced, ridged potato chips

Melt 6 ounces of chocolate. Remove from heat. While chocolate is still hot, mix the remaining 2 ounces of chocolate into the melted chocolate, in 3 additions, stirring until each addition is completely melted before adding the next.

Dip the potato chips, 1 at a time, in the chocolate. Coat completely and lift with a small fork. Shake off excess chocolate by rapping the fork on the edge of the bowl lightly. Remove any drips from the bottom by running the fork across the edge of the bowl. Slide the chips onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Allow to cool until solid. Let chips sit at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

(Hint: For perfect hardening at room temperature, be sure to temper your chocolate before dipping.)

Enjoy!

Categories: chocolate recipes
Tags: chocolate coating, chocolate dessert, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, potato chips

Thinning Out Candy Coating

By Bryn Kirk on October 3, 2010 | Comments (0)

You have some choices when it comes to molding and dipping using chocolate coatings.

There are chocolate-flavored confectionery coatings and there are what is commonly referred to as “real” chocolate coating or “pure” chocolate coatings.

The main difference between these two types of coating is the fat system. Confectionery coatings are made with vegetable fats and oils like palm kernel, soybean, or a blend of similar kinds. Chocolate coating is made with cocoa butter. These coatings behave very differently because of the type of fat in them.

While you may have a choice in the type of coating you buy, you may not always have a choice in the viscosity or thickness/thinness of the coating. For example, bulk chunks of chocolate sold in stores usually come in the “one size fits all” category.

One of my readers asks this question: “What happens if your project demands a thin coating and all you have is one that is too thick?”

Paramount Crystals are small bits of partially hydrogenated palm kernel oil. You can use it to thin out confectionery coatings and chocolate (although I highly recommend you buy cocoa butter to thin out chocolate). The crystals are compatible with confectionery coatings because the vegetable oils function and melt in a similar manner.

In addition to thinning down a coating, the crystals will harden up the coating faster and put a bit of a shine on it. If you add too much to real chocolate, however, it will hinder the tempering process.

I have used this technique to thin coatings, but only with confectionery coatings. I avoid using them in chocolate for several reasons, incompatibility being one, and also they leave a slightly waxy feel in the mouth and some of the flavor delivery is impeded.

The best thing to do is make an effort to find the right viscosity of chocolate and confectionery coatings so you don’t have to add additional oils. Search the web for a vendor that offers an assortment of coatings. You should have the right tool for the job, but in a pinch, the Paramount Crystals will do.

Categories: chocolate Q&A
Tags: chocolate coating, cocoa butter, confectionary coating, paramount crystals

The Secret (and Science) of Ice Cream Coatings

By Bryn Kirk on September 2, 2010 | Comments (0)

There are two basic types of chocolate ice cream coatings, “real” chocolate coatings and chocolate flavored compound or confectionery coatings.

Both types of coatings must be thin enough to cover and bend over the ice cream, thick enough not to crack open and let the ice cream seep through, and simultaneously be crunchy and melt in your mouth. That’s not asking too much, is it?

Most of these demands have to be met by the fat system used in the coating.

The first type, real chocolate, ice cream coatings are made with cocoa butter. This type is quite tricky. Cocoa butter contracts quickly and is prone to cracking. Adding milk fat or butter oil will soften the coating and make it more pliable and resistant to cracks. Also, it works best to bring the fat content up to about 40 to 45%.

The second type is the most common ice cream coating. It is a chocolate flavored confectionery type made with oils like coconut and palm kernel. These coatings are much easier to work with because they harden quickly and coat evenly.

Coconut oil combined with a small quantity of softer oil like peanut or sunflower, will quickly form a hard and thin shell while at the same time maintaining plasticity that covers almost any shape of molded ice cream. Typically the amount of fat is much higher than its cocoa butter counterpart. These coatings have around a 60% fat content.

In the consumer market the confectionery types of coatings are often sold as being fun for kids because they go on easy and harden quickly, though much of the chocolate flavor gets lost in the formulation.

Speaking of all this ice cream coating, how about that raspberry chocolate sauce I wrote about a few days ago? Maybe it’s time to try some of that over ice cream!

Categories: chocolate education
Tags: chocolate coating, confectionary coating, ice cream

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