Quick Answer
Yes, you can absolutely use melted chocolate to decorate cookies! Melted chocolate is one of the most popular and delicious ways to decorate holiday cookies, birthday treats, or anytime sweets. The smooth, creamy melted chocolate will harden onto the cookies creating a beautiful drizzle, dip, or full coating. Melted chocolate is also easy to work with and provides endless decorating possibilities.
Can I Use Real Chocolate to Decorate Cookies?
You can use real chocolate, such as chocolate chips or chocolate bars, to decorate your cookies. Real chocolate provides the best flavor and appearance. When purchasing chocolate for decorating, look for brands that contain a high percentage of cocoa butter, such as Guittard, Ghirardelli, Valrhona or Callebaut. The higher the cocoa butter content, the smoother and glossier the melted chocolate will be. Compound chocolate, confectionery coating or summer coating wafers may contain vegetable oils and will not provide the same smooth, rich melted chocolate.
How Do I Melt Chocolate for Decorating?
To melt chocolate, chop your chocolate chips or bar into small even pieces. This will help the chocolate melt evenly. Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and melt over a double boiler or bain marie. You can also melt chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each interval until fully smooth and melted. Do not overheat or the chocolate can burn or seize up. Melted chocolate should be fully smooth and runny, with no solid bits remaining.
Tips for Melting Chocolate
- Always melt chocolate gently, over low heat or power.
- Stir continuously while melting.
- Melting and keeping chocolate at 90-94F provides the best working texture.
- Never let melted chocolate exceed 110F.
- Wipe down the sides of the bowl while melting to prevent unmelted bits.
- Melted chocolate will harden quickly during decorating, so keep leftover melted chocolate warm.
What Can I Decorate With Melted Chocolate?
You can use smoothly melted chocolate to decorate cookies in endless creative ways! Popular melted chocolate decorating techniques include:
- Drizzle – Load melted chocolate into a piping bag or zip top bag. Cut a small hole and drizzle thin lines over cookies.
- Flood – Spread a smooth layer of melted chocolate to completely coat the top of cookies.
- Dip – Dip half or whole cookies into melted chocolate for a coated edge.
- Pipe – Use a piping bag to pipe melted chocolate into specific shapes and designs.
- Spread – Use an offset spatula, knife, or spoon to spread melted chocolate on cookies.
- Transfer sheets – Use chocolate transfer sheets for patterned chocolate decorations.
- Paint – Use a paintbrush to hand paint melted chocolate onto cookie surfaces.
Get creative with melted chocolate drizzles, stripes, dots, zig zags, spirals, lace patterns, and more!
What Can I Use To Decorate Cookies Besides Melted Chocolate?
While melted chocolate is a top choice, there are other delicious options to decorate your cookies:
Royal Icing
Made from just powdered sugar, meringue powder/egg whites, and water or extract, royal icing can be piped into intricate designs. It dries solid and provides coverage.
Frosting
Buttercream, whipped cream cheese, or other creamy frostings add flavor and texture for decorating.
Sprinkles
The classic rainbow sprinkles, sanding sugar, nonpareils, edible glitter, and sprinkles in every shape and flavor add festive flair.
Nuts
Chopped nuts like pecans, walnuts, and sliced almonds add crunch and flavor.
Caramel or Jam
Drizzle straight from the jar or heat until pourable for gourmet-looking designs.
Shredded Coconut
Toasted coconut provides texture and tropical flavor.
Crushed Candy
Crush candy canes, peppermints, or other candies to decorate cookies.
How Do I Decorate Cookies?
Follow these simple steps for decorating cookies like a pro:
- Prepare the cookies – Ensure cookies are completely cooled and set before decorating.
- Outline (optional) – For precise decorating, pipe a thin outline on each cookie first.
- Fill in – Use your decorating technique to fill the cookie surface with melted chocolate, royal icing, frosting, sprinkles, etc.
- Accent – Add accents like extra chocolate drizzle, nuts, or candies.
- Set – Allow icing and chocolate to set before stacking or serving.
Decorating Tips
- Use parchment paper under the cookies for easy cleanup.
- Keep decorating tools and melted chocolate at proper temperature.
- Work quickly before icing or chocolate starts to dry or harden.
- Use off-cuts of cookies or scrap paper to test decorating techniques.
- Mix colors into icing, don’t decorate with food coloring, to avoid thinning icing.
- Thin metal spatulas give the best control for spreading frosting evenly.
Can I Make Decorated Cookies Ahead of Time?
Yes, you can decorate your cookies up to 1-2 weeks in advance of serving or gifting.
Here are some tips for storing decorated cookies:
- Allow decorated cookies to fully dry/harden before storing.
- Place cookies in airtight containers, separating layers with parchment.
- Store containers at room temperature, away from heat and humidity.
- Cookies with royal icing or chocolate will keep 1-2 weeks.
- Cookies with frosting or fillings stay fresh 3-5 days.
- Freeze cookie doughs, then thaw and decorate as needed.
- Refrigerate icing in airtight containers and re-whip before reusing.
Decorated cookies also make wonderful frozen gifts. Wrap decorated cookies securely in plastic wrap then foil and freeze. Deliver frozen cookies with decorations intact.
Troubleshooting Decorated Cookies
Cracked, Melted, or Bleeding Icing
The cookies may have been warm or the humidity was high when decorating. Only decorate fully cooled cookies. Add more powdered sugar to stabilize icing.
Runny or Firm Chocolate
The melting temperature was off. Melt again at proper 90-94F working temperature.
Weeping Oil on Top of Chocolate
Condensation can cause oil to rise after decorating. Let chocolate fully harden before stacking cookies.
Bloomed Chocolate
If not stored properly, heat or moisture caused the cocoa butter in the chocolate to rise. Re-temper or simply remelt bloomed chocolate for decorating.
Conclusion
Melted chocolate is a dream to decorate cookies – it’s tasty, easy to work with, and sets up with a beautiful glossy finish. Real chocolate like chocolate chips provides ideal flavor and appearance. Simply melt chocolate gently to the proper smooth, fluid consistency. Then unleash your creativity, using techniques like drizzling, dipping, piping, or spreading to decorate your holiday cookies and beyond. Along with melted chocolate, colorful icings, sprinkles, candies and more can help decorate cookies into edible works of art. Follow best storage practices to keep your cookies looking as pretty as the day they were decorated. With the right techniques, tools, and ingredients, you’ll have fun decorating cookies everyone will enjoy.