Chocolate Olive Oil Glaze for Everything

Shiny chocolate-dipped fruit, cookies, confections, and snacks like pretzels and potato chips look gorgeous, but most of the time, when dipped in melted chocolate alone, the final result is dull or speckled with white spots. Tempered chocolate, however, yields a glossy, speckle-free appearance. Directions for seed-tempering chocolate are found in my book Vegan Chocolate: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy-Free Desserts, but this recipe offers an alternative method: adding some mild tasting extra-virgin olive oil to melted chocolate. The result is not a true tempered chocolate, but this works very well as a chocolate dip and even a lusciously smooth cake glaze. If you don’t want to wait for the chocolate glaze to set, just dip and eat!

 

Chocolate Olive Oil Glaze for Everything

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces / 170 grams dark chocolate (70 to 72%), finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons / 30 ml mild tasting extra-virgin oil or neutral vegetable oil
• 2 pinches flaked sea salt (optional)

 

Recommended Items For Dipping:

• Long-stem or standard strawberries
• Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
• Cherries on the stem
• Citrus segments (mandarin oranges or grapefruit, cleaned of all pith and “string”)
• Dried fruit
• Pomegranate seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Potato chips
• Pretzels

 

Preparation:
Line a sheet pan with a piece of plastic wrap, acetate, or parchment or a Silpat baking mat.

Melt half of the chocolate with the olive oil in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (make sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl), stirring a few times until the chocolate is just melted. Add the rest of the chocolate and stir until melted.

Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Wipe the water from the bottom of the bowl. Crush the salt (if using) between your fingers and add it to the chocolate, stirring until the chocolate is completely melted and the glaze is smooth.

To dip larger items: hold by the end or stem. Dip each piece two-thirds of the way into the chocolate. Lift up and allow the excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Set each piece on the lined sheet pan and push forward just slightly, so the chocolate doesn’t puddle too much. (Don’t worry if it does.) Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature for about 15 minutes, then refrigerate on the tray until set.

To dip smaller pieces, such as nuts or seeds, plunk a bunch at a time into a shallower bowl of chocolate and push them around with a fork until coated. Remove with a large fork or slotted spoon and allow the excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Place on the lined baking sheet to harden and then refrigerate.

Refrigerate until serving. The chocolate-dipped “anythings” will peel off the acetate, parchment, or Silpat when the chocolate has hardened.

 

Note:
Fruit must be thoroughly dry and cold before dipping (chocolate sets fastest on cold fruit). Rinse the fruit gently (do not wash berries more than 30 minutes before using), gently pat dry with paper towels and refrigerate until cold.

 

From Vegan Chocolate: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy-Free Desserts, © 2013 by Fran Costigan. Photo © Kate Lewis 2013