Who doesn’t love a good soft-serve ice cream dipped in chocolate shell? Have you ever considered dipping other stuff in the chocolate? Bananas, strawberries, nuts, cookies, cheesecake. You could even get more crazy and dip bacon. The crackling shell is also the main ingredient in stracciatella ice cream. You could also use it to top off a cake with a layer of crispy chocolate shell that holds onto sprinkles or nuts. To make this magical ingredient, all you need is some chocolate and coconut oil.
Ingredients:
1 cup chocolate chips (you could even experiment with white chocolate chips)
2 TBS coconut oil
(optional: add 1/2 tsp extract, such as almond or peppermint)
Procedure:
Simply combine the two in a pan and gently heat until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Alternatively, you could also microwave them in short intervals until melted together. Then you just dip anything you want into the chocolate sauce. If you dip something that is not frozen, you may need to refrigerate for a moment to get the chocolate to harden.
The trick behind this recipe is that it uses fats that are solid at room temperature (saturated fats). When these fats touch something cold, they instantly harden and, when combined with chocolate, become practically stable at room temperature.
If you don’t want to use coconut oil or any other type of saturated fat, you could swap it for an equal amount of olive oil, preferably cold pressed; refined oils go through a second heat treatment that helps to raise the oil’s smoke point, which means it won’t stay solid long enough for this use. Be aware that using any type of olive oil may have a slight effect on flavor, especially if using extra virgin olive oil. Also, because these oils are liquid at room temperature, they will eventually melt, but they should stay hardened long enough to enjoy your treat.
While there are plenty of studies on saturated fat, both positive and negative, just remember that when using such a small amount for a special treat, such as magic shell, you shouldn’t worry too much about the nutritional affects. Just enjoy your ice cream!